Multi-screen Content Licensing a Major Headache for Pay TV Operators

CAMPBELL, CA - Securing content licensing is the number one business challenge facing pay TV operators according to market research firm Infonetics Research. The firm released excerpts from its new report "Multi-Screen TV Service Deployment Strategies: Global Service Provider Survey," for which Infonetics interviewed pay TV operators about their plans for multi-screen video services and delivering live and file-based video content to subscribers with multiple devices.

"Multi-screen services are quickly becoming a critical service for pay TV operators worldwide," notes Jeff Heynen, directing analyst for broadband access and pay TV at Infonetics Research. "By keeping attention focused on the content they're providing, operators keep subscribers and advertisers
happy."

"But," cautions Julien Blin, Infonetics' directing analyst for consumer electronics and mobile broadband, "Significant challenges remain, particularly when it comes to securing licensing arrangements with content owners who are concerned about the security of their content in a multi-screen world. This is also one of the major hurdles to offering á la carte cable content, a hot topic these days."

Multi-screen TV Survey Highlights:
. Nearly half of survey respondents support tablets as part of their multi-screen service today, growing to 100 percent by 2014.
. When it comes to supporting mobile OS as part of a multi-screen service, 40 percent of operators interviewed prefer the Android and iOS platforms.
. Among survey respondents, the need to reduce churn and increase customer loyalty was rated a top business driver .
. Securing content licensing deals is the number one business challenge facing respondent operators.