End of Summer OTT News Roundup

The technical end of summer is just around the corner — schools are officially back in session, temperatures are dropping (well, for some of us) and fall TV favorites have already kicked off. And, our favorite OTT experts have certainly been busy with industry news. Below, we take a look at the latest happenings in OTT.

 End of Summer OTT News Roundup

FCC may deliver death knell for set-top boxes

Mike Snider, USA Today

 Set-top boxes are devices that turn cable signals into content for your television. Set-top boxes have recently been the source of controversy in that they are expensive, and exclusive to your cable provider. Cable subscribers also pay an average of $231 per year just to rent the cable box itself – that doesn’t include any services. The FCC will vote on new proposed rules later this month. The rules propose that providers make apps for standard, universal set-top boxes, for content to be delivered through. This way, consumers will be able to receive live, linear content via the cable provider’s app in addition to access to any SVOD (subscription video on demand) services they subscribe to.

 Turner wants to build its own streaming service for channels like CNN and TNT

Peter Kafka, Recode

 Turner’s CEO John Martin — who’s remained relatively low-profile and hails from Wall Street as a former analyst — is hinting at plans of selling select channels (TNT, CNN and Cartoon Planet) direct to consumers in the form of streaming subscriptions. Martin noted that the move would put Turning on course “to offer an end-to-end solution, direct to consumer.” While immediate action is unlikely, Martin acknowledged in the same interview that the network is already working to build out technology that would be vital in delivering its own programming via the internet. Interestingly, Martin will wind up competing with his own customers, or paid television distributors (Comcast, Charter) that already account for billions in fees each year for Turner. With paid television subscriptions quickly dwindling, this move is far less shocking than it would’ve been even a few years ago.

 OTT video subscriptions have climbed 12% since 2014

Jeff Baumgartner, Multichannel News

 Unsurprisingly, the consumer market is quickly adopting and opting for OTT video services. In the Parks Associates’ OTT Video Market Tracker, which analyzes OTT services in the U.S. and Canadian markets, it was discovered that consumer adoption rates of OTT video subscription services have grown by 12 percent since Q3 of 2014. This increase comes despite the uptick in password sharing — which is up 8 percent over that time period of time. This steady increase is a positive light for the OTT industry, which has already experienced a steady climb into 2016 according to a statement from Parks Associates.

 It’s been a news-filled end-of-summer for the OTT industry. What recent headlines have grabbed your attention?