• Subscribe to our Daily News Emails
  • Advertise
    • Media Info
    • Terms & Conditions for Advertisers
    • Mechanical Data

Broadband TV News

Independent. Since 2003

  • Home
  • News Line
    • Central & East Europe
    • People
  • TV
    • On Demand/VOD
    • IPTV
    • Cable
    • Satellite
    • Terrestrial
    • Distribution
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Events
    • Events Diary
    • BTN Events
    • Events Coverage
    • Submit the details of your event
  • Features
  • Resources
    • White Papers

German cable still hiding behind the sofa

May 29, 2009 07.28 Europe/London By Julian Clover

Julian Clover finds German cable still struggling to make its way in the modern world.

It is the age old problem, for the television age at least, losing the remote control behind the sofa. For German cable viewers, this probably doesn’t matter, if they are digital subscribers the chances are they have another.
This is the latest reason put forward as to why digital television in the German cable market is still to really take-off. Delegates to ANGA Cable in Cologne this week were told that German cable was already 100% digital, which is sort of true, at least if you count the deployment of broadband internet and telephony.

One observer suggested to me that German cable was five years behind the curve when compared to other European markets. Yet the problem has been not just the belated deployment of digital television, as the now privately owned networks sought to compensate for the under investment during the latter years of the Deutsche Telekom tenure, but the way it has been deployed.

Consumers who decided to upgrade were presented with a digital receiver with a line-up that was largely the same as what was receivable in analogue, overlooking the initial reluctance of the private broadcasters to sign up for digital distribution, and an interface to match. The zapper boxes that have been commonplace in the German market will tell you what you’re watching, but very little else.

It may be that this is about to change, although there have been dalliances with both the proprietary OpenTV and the DVB-backed MHP, there is now a realisation that the viewer needs something that looks a little more digital. Unity Media CEO Palm Sandhu suggested that a return to MHP could be one way of creating the necessary scale, but it seems the private sector may be about to come up with the answer.

NDS has seen its middleware adopted by the soon to be renamed Premiere, and cable operators including Kabel BW, Telecolumbus, and the mighty Kabel Deutschland have followed suit.

But there is still work to be done. The private channels that were previously reluctant to let their channels be broadcast in the digital format are still holding back their EPG data. ProSiebenSat.1 and RTL have gone to court to prevent the Sony-owned portal tvtv from reproducing their data.

This in turn has consequences for the use of personal video recorders that require the data in order to run features such as Series Link.

The remote control problem is something that could easily resolved by a visit to one of the developers, such as Ruwido, the Austrian manufacturer found in the halls of the Köln Messe. As Sky viewers in the UK will tell you, a single remote that operates both television and set-top box is standard, and with Germany about to have its own Sky a single remote is no longer too much to ask for.

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp

Related

Filed Under: Clover's Week Edited: 29 May 2009 07:28

Avatar photo

About Julian Clover

Julian Clover is a Media and Technology journalist based in Cambridge, UK. He works in online and printed media. Julian is also a voice on local radio. You can talk to Julian on X @julianclover, or by email at jclover@broadbandtvnews.com.

Latest News

  • MultiChoice planning revamp of DStv service
  • Eutelsat confirms UK involvement in capital increase
  • Broadcasters confirmed for Ligue 1 football coverage
  • DVB releases findings from Film Grain Synthesis study
  • TVP VOD reports large increase in linear channel streaming

Most Popular

  • MultiChoice planning revamp of DStv service
    MultiChoice planning revamp of DStv service
  • Broadcasters confirmed for Ligue 1 football coverage
    Broadcasters confirmed for Ligue 1 football coverage
  • DAZN picks up international rights to Serie A 
    DAZN picks up international rights to Serie A 
  • Sky adds new rewards to loyalty programme
    Sky adds new rewards to loyalty programme
  • Eutelsat confirms UK involvement in capital increase
    Eutelsat confirms UK involvement in capital increase
  • Warner Bros Discovery confirms Wimbledon plans
    Warner Bros Discovery confirms Wimbledon plans
  • Disney+ and ITVX agree reciprocal content share 
    Disney+ and ITVX agree reciprocal content share 

White Paper

Eutelsat planning capital increase to become European Starlink

The French state has bolstered its take in Eutelsat as part of a €1.35 billion capital increase. … [Download the White Paper ...]

Broadband TV News

  • Subscribe
  • About us
  • Contacts
  • Logos & Pictures
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Advertising

  • Media Info
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Mechanical Data
  • Video Services

News

  • Latest
  • Central & East Europe
  • TV
  • Tech
  • Streaming
  • Cable
  • Satellite
  • Terrestrial
  • IPTV
  • Business
  • People

Events

  • Events Diary
  • BTN Events
  • Submit the details of your event
  • Media Meet & Greet

Editorial

PO Box 499
Cambridge
United Kingdom
CB1 0AH
news@broadbandtvnews.com

Commercial

Arundel View Cottage
Wepham
West Sussex
BN18 9RA
sales@broadbandtvnews.com

Connect with Us

 

Copyright © 2025 Broadband TV News LLP · Log in

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.