"Further details have emerged on plans by BT for its proposed broadband television service, now aiming to launch next summer, promising the ability to catch up with television programmes from the previous week. BT will offer a hybrid broadband and broadcast system, combining a digital terrestrial television receiver with an Ethernet network connection. Industry reports suggest that it will include an electronic programme guide featuring programmes for fourteen days in advance and seven days previous. Digital terrestrial transmissions currently carry details of programmes for the next week, in fact up to 8 days ahead, although schedules are published for two weeks in advance. The ability to go back in time by up to a week is seen as the killer application, using a network based video-on-demand system. Video Networks, which operates the HomeChoice service in the London area, already offers the ability to catch-up on particular programmes. Cable operator Telewest is planning a similar service that it calls Teleport Replay."
The global streaming industry has spent the better part of a decade chasing subscriber counts as the primary metric of success. That era is now formally over. New market data from Omdia confirms that the industry has crossed a decisive threshold; one that shifts the competitive playing field from growth-at-all-costs to monetization discipline. For senior executives navigating media, advertising, and technology strategy, the implications extend well beyond entertainment. A Historic Revenue Crossover Online video revenue increased 13.5 percent to $176 billion in 2025, while pay-TV revenue declined 4 percent to $170 billion; marking the first time in the industry's history that streaming has surpassed legacy pay-TV in revenue terms. This is not a rounding error or a statistical artifact; it represents the culmination of more than a decade of structural disruption to the traditional broadcast and cable TV model. Global subscriptions to online video services reached 2.24 billion by the ...