Telecoms giants, Sky, BT, TalkTalk and Virgin Media O2, have agreed to set new measures aimed at safeguarding the most vulnerable individuals.

During the ongoing upgrade of phone lines to a new digital network, the pledge addresses concerns over serious incidents impacting telecare users, specifically the elderly and disabled who depend on remote support systems.

According to the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the move is a “positive step” by the industry to make sure safety continues to be at the heart of the nationwide switchover.

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Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said: “It is absolutely right that the most vulnerable people in our society should feel safe, secure and have complete confidence in the services provided to them.

“That’s why I have brought our biggest network providers and industry regulator to the table, agreeing a cast iron set of principles to reassure people and put their minds at ease.

“The recent issues families have had to endure are unacceptable and today’s agreements will help to protect consumers in future.”

Other agreed measures include a commitment by providers not to force customers onto the new network until robust protections are in place.

The government will also continue to work with the telecare sector to reduce risk for users during the digital transition, it said.

Telecoms Minister, Sir John Whittingdale, continued: “These commitments are a promise to the most vulnerable people in our society – we will leave no stone unturned in making your safety and security the number one priority for our telephone providers.

“When people need help, they should have every confidence that the services provided to them will get them the assistance they need, and I am clear that recent failings must never happen again.”

He concluded: “It is important we have a telecoms networks fit for the modern age and it’s right the technology is updated to keep pace with the demand we place on it, but in modernising the network providers must also work closely with customers to understand their needs, particularly the most vulnerable customers.”

The news comes as Community Fibre recently called out BT and Virgin Media for “stifling” and “confusing” customers, making it harder for them to leave and join other service providers.

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Telecoms giant EE has launched its new service, EE TV, aimed to offer a flexible TV experience for UK homes.

A first-of-a-kind offering, which includes flexible content packages. replaces BT TV after its £12.5 billion acquisition by the telecoms company.

EE has also partnered with Apple to produce an EE TV app with live streaming and on-demand content, alongside a custom EE-branded remote, and automatic setup for the Apple TV box.

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The new offering allows customers access to over 70 Freeview channels, a Netflix subscription, as well as premium channels from Sky, Eurosport, TNT Sports and Discovery.

However, the service also offers Prime Video and Now, for an additional fee, with Disney Plus set to be available soon.

“The launch of EE TV is one of the first significant strides we’re taking since launching New EE,” CEO Marc Allera said. “The service is built for busy households, and we believe it will elevate the TV experience for consumers across the UK.”

The news comes as Allera recently revealed revealed customers are “not sentimental” about losing the BT brand.

He continued: “We’re effectively rebranding a national institution.

“Most are aware of the changes and they understand it” claiming the telecoms business has not “seen much resistance”.

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The tool, dubbed ‘Direct Web Attribution’, will enable advertisers to measure the impact a TV campaign has in generating interest and traffic to a brand’s platforms – with the aim of enabling brands to measure mid-funnel consideration and intent goals, link TV exposure to online response, and directly understand the customer journey.

“TV continues to remain the most trusted and impactful way for brands to engage current and future customers, illustrated by the growing number of digital native brands turning to TV. Being able to directly measure the impact TV has on driving web traffic and the resulting sales will be an immensely powerful tool,” said Dev Sangani, Director of Strategy and Capability at Sky Media. “It’s really exciting to see the results for these campaigns come through. Our emerging insights show that there is a 50-100 per cent increase in web visits attributed to TV versus traditional models. Clearly that means TV’s impact on advertising performance has been wildly underestimated.”

The tool will be available across linear, on-demand, and addressable TV campaigns via AdSmart, with sponsorship being added in the ‘coming months’. All data will be available to view through Sky Analytics, Sky Media’s self-serve reporting tool.

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UK citizens are growing increasingly excited about the launch of Disney+ on 24 March, according to a new study conducted by market research company, GlobalWebIndex. As many Brits remain either quarantined or isolated due to the coronavirus, 14 per cent of consumers said they have already purchased a year subscription to the streaming service, or plan to at launch. GlobalWebIndex also found that compared to July 2019, the general interest in Disney+ by Brits has jumped by 23 per cent.

“Interestingly, 12 per cent of Brits admit that they have actually seen flagship TV show, The Mandalorian, a spin-off Star Wars series,” said Chase Buckle, trends manager at GlobalWebIndex. “But even piracy problems have been unable to stem the excitement around Disney+. Added to this, the recent global health situation will have many people – particularly families with kids who cannot attend school – considering a package which offers them all the family-friendly content to keep them entertained for lengthy stretches indoors.”

Customers are most excited about certain content including Pixar films (49 per cent) and Marvel tv shows and films (47 per cent), with less pointing out Star Wars (32 per cent) as a reason to subscribe. Additionally, the partnership between Sky and Disney+ seems to be playing a key role in Disney+ subscriptions. 18 per cent of Brits said they are Sky Go customers, which means they will have first access to Disney+.

“The recent partnership between Sky and Disney to offer Sky customers access to Disney+ content as part of their package is an interesting development,” said Buckle. “It could be a key moment in helping both Netflix and Disney+ retain a competitive share in users in the UK, whilst proving lucrative to Sky as the one stop shop for consumers streaming needs.”

The study found that 24 per cent of consumers aren’t sure if they will invest in a Disney+ subscription as an added streaming service. Only 7 per cent of consumers said they would cancel an existing streaming service membership to subscribe to Disney+, while 29 per cent of consumers said they’d be fine with keeping existing subscriptions and simply adding Disney+ to that monthly bill.

Chase concludes: “It’s time for the video on-demand industry to review the points of access for consumers. So far, it has been a case of another service, another price list. However, this model can only go on for so long. Looking for solutions to the rising expense, we found that just over a quarter of UK consumers are ready to see ads on the BBC to mitigate the cost of the TV licence and over a third (38 per cent) state that we can do without TV licences altogether. The rise of ‘Advertising Supported Video on Demand’ or AVOD is something for the industry to seriously consider, to ensure consumer costs remain low, whilst profitable for them.”

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The Kings of the Premier League show, hosted by Soccer AM presenter Adam Smith, will air on the last Friday of every month at 8pm on Sky Sports Premier League, YouTube, and video on-demand. The 30-minute show welcomes ex-pros, social influencers, and celebrities to analyse player performances. Today’s first show will feature a guest appearance from Sol Campbell.

Budweiser already runs its King of the Match competition – where fans vote via the league’s app on who they thought was the best player following Premier League matches – through its partnership with the Premier League. The beermaker is also the first-ever sponsor of Sky Sports’ Power Rankings, which is a league table of all players updated weekly by analysing more than 30 stats. These rankings will also be discussed on the Kings of the Premier League show.

“The Budweiser sponsorship of the Premier League celebrates the Kings of the game and aims to bring fans closer to their Premier League heroes,” said Jessie Lander, senior brand manager at Budweiser. “The Kings of the Premier League show does just that – by connecting players, pundits and influencers directly with viewers.  We’re excited to see the show come to life after months of planning.” 

The campaign, which aims to reach people aged between 18 and 34, will also feature spot advertising across both traditional feed and pub TV feeds, social posts on Sky Sports and Football Daily channels, and video on-demand advertising.

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An all-child cast explore the electric vehicles in a three-minute film, asking the questions that adults won’t, during the six-week campaign. The aim is to raise awareness of Kia’s electric cars amongst families, while growing engagement and brand warmth.

The content, which was produced by Recipe, will be available on video on demand and amplified through a Sky News native article, digital display, and social media as well as through linear TV advertising. There is also a branded ‘Sky One Presents’ introduction ahead of spot advertising on the channel.

The campaign runs from today (19 August) until 29 September.

“Sky Media will be the perfect partner for our brand, being able to amplify our wide range of electric and alternative fuelled models across such a broad scale of media will ensure that our electric credentials are seen by a wide range of consumers that are a sure fit within our target demographic,” said Jane Fenn, head of brand communications at Kia.

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Sky Analytics is an online portal which Sky identifies as being the first phase of its journey to simplify execution and management of cross-platform TV advertising. The tool is compatible across AdSmart and Sky’s on demand platforms and is supported by third-party verified Moat video score data, enabling Sky’s clients to assess the quality of the impressions they are buying. Sky also promises cross-platform reporting through CFlight and transactional capability.

Through AdSmart, advertisers and agencies will be able to build and size audience using the platform’s 14000 attributes, while setting specific campaign goals and metrics. For on demand, Analytics will provide campaign and delivery reports and analysis, including impression heatmaps and content.  

“Sky Analytics is a significant step in giving agencies and clients more control of their TV campaigns,” said Jamie West, Sky’s group director of advanced advertising. “The ability to plan campaigns using the wealth of targeting attributes or combining with their own data is hugely compelling. We are on a journey to deliver a single powerful platform with the flexibility marketers have come to expect from digital, but for the brand safe premium video experience of TV.”

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Previously, the Watch offering enabled users to download show to their mobile devices to watch offline with Sky Go Extra. The update marks the first-time users will be able to stream wherever they are.

“We launched Sky Mobile to connect our customers to more of what they love,” said Sophia Ahmad, director of Sky Mobile. “Streaming films and TV shows on-the-go is now one of the most popular ways to pass time while travelling or commuting – and our new Watch offer makes it easier for our customers to stay up to date with the unmissable must-watch television, from Game of Thrones to F1 races, that we know our customers love.”

Watch is available to all Sky Mobile customers, but what content can be accessed depends on their Sky TV subscription. Those without a TV package can still stream apps that don’t require a subscription like Sky News.

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Cisco – Cisco Live 2018
Cisco Live 2018 saw 27,000 attend the technology firm’s annual conference, and as befits such an innovative company, the attendee experience was substantially enhanced by technology deployed prior to and during the event. Badges included wearable beacons, and real-time data was used to guide attendees to a richer and more fulfilling experience that also improved lead generation for Cisco’s partners.

A mobile app created for attendees was able to generate recommendations based on attendee interests and provide precise locations throughout the conference, with augmented reality then used to guide attendees to their next activity. The conference’s Smart Agenda used AI to track real-time behaviour while the beacon technology enabled attendees to find their friends and book one-to-one sessions with experts easily.

Over the course of the conference, Cisco’s machine learning technology processed over 1.7bn data points, with 90 per cent of app users taking advantage of the mapping functionality to find their way around the event. Amongst full conference attendees, the algorithms offered recommendations that were connected to 67 per cent of the behaviours manifested at the event, and 82 per cent of attendees said they were more likely to purchase Cisco products and solutions as a result of the conference.

Chrome River Technologies – Chrome River Expense
Chrome River, provider of expense reporting and invoice management, is the partner of choice for over 800 midsize-to-large enterprises around the world. Many of these organizations select the company specifically for its market-leading mobile capabilities, developed to ensure that the expense reporting system would offer a seamless user experience for all employees on any device, regardless of their location or language.

Expense reporting is no fun for those submitting the claims, those approving them, or the C-Suite. Chrome River EXPENSE aims to eliminate these problems, via a SaaS web app, available in more than 30 languages, that is completely configurable and robust enough to exceed the needs of the largest, global, mobile workforces.

The app was designed to work equally well on all devices and connections and be easy-to-use, secure and up-to-date. For approvers, its automated spend control, allocation coding and approval routing speed up reimbursements and eliminate cross-referencing of submissions with corporate travel policies. The solution even allows expense pre-approvals. When integrated with a companys CRM system, the app also measures sales team travel and entertainment spend against sales outcome and revenue generated, so they can increase investment where it will drive the highest ROI.

To support use with any type of connection, Chrome River also uses single page application technology reducing the need for large volumes of data to be transmitted in order to perform tasks. As a result, it will work just as effectively on a low-bandwidth 3G network or in a rural location with a weak mobile signal as it does on an office’s network or a 4G/LTE mobile network.

It also features automated reconciliation with US Bank statements and image processing technology including image enhancement, rotation, OCR text extraction and rules logic for data analysis and accurate assignment. Smart OCR reads the information on the receipt (time of day – is this breakfast, lunch or dinner?, amount and currency, merchant name and vendor type) and then maps the receipt to the correct expense line. The system can also recognize a related line item – such as a credit card transaction – and combine the two.

As a company, Chrome River has a customer satisfaction rate of 97 per cent, and an annual customer revenue retention rate of more than 98 per cent. One Expense client estimated that their company had saved over $1m  in travel expenditures in a year as a result of implementing the Chrome River Expense pre-approval process.

Domino’s Pizza Group and Future Platforms – Domino’s Pizza Drivers’ App and Dashboard
The aim of this app is to make Domino’s drivers safer, more efficient, and more productive; bring about business-wide operational improvements; and complete the pizza-tracking cycle.

The app needs to work in multiple different scenarios with a varied user set, so Future Platforms began by establishing personas: Drivers, Store Managers, Area Managers, Head Office/Operations, Customers, and Franchisees. Determining what each would need from the solution, and how they would coexist, the agency created a series of wire flows and user journeys before devising a prototype for the driver’s app and the in-store dashboard.

Future spent prolonged periods of time at stores to observe and test their solutions in real-time, and held held a number of workshops with staff, franchisees and managers across the country, incorporating their challenges and considerations into the solution.
The driver version of the app shows order information, delivery address, and special notes, and the driver can call the store/customer or use integrated Waze navigation for delivery directions.

The app and backend exchange information about the device location and order status, which is fed through to the in-store manager dashboard. Unique colours differentiate drivers currently on delivery from those returning to the store or those imminently available for a new order, with to-the-minute ETAs provided based on traffic and location.

The app records detailed information about the driver’s actions and order activity, and this is fed into Tableau reporting software for analytics. Store owners, area managers and franchisees are then able to generate digital reports on store activity, which can highlight unusual delivery patterns or logistical areas for improvement.

After a proof of concept and trial run in three stores, and a productisation phase in 22 stores, by the end of 2017, the Drivers’ App and Dashboard was operational in 243 UK stores, and by March 2018, GPS was fully operational in 541 stores, putting Future on schedule to reach its goal of being live in all 1000+ stores by the end of the year, where it will be used be 27,000 delivery drivers.

Deliveries are now better organised, with orders timed to be ready just as the next driver returns. When coupled with hands-free GPS that calculates the most efficient route, more orders are being delivered per hour, with additional savings on fuel costs. Tracking helps managers better mitigate against revenue loss from drivers taking their own breaks or being unproductive, and rewarding others for high performance.

The centralised system provides a clear overview of orders, staff availability, delivery status, and more. Drivers are saving fuel by taking more efficient routes, and though a minimal saving in isolation, adds up quickly for an organisation of this size. By monitoring habits like excessive speed and the harshness of braking, and working to discourage them, Domino’s is able to reduce insurance premiums by providing telematic data. Safe driving further impacts fuel costs, makes the brand more responsible, and keeps road users safer.

IBM and Kaon Interactive – IBM Interactive Product Catalogue
Operating in a commoditized market, IBM was seeking a way to differentiate itself from the competition, while simultaneously simplifying the messaging around its complex product set. The company has a large, global salesforce and channel partner network that adds an additional layer of complexity with the challenge of distributing this information, consistently and simultaneously, to all stakeholders.

Additionally, IBM has a vast portfolio of large, heavy products that were are and logistically difficult to ship around the world for trade shows and demonstrations. It was impossible for salespeople to show and demonstrate these products in sales meetings to communicate the business value of their products.

IBM partnered with Kaon Interactive to create an interactive 3D product catalogue, built on the Kaon marketing platform. The IBM Interactive Product Catalog is an immersive experience that provides IBMs sales engineers and reps, marketing team, and channel partners with a tool that is better at demonstrating their products capabilities than the actual physical equipment.
It contains photo-realistic, 3D product models of a large swath of IBMs portfolio built into virtual product tours that enable users to drill down to line diagrams, show switches, and pull out and spin components.

In many cases, the application is more current than the physical product racks. No matter where is IBM team is located around the globe, they know they have the latest version available, keeping both internal teams and a diverse network of channel partners in synch.
The app contains more than 80 interactive 3D product tours, is updated regularly with new products and content, and is used by more than 700 salespeople per week. It has helped IBM to engage prospects earlier; onboard sales and channel teams more quickly; and grow net-new business.

Sky, Domestic & General, Rufus Leonard and Pocket App – Sky Protect Engineers’ App
Sky Protect insurance, provided by its partner and warranty specialist Domestic & General, has traditionally been marketed and sold using traditional channels: outbound sales, email and web. In a post-GDPR world, these channels are becoming challenged, as consumers opt out of marketing communications. However, in research commissioned by Domestic & General, it was found that the Sky Protect product is as popular with this difficult to reach audience. The challenge then was how to communicate the benefits of this product to the Sky audience with a light touch and in a privacy-friendly manner.

When Sky engineers visit a property for a new installation or a repair they have a key opportunity to upsell other offers and services, including Sky Protect insurance cover. Previously, this has been achieved through leaflets carried by the engineers and given to customers to read while the installation takes place.

To improve on this, Sky and Domestic & General worked with Rufus Leonard and Pocket App to create a native app for Sky engineers which could engage customers directly. The app was developed to build awareness of the Sky Protect insurance offering, with the goal of leveraging the engineer presence to create a more efficient sales channel. The primary metric for determining the success of this app-based approach would be the conversion rate of plans sold to videos viewed.

On launch, the app guides the consumer through the Sky Protect offer via a short introductory video. The customer then receives a summary of the offer with three clear options – no interest, sign up, or request a phone or email follow-up for further information. Finally, the app confirms via pop-up that the customer has not been pressurised into signing or has any complaints about the app experience. At the time of entry, there had not been a single complaint.

Phase one covered 200 of Sky’s 3,000 engineers in the UK. Phase Two will provide additional consumer benefit, with the app experience splintering based on the type of equipment the customer has installed (HD Box vs Q Box). The relevant deal can then be served up to them seamlessly, without the need for further questions.

The results of the deployment were supplied to the judges in confidence and are extremely impressive.

Join us to find out the winners of our 2018 Effective Mobile Marketing Awards at our prestigious Awards Ceremony on 15 November. Tickets are available now, so book your place and celebrate the industrys best and brightest with us.

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The Comcast deal was approved by EU antitrust regulators, who gave the thumbs up to the US cable companys plans to acquire European pay-TV group Sky without demanding concessions, saying that the deal did not raised any competition concerns.

“The proposed transaction would lead to only a limited increase in Skys existing share of the markets for the acquisition of TV content, as well as in the market for the wholesale supply of TV channels in the relevant member states,”  said the EU competition agency.

Comcast, which is the worlds largest broadcaster and entertainment company, currently owns NBCUniversal, Universal Pictures, Telemundo, E! and various other properties. It is also currently bidding against Disney to acquire 21st Century Fox.

AT&Ts acquisition of Time Warner Inc was similarly given the nod by US antitrust regulators, who indicated they would not seek to delay the $85bn (£64bn) deal, despite opposition from President Trump.

AT&T was sued by the Justice Department over the deal, but won approval from US District Judge Richard Leon, who gave the deal the thumbs up to move forward. The Justice Department still has 60 days to appeal the decision, but the blessing given by the antitrust authorities takes AT&Ts deal another step closer to completion.

President Trump, who has been a frequent critic of Time Warners CNN coverage, denounced the deal when it was first announced in October 2016. The Justice Department, in its lawsuit aimed at stopping the deal, said that AT&Ts ownership of both DirectTV and Time Warner subsidiary Turner would give the company leverage against rival pay TV providers.

In his opinion on the ruling, Leon said there was little to support the governments arguments that the deal would harm consumers, calling the evidence for one argument against the deal “poppycock” and another “gossamer thin”.

The approval of both deals could prove massively impactful for the broadcasting and media sectors, triggering a wave of mergers by a sector that has been disrupted by digital services like Netflix and Amazon.

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