Pay TV phase three document - Stakeholders - Ofcom

Pay TV phase three document – non-confidential version
Annex 5
5 Glossary
API: Application Program Interface. A technology that facilitates exchanging of messages
or data between two or more different software applications.
BARB: Broadcasters Audience Research Board. The pan-industry body which measures
television viewing.
Broadband. A service or connection generally defined as being ‘always on’ and providing a
bandwidth greater than narrowband.
CA: Conditional Access. A technology enabling a broadcaster to restrict access to content
that it has made available on a digital platform only to those customers that have been
authorised to access it.
CA03: Communications Act 2003.
CA98: Competition Act 1998.
CC: Competition Commission.
CAGR: Compound Annual Growth Rate. The average annual growth rate over a specified
period of time. It is used to indicate the investment yield at the end of a specified period of
time. The mathematical formula used to calculate CAGR = (present value/base value) (1/#of
years) – 1.
Churn. The loss of customers subscribing to a particular pay TV package or retailer.
Core Premium channels. Includes both Core Premium Sports channels and Core Premium
movie channels (see individual definitions below).
Core Premium Movie channels. Sky Movies channels apart from Sky Movies Classics.
Specifically those premium channels or packages of premium channels which include
movies from the major six Hollywood studios, shown in the first pay TV window.
Core Premium Sports channels. Sky Sports 1 and 2 and Setanta Sports 1. Specifically
those premium channels which fit the description set out in section 4 of this document.
Digital switchover. The process of switching over the current analogue television
broadcasting system to digital, as well as ensuring that people have adapted or upgraded
their televisions and recording equipment to receive digital TV.
DSat: Digital satellite. A term used in the UK to refer to the digital satellite platform.
DTH: Direct to home. Another term for satellite distribution technology.
DTT: Digital Terrestrial Television. Currently most commonly delivered through Freeview.
DVB: Digital Video Broadcasting. A set of internationally accepted open standards for
digital broadcasting, including standards for distribution by satellite, cable, radio and
handheld devices (the latter known as DVB-H).
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