According to a new report by Juniper Research, the number of streamed mobile TV users on smartphones will increase to 240 million by 2014. The report shows that the increase will be driven by a rise in smartphone penetration and an increasing usage of live and on-demand services both on TVs and PCs.

Samsung Electronics and OpenX are partnering up to create a new private advertising exchange specifically for global mobile inventory. The new exchange called the 'Samsung AdHub Market' will allow advertisers to purchase mobile inventory from mobile developers and Samsung Electronics within a closed marketplace environment, allowing easy targeting of desired audiences.

The IPTV industry is set to double in size and will be worth $12 billion, according to new research by Informa Telecoms & Media. Informa's analysis shows that by the end of 2011, there were 34.3 million global households that had a pay IPTV subscription as their primary TV service, up by 6.7 million year on year. According to Informa, this will likely rise to 76.5 million by 2016.

Al Jazeera Sport is expected to bid for the UK rights to broadcast live English Premier League football. "We're expecting another Premier League auction in April or May. An Al Jazeera bid is a realistic option," said Ross Hair, managing director of ESPN UK. Hair added that Al Jazeera "have done something very interesting in France in buying first division football against the incumbent satellite broadcaster Canal Plus and we've also looked at what they've done in other markets."

Sky News Arabia, which is set to air across the Middle East and North Africa starting in spring of 2012, has announced the names of five of its news anchors. "I'm absolutely delighted to be able to announce our first batch of presenters. Each one of our presenters brings a wealth of talent and experience, and we are excited to welcome them to the Sky News Arabia family," Nart Bouran, Head of Sky News Arabia. The five news presenters are Amr Abdelhamid, Fadila Souissi, Yusuf Serif, Rita Malouf, and Faisal Bin Huraiz.

Canal+ is again being challenged by Al-Jazeera Sports over French League 1 TV rights. The French professional football league LFP has entered into exclusive negotiations with Al-Jazeera for the attribution of League 1 matches for the 2012-2016 period. An agreement is expected to be reached by the end of January. Canal+ already has already lost part of the League 1 rights for the 2012-2015 period.

Al Jazeera English can now be accessed on the new Google TV and Google Chrome apps. The new Google TV app will feature headlines and updates from the Al Jazeera Twitter feed. In the future, the app will also include a live stream of Al Jazeera's coverage. Meanwhile, the new Chrome app features desktop notifications and offline content access, as well as the ability to watch the channel's live stream.

According to a study by Extreme Reach, the number of commercials delivered in High Definition in the US has increased by up to 50%. According to Extreme Reach, HD ads accounted for only 10% of all ads distributed by advertisers to broadcast and cable media outlets in 2010. However, that number has doubled in 2011. Extreme Reach lists reduced distribution costs, better penetration of HD broadcasters and better campaign execution as the reasons for the increase.

The Al Jazeera network has launched a new mobile application that will bring live TV bulletins to Android and Blackberry users in Arabic. The new application will provide 24 hour breaking news coverage. "There's been significant demand from our audience to make mobile applications available in Arabic. These pioneering apps ensure Al Jazeera is widely available to our core audience, and continues to lead the way in providing high quality content across multiple platforms,” said Mohammed Al Mokhtar, head of Aljazeera.net Arabic.

The Oman Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) will provide those selected with free high speed broadband internet connection, and related data rich services such as internet protocol television (IPTV) or over the top TV. This decision is based on a home pilot project that has been approved by the Oman Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.