More news gathered from around the World Wide Web:
> Aurora Networks is using the FTTH Conference and Expo to introduce "significant additions" to its PON portfolio, the company said in a news release.
> The standalone set-top box will be dead in a decade, Martin de Beer, vice president of Cisco's Video & Collaboration Group, predicted, according to a story in Multichannel News.
> MRG, however, produced a study which concludes that "the global set-top box market keeps gaining momentum." News release
> The emergence of IPTV and its potential to impact local over-the-air sports programming is at least part of the reason why Australian pay television holding company Consolidated Media apparently favors a $2 billion takeover bid from Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Story
> A panel at CTAM EuroSummit 2012 concluded that pay TV operators are best suited to offer TV Everywhere. Story
> O2 Wireless is not only going to support a triple play IPTV, broadband and voice-over-wireless service for a South American MSO, but it's also "taking an ownership stake" in the unnamed pay TV provider as well. Story
> Liberty Global, meanwhile, has bid to acquire the 49.6 percent of Belgian pay TV provider Telnet it doesn't already own. Story
And finally… BT said it will offer a free YouView box to new subscribers to its high-speed broadband service. Story