Advanced Television

Sky moves towards 3D broadcasts

Sky says it has successfully tested the delivery of 3D programming to a domestic television via a high-definition set-top box. Sky has been filming a number of events using 3D cameras over recent months. Such broadcasts would require the use of 3D televisions, not yet available in UK stores, and viewers would need to wear […]

December 19, 2008

Spanish Courts 'disallow' Regional DTT

From David Del Valle in Madrid The allocation of Regional DTT licences is coming under fire across the country following the decision of two Spanish Courts to overrule two DTT public tenders in Madrid and Canaries on the grounds that the licences were arbitrarily given in a process full of "irregularities". Madrid's Regional DTT map […]

December 19, 2008

C4 in talks with BBC Worldwide

Channel 4 is reportedly in talks with BBC Worldwide over a possible rescue plan that would involve injecting up to £500 million (E634m) into a new media company. Under the plan, parts of BBC Worldwide would be split off, rebranded and combined with Channel 4, which would pay to take a share in the new […]

December 19, 2008

RAI launches HDTV trials on DTT

From Branislav Pekic in Rome Italian public broadcaster RAI has initiated the first Super High Definition transmissions in the new DVB-T2 standard for DTT from its Eremo Broadcasting Centre in Turin. The DVB-T2 standard increases the transmission capacity by around 40 per cent (up to 34-40 Mb/s), enabling the transmission of 3-4 HDTV programs encrypted […]

December 19, 2008

Digital media grabs 10% of global media business

Global revenues from digital media will exceed revenue generated by filmed entertainment for the first time in 2008, according to research from Strategy Analytics. The report, "Global Media & Entertainment Market Forecast, 2004 – 2012," predicts that total worldwide revenues from media and entertainment – including television & filmed entertainment, recorded music, games software and […]

December 19, 2008

Bowe appointed Ofcom Chairman

Colette Bowe has been confirmed as the next chairman of media regulator Ofcom. Bowe, currently an Ofcom board member, will replace David Currie, who is stepping down at Easter next year after being in the job for six years, since the regulator was set up. Bowe was appointed as chair of Ofcom’s advisory consumer panel […]

December 19, 2008

Numericable, Orange, SFR to roll out fibre in France

Numericable, Orange and SFR signed an agreement setting out the conditions for sharing fibre optic cables in buildings installed by either of them. The companies agreed to implement a 'single mode' solution in zones where they currently deploy, or soon plan to deploy, their networks. Each residence will be equipped with a special fibre allocated […]

December 19, 2008

Operators look to mobile TV to increase revenue

Mobile TV is a viable option to increase revenue for mobile operators suffering from declining voice revenue, and is expected to have nearly 250 Million subscribers worldwide by 2010, according to ‘Global Mobile TV Forecast' from RNCOS. The research expects the number of Mobile TV subscribers worldwide to rise at a CAGR of over 60 […]

December 19, 2008

Commission: updating TV rules slow and too much red tape

The European Commission says one year after the entry into force of a new EU Directive meant to liberalise TV rules and remove outdated and bureaucratic restrictions on the provision of digital TV over the Internet, video on demand and mobile TV in Europe, EU Member States have made little progress in adapting national rules. […]

December 19, 2008

MTV cuts 80 UK jobs

MTV in the UK is to cut up to 80 jobs – around 10% of its workforce – as part of Viacom’s global plan to save $250m in 2009. MTV UK, which encompasses channels such as MTV One, VH1 and TMF, told staff last Thursday that it would begin a 30-day consultation on the cuts, […]

December 19, 2008