Advanced Television

Motive secures global rights for BesTV

Motive Television has secured the global rights from Adecq Digital SL to distribute the patented BesTV digital terrestrial technology to broadcasters worldwide. BesTV technology enables broadcasters using their existing DTT digital broadcasting signal to broadcast programmes to a DTT set-top box, offering viewers not only the complete range of available DTT channels, but also catch-up […]

July 31, 2009

Free BBC news video plan draws ITN complaint

ITN, the commercial news provider, is to complain to the BBC's governing body after the publicly funded broadcaster said that it would give away video clips to newspaper websites. John Hardie, the chief executive of ITN, warned that the BBC initiative risked "undermining the demand for content from independent news providers" at a time when […]

July 31, 2009

Arqiva to buy Kangaroo

Arqiva is set to move into the VOD market with a deal to buy Kangaroo technology developed for the proposed joint venture between ITV, Channel 4 and BBC Worldwide. The company is said to be in the final stages of negotiations to purchase the technology which was developed for the proposed joint venture VOD service, […]

July 31, 2009

Babelgum brings Funny or Die vids to mobiles

Independent web and mobile content platform Babelgum and comedy video portal Funny or Die have signed an exclusive, wireless licensing agreement to bring Funny or Die videos to mobile platforms. The agreement will bring new and library Funny or Die content to mobile users everywhere over the next two years. Plans include offering mobile users […]

July 31, 2009

62% of US online adults watch video

The share of online adults who watch videos on video-sharing sites has nearly doubled since 2006, according to a survey by the Pew Research Centre’s Internet & American Life Project. Audiences for Web sites like YouTube and Google Video continue to grow swiftly across all demographic groups, far outpacing the adoption rates of many other […]

July 29, 2009

A fifth of consumers to cut back on pay TV

Almost a fifth of UK consumers are set to reduce what they spend on pay TV because of the recession, according to a study by YouGov for Callcredit Marketing Solutions. The survey of 2,500 consumers found that 18 per cent are planning to cut back on pay-TV services provided by broadcasters such BSkyB and Virgin […]

July 29, 2009

BT profits down, Vision at 433,000

UK telco BT has reported a sharp drop in quarterly profits, with pre-tax profit dropped 45 per cent to £272 million (E317m) in the three months to June 30th from £497 million in the same period a year earlier. The company cut 2,300 jobs from the global IT services division during the quarter, as it […]

July 29, 2009

Five joins Canvas

UK terrestrial channel Five has signed up to be a joint venture partner in Project Canvas. The formal expression of interest from RTL-owned Five means it joins fellow broadcaster ITV and telecoms operator BT in the venture get the green light. Channel 4, which has been eyeing Canvas closely, has not yet joined the project […]

July 29, 2009

Sky going 3D in 2010

Sky has announced that the number of customers choosing Sky+HD, the UK's only high definition service currently capable of broadcasting 3D services, has increased to 1.313 million following record growth. In the next step in the Sky+HD journey, Sky has confirmed that it will launch the UK's first 3D channel next year. The channel will […]

July 29, 2009

RAI, Mediaset channels on Sky after Tivù Sat launch

By Branislav Pekic Italian public broadcaster RAI will continue to make available its three main TV channels (Rai Uno, Rai Due and Rai Tre) via Sky, even after the launch of the Tivù Sat DTH platform on July 31. Speaking during the presentation of Tivù Sat in Rome, the deputy director general of RAI, Giancarlo […]

July 29, 2009