Advanced Television

The Fifth Medium, an 'upmarket YouTube'

The Fifth Medium (t5m) online video service backed by a number of British internet entrepreneurs and powered by Microsoft, has gone live. Names including actor Kate Bosworth and Nelson Mandela have been lined up to feature in the first slate of programming offered by t5m.com. Created to produce original “socially conscious”, t5m.com bills itself as […]

December 4, 2007

8m STBs in Germany

According to figures released by the consumer electronics association Zentralverbandes Elektrotechnik- und Elektronikindustrie (ZVEI), there are currently approximately 18 million digital set-top boxes in German homes. There are estimated to 11 million satellite receivers, 5.5 million DTT receivers and 1.5 million cable tuners.

December 4, 2007

Hunt for BBC1

Channel Five’s director of programmes, Jay Hunt, is the new controller of BBC1. The former controller of BBC daytime will replace Peter Fincham, who resigned following the “Crowngate” scandal.

December 4, 2007

SmarDTV launches CAM technology

SmarDTV, a Kudelski Group company, has launched a new Conditional Access Module (CAM) for Italy. The SmarCAM Italia offers TV viewers who have purchased credit on Mediaset Premium, La7 Cartapiù, and Pangea the ability to watch their programmes directly on their digital-ready TV sets without the use of an external set-top box. The SmarCAM Italia […]

December 4, 2007

Google will bid for wireless

Google will bid for coveted airwaves to launch a U.S. wireless network. The company said several months ago it was considering bidding in the auction of 700-megahertz wireless spectrum due to begin January 24. Google see the wireless spectrum as a way to create more open competition for mobile services and devices than existing networks […]

December 4, 2007

9bn online video views in US for September

ComScore, specialists in measuring the digital world, has released its Video Metrix report for September 2007, revealing that nearly 75 per cent of US Internet users watched a video online (including both streaming video and progressive downloads), averaging three hours of video per person during the month. Google Sites, which includes YouTube.com, topped the September […]

December 4, 2007

Mobile TV: Subscribers but no profits

According to Mobile TV: Business Models and Opportunities from Screen Digest, MNOs must offer mobile TV but won't make any money from it in the near term. Looking across 25 countries it concludes that in the short term network operators don't stand to make much profit from offering mobile TV services yet they must offer […]

December 4, 2007

PTO sides With TiVo over EchoStar

TiVo shares gained 25 per cent as the US Patent and Trademark Office upheld TiVo’s time-warp patent covering the company’s DVR technology. As reported, EchoStar had requested that the patent be re-examined in an effort to have an earlier patent infringement judgement against the company overturned. TiVo officials said the company is extremely pleased the […]

December 3, 2007

Sogecable-Telefonica’s Trio+ launches

From David Del Valle in Madrid The Sogecable-Telefonica's pay-TV offer launched this weekend following the expiry of the Government's 34 conditions on the digital DTH merger between the former Sogecable-controlled Canal Satelite and Telefonica-led Via Digital. One of the conditions adopted by the Government in 2002 to approve the digital merger prevented both companies from […]

December 3, 2007

Consumers demand free online content

The Olswang Convergence Consumer Survey 2007 has revealed that consumers are demanding more rich media content but are still reluctant to pay. To secure free content consumers are willing to tolerate online advertisements which they would normally go out of their way to avoid. Some are even willing to deliberately break the law to secure […]

December 3, 2007