Advanced Television

Virgin Media launches TiVo platform

UK quad-play operator Virgin Media has unveiled details of its Virgin Media TV powered by TiVo next-generation entertainment platform. The new service is aimed at revolutionising the way people find and enjoy their favourite content. An easy-to-use graphical interface will combine the live TV schedule with catch-up TV, a huge library of on-demand programming and […]

December 1, 2010From Colin Mann in London

Research: Pay-TV trumps free-to-air

Paid-for television content – whether through cable, satellite or the Internet – is preferred over free-to-air services – even in markets where free programming is more readily available, according to global research from Motorola Mobility. Motorola Mobility’s Global 2010 Media Engagement Barometer – an independent global study of video-consumption habits among 7,500 consumers in 13 […]

November 18, 2010

F1 revs up for HD

Formula 1 is set to give the green light for High Definition television coverage of Grand Prix motor racing, beginning with the first race of the 2011 season, according to Autosport magazine. HD coverage ranked top of F1 fans’ wish-lists in recent surveys, but Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has held back from approving the […]

November 18, 2010From Colin Mann in London

Ex Ofcom man calls for Comms reform

Former Ofcom partner and ITN CEO, Stewart Purvis, has called for quick action on ITV, a reversal of European regulation, and relaxation of advertising and impartiality rules, in a speech delivered for the RTS (Royal Television Society) Fleming Memorial Lecture 2010. Entitled ‘Calling Time on Analogue Regulation – an agenda for the next Communications Act,’ […]

November 12, 2010From Colin Mann in London

iPlayer for BT Vision

The BBC and BT have revealed plans to bring BBC iPlayer, the public service broadcaster’s video-on-demand service, to the telco’s IPTV platform, BT Vision. BT Vision will introduce BBC iPlayer over the next five months, in a phased release starting in early December. All BT Vision customers will be able to access the service by […]

November 11, 2010From Colin Mann in London

Sky tops 10m

UK digital satellite platform Sky has reached its target of 10 million TV customers, equivalent to 36 per cent of households in the UK and Ireland. BSkyB set the target in August 2004, since when a further 2.6 million customers have subscribed. Sky TV now reaches more than 25 million people. Around a third of […]

November 8, 2010From Colin Mann in London

Pace buys Latens

Digital TV technology specialist Pace has acquired Latens Systems, the Belfast-based specialist in software-based Conditional Access/DRM and Middleware solutions for the pay-TV market in a £28.75 million (E32.72m) cash deal, of which £10 million is deferred and payable in 2012 subject to the achievement of conditions. Latens offers its solutions across cable, IPTV, DTH,and DTT, […]

November 5, 2010From Colin Mann in London

Eutelsat loses W3B craft

Despite having declared the launch of its W3B satellite “a success”, satellite operator Eutelsat Communications has subsequently confirmed the loss of the W3B satellite following an anomaly which was detected on the satellite’s propulsion subsystem after its launch by an Ariane 5 rocket. W3B was scheduled to be located at 16° East to replace Eutelsat’s […]

October 29, 2010By Colin Mann

YouView “creates competition”

YouView is “not anti-competitive, it creates competition” according to Kip Meek, Chairman of the venture, who argued that it created content at three levels: device, content and platform. Meek suggested that as YouView was an early stage project, it would have been difficult for Ofcom or any competition authority to have deemed it anti-competitive at […]

October 27, 2010From Colin Mann in London

Channel 4 considers online pay options

UK broadcaster Channel 4 has not discounted the possibility of charging for some of its online content, according to its head of VOD Content, Sarah Milton. She told delegates at the Screen Digest Future of Digital Media Conference that there was “clearly a willingness to pay for certain content, so we’re interested in exploring those […]

October 21, 2010From Colin Mann in London