Providence Equity Partners has sold half its stake in Kabel Deutschland (KDG) on the market. The investor reduced its stake from 43.7 per cent to 22 per cent realising about €760 million for its shares. The sale is six months after the IPO when Providence sold 17 per cent of its then controlling stake. KDG, […]
The television industry needs to set several standards around navigation, User Experience, broadcast-led entry points and dual-screen viewing, according to the BBC’s Director of Archive Content, Roly Keating. Speaking at the DTG Summit, he noted that innovation and creativity had brought about new ways of delivering content, and suggested it was important to ensure enhanced […]
Vivendi’s Canal Plus unit didn’t abide by commitments made to France’s antitrust regulator when it bought a rival in 2006, French newspaper La Tribune has reported, saying it has seen a preliminary report by the regulator. The authority is probing Canal Plus’s practices following the purchase of competitor TPS, and is expected to publish the […]
Product placement came to the UK this week, but research from YouGov suggests the appearance of branded goods in the nation’s TV shows and films for the first time is unlikely to excite audiences. Over a third (36 per cent) of respondents say they do not know what product placement is. However, close to three […]
The threat of online piracy to the movie business dominated the debate at the British Screen Advisory Council’s annual film conference in London. “We’re about to reach a fork in the road,” warned Icon UK chairman Stewart Till. “One fork leads to easy digital distribution, and if it’s done in a controlled way, film revenues […]
Speaking at the Association of European Radio’s 20th Anniversary Conference in Brussels, Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda, told delegates they must think creatively to solve the issues holding back the proliferation of digital radio in Europe. “Let me give you just one example,” she said. “In the absence […]
At the 67th Meeting of the Steering Board, the DVB approved the latest version of its specification for interactivity – Globally Executable MHP (GEM). This new version of GEM v1.3 prepared by the ad-hoc group TM-MUG, chaired by Michael Lagally (Oracle), now provides support for Over-The-Top (OTT) television and Hybrid Broadcast/Broadband (HBB). This new version […]
Tudou, the China’s online video website, has made an agreement with Disney Media Distribution to bring popular US TV series including “Desperate Housewives”, “Cougar Town” and “Lost” to its online video audience. Complete episodes and all seasons of Disney TV series will be available on Tudou.com in HD format and with Chinese subtitles. Audiences will […]
The Digital Entertainment Group Europe, the non-profit corporation that represents the home entertainment sector in Europe, has announced two leadership changes. Don Hunton, Executive Vice President, Europe at Paramount Home Entertainment International, has been named as the group’s new Chair; Jonathan Beardsworth, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Europe, Technicolor, will serve as Vice […]
The Cisco ISB7005 for AT&T U-Verse has cleared the FCC. This is the first STB that IMS Research has observed beyond those from the Turkish company AirTies that is designed to receive pay-TV over a Wi-Fi interface. Stephen Froehlich, a senior analyst with IMS Research’s Consumer Electronics group states, “AT&T appears to be using the […]