Advanced Television

Articles

Product placement OK on UK TV

As expected, Ofcom has confirmed that product placement will be allowed on UK television from the end of February. The media regulator has published a set of rules that will govern how products can be promoted as part of a revised broadcasting code following a consultation with the industry. Ofcom’s new rules “will enable commercial […]

December 20, 2010

Qualcomm reveals 700 MHz spectrum sale

Qualcomm has agreed to sell its Lower 700 MHz D and E Block (Channel 55 and 56) unpaired US spectrum licences to AT&T for $1.925 billion. The sale follows Qualcomm’s previously announced plan to restructure and evaluate strategic options related to the FLO TV business operated by FLO TV Incorporated, a wholly owned subsidiary of […]

December 20, 2010

News Corp set to win BSkyB battle?

News Corp is set to get European Union approval to acquire the 61 per cent of BSkyB that it does not already own. Numerous reports refer to a source close to the application who says that News Corp’s absorption of BSkyB does not have a significant anti-competitive impact. The EU verdict will formally be given […]

December 20, 2010By Chris Forrester

Romania hits pay-TV saturation

Romania now has more than 80 per cent of its homes subscribing to pay-TV, representing some 5.8 millon subs. Yet there’s still massive competition in the marketplace helped by a national decision to postpone analogue switch-off to 2015, which has also delayed the adoption of DTT in the country and as a consequence helped boost […]

December 20, 2010By Chris Forrester

Google TV delayed

Google has delayed the launch of its Google TV software and decided not to show it off at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next month in Las Vegas. Google already has a deal with Sony for its Internet TVs, and other television makers were all set to make a big splash with their technology at […]

December 20, 2010

Brussels deadline on Spain’s DTT plan

The European Commission is questioning Spain’s DTT migration plan over a possible violation of the technology neutrality principle by “favouring certain technologies to the detriment of others”. Brussels has urged the Spanish Government to submit in a month all information about the DTT plan and possible state subsidies to assess the case. In its probe, […]

December 20, 2010From David Del Valle in Madrid

Italy’s Dahlia TV faced with financial problems

Italian pay-TV operator Dahlia TV could see a capital increase or the arrival of new shareholders early in 2011. The platform owned by the Sweden’s AirPlus, which took over Telecom Italia Media’s pay-TV unit, La7 Cartapiù in spring 2009, is faced with liquidity problems, despite successfully concluding an E80 million refinancing package in August 2010. […]

December 20, 2010From Branislav Pekic in Rome

Prime Focus cracks Narnia 2D to 3D conversion

Visual effects house Prime Focus is justifiably taking plenty of credit for its latest 2D to 3D stereo conversion effort, Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The end result is demonstrable proof that its technology works, and a huge improvement over Clash of the Titans, a box-office 3D financial hit but critical disappointment […]

December 20, 2010By Chris Forrester

Movie piracy ring caught in Canada

A massive movie piracy ring is being investigated, and the Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association is working behind the scenes. The Greater Toronto Area Federal Enforcement Section of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has partnered with the Toronto Police Service in a joint investigation. Ten search warrants have been executed at businesses operating at […]

December 20, 2010

Intelsat selects SatLink solution

SatLink Communications, a teleport providing global satellite services, has announced that Intelsat, the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, has entered into a long term agreement with SatLink for VNO (Virtual Network Operator) services. SatLink’s end-to-end, turnkey solution, based on the iDirect Evolution Hub, enables Intelsat to provide its clients with managed Hub services […]

December 20, 2010