From David Del Valle in Madrid Mediaset-controlled Tele 5, Spanish biggest private TV broadcaster, has signed an agreement with media company Prisa to take over commercial TV channel Cuatro and acquire a 22 per cent stake of digital DTH platform Digital Plus. Tele 5 is paying E491 million to Prisa in cash for the Digital […]
The English Premier League is to challenge the decision by media regulator Ofcom to force pay-TV broadcaster BSkyB to sell its sports content to rivals at a reduced rate. The Premier League said it had decided to resist strenuously the ruling which it said would reduce the incentive for all broadcasters to invest in the […]
Viacom has said that court documents show Google ignored warnings about YouTube’s copyright violations and now uses the threat of infringement to force content owners into licensing deals. The documents were revealed federal court as part of Viacom’s $1bn copyright-infringement lawsuit against YouTube, which Google acquired in 2006. In one of the documents from 2006, […]
France Telecom’s Orange has struck a deal to offer broadband services via BT’s network in Britain to increase its coverage. As part of the deal, BT will take over Orange’s existing fixed-line infrastructure, which currently covers about 65 percent of the population, and incorporate it into its own network. Orange, which is merging its mobile […]
SA regulator rushes to license mobile TV South African broadcasting and telecoms regulator The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) is racing against time to issue mobile TV licences in time for the World Cup tournament in June. Robert Nkuna, an Icasa councillor, was reported as saying that two multiplexes have been set aside […]
Demand Media, a startup that mines online search engine data to generate thousands of videos and web stories a day, has hired Goldman Sachs to explore an initial public offering. The company could file for an IPO as early as August and, apparently, offer the company at a value of $1.5 billion. Since 2006, Demand […]
All centre court matches from The French Open will be broadcast live in 3D and shown via Panasonic TVs in-store at selected retail outlets. The 3D coverage of the event will be broadcast to Orange subscribers in France on a dedicated Orange TV channel. Eurosport will receive the Orange 3D live signal and deliver 3D […]
Lagardere has decided to execute its annual option to offer its 20 per cent stake in Canal Plus for sale. It can go to the market but only after majority owner Vivendi has decided whether to take up a preference option. Credit Suisse values the stake at about E1.2 billion. Lagardere, which publishes Elle and […]
From Colin Mann in Cannes Singapore is set to be the first country in the world to have a nationwide 3D TV trial. To be carried out this year, it will involve the major broadcasters and telcos and be conducted across free-to-air television, cable, IPTV, and online. The plans were revealed by Media Development Authority […]
Almost three quarters of visitors to NAB2010 want to find out more about stereoscopic 3D production, according to a survey by leading test and measurement manufacturer Hamlet. The survey found that just 28 per cent said that 3D was not on their agenda at the moment, while 29 per cent had already had some experience […]