The government is confusing consumers and putting taxpayers’ money at risk with its plan to switch off the analogue television signal by 2012, a parliamentary committee has found. The report by the public accounts committee into preparations for the digital switchover prompted opposition MPs to accuse the government of financial mismanagement and of failing to […]
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of the Philippines has served its first ever temporary restraining order (TRO) against a pirate cable operator – Turtle Cable, a company in Baao, Camarines Sur province – for copyright infringement. This latest move by the IPO has been applauded by the international pay-TV industry. The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting […]
Ofcom CEO Ed Richards has warned there is “a real possibility” that ITV could give up public service broadcaster (PSB) status as increasing numbers of viewers switch to digital TV. ITV enjoys PSB status in return for broadcasting local news, children's programming and UK-made drama, giving it free access to spectrum, prominent positions on electronic […]
Arris and BlackArrow, a provider of multiplatform ad-management systems for viewer-controlled video, have announced the completion of interoperability testing between the companies’ respective VOD delivery and addressable advertising systems. Built on the SCTE 130 open standard, these combined dynamic, targeted VOD advertising services will help operators and content providers rapidly derive additional ad revenues from […]
Sony will make a strong push into networked media and DTO services as it seeks to make the most of its hardware and software assets for growth. The company said it would aim to double revenues from the fast-growing markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China to 2 trillion yen (E11.7 billion) and invest 1.8 […]
Mike Darcey, BSkyB COO, says Ofcom seems determined to live in the past and perpetuate a broadcasting model (FTA public service) that may not be suited to supporting new technologies. He said propping up outdating models meant a financial burden on the industry, sapping investment that would otherwise go into content. “It is not the […]
Japanese companies are to unify standards for IPTV services. The standardisation process will be led by a forum established by three major telecommunications services firms: NTT, KDDI, and Softbank BB. The forum has been joined by 15 businesses and organisations, its members now include Sony, Matsushita, Toshiba, Sharp, and Hitachi as well as the five […]
According to China.com, T-MMB was selected as the national standard for mobile television/multimedia at an assessment conference, and will be promulgated as the formal national standard for mobile television and multimedia content. Lou Peide, Secretary General of the China Mobile Communications Association, a professor at Beijing University of Post and Telecommunications, and also promoter of […]
BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, has acquired Australia's subscription-television channel, UK.TV, taking 100 per cent ownership of the channel from July 1st 2008. As one of three stakeholders in UK.TV (formerly with a 20 per cent share), BBC Worldwide's Channels business has agreed terms with joint partners FOXTEL and FremantleMedia to become […]
blinkx has formed a partnership with ON Networks, a digital media company delivering original, on-demand TV shows. ON Networks' high-definition video content is now accessible through blinkx. Under the terms of the agreement, blinkx will leverage its AdHoc platform to place contextually relevant advertising against the footage, and will share resulting advertising revenue with ON […]