UTStarcom, a global player in IP-based, end-to-end networking solutions and services has signed a contract with Markwell to deploy its RollingStream end-to-end IPTV solution in Taiwan. Markwell, a provider of cable, content and Internet services will utilise the end-to-end RollingStream system to deploy IPTV-enabled triple play services throughout Taiwan.
From Colin Mann in London UK Culture Secretary James Purnell and Business Secretary John Hutton have confirmed that an expert think tank looking at the opportunities and challenges posed by the merging of broadcasting and communications services will begin work early in the new year. The Convergence Think Tank (CTT) will examine the implications of […]
German media group Bertelsmann said it decided not to buy the remaining 10 per cent of European broadcaster RTL Group it does not already own because of legal uncertainties. But Bertelsmann retains the right to increase its stake in RTL and to consider all options to reach its aim to delist RTL shares from the […]
Sky is to significantly increase the range of movies available for customers to download after agreeing terms with Paramount and Warner Bros. The agreements mean that Sky Anytime on PC will be the first online download service to offer the latest movies from all six major movie studios.
From Colin Mann in London The UK's anti-trust watchdog, the Competition Commission has recommended that BSkyB should be forced to sell some of the 17.9 per cent stake in ITV it acquired in November 2006. The regulator has recommended to Business Secretary John Hutton that BSkyB should either sell all of its shares or cut […]
From David Del Valle in Madrid The Spanish media group Prisa, owner of newspaper El Pais, has launched a bid for the rest of Sogecable, Spain’s largest pay-TV group, that it does not already own, valuing the pay-TV operator, owner of Digital DTH platform Digital Plus and premium channel Canal Plus, at E3.8 billion. Prisa […]
From Branislav Pekic in Rome There were nearly 1.500 digital TV channels available in Italy and in 2006 they earned E2.5 billion, according to the New TV Observatory of the School of Management of Milan's Polytechnic. The Observatory divided the channels into three categories, on the basis of the six platforms currently available (DTT, IPTV, […]
MTV owner Viacom has signed a $500 million advertising and content deal with Microsoft in a move that will see the entertainment company drop Google’s DoubleClick. The five-year deal will see Microsoft’s Atlas system replace DoubleClick to deliver ads across Viacom’s extensive range of US websites. Microsoft will also have the right to sell unsold […]
Vivendi's telecoms arm SFR aims to complete the offer for the entire share capital of alternative operator Neuf Cegetel by the end of 2008, said the unit’s chief executive Frank Esser. SFR, which already owns 40.5 per cent of Neuf, announced a draft deal to acquire the entire 19.5 per cent stake held by French […]
An increasing number of television viewers are turning to the Internet to watch videos, films and TV episodes, according to a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive. In the past year, YouTube has extended its lead as the top site for online videos, with search engines and television networks gaining ground. Some 65 per cent […]