AT&T and DirecTV have formally asked the Mexican telecoms regulator for permission to merge their local assets. DirecTV owns 41 per cent of DBS broadcaster Sky Mexico, while AT&T has corporate telecom services in Mexico. Sky Mexico is majority owned by Televisa. AT&T has already announced it would sell its 8.4 per cent stake in […]

Most consumers in the United States oppose the proposed merger of the country’s biggest cable TV and broadband Internet providers, according to a new survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. The $45.2 billion deal, which would combine Comcast with Time Warner Cable, is subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission. Cable TV […]

Google is to acquire mDialog, a specialist in stream management and dynamic ad insertion on Internet-connected devices in a move designed to bolster its online video ad offerings. A notice on the mDialog website says the operation is joining the DoubleClick team at Google. “We will continue to offer our services, just as we always […]

Thailand’s ruling National Council for Peace & Order (NCPO) has suspended the digital TV coupon subsidy scheme, designed to enable poorer viewers to buy new set-top boxes for its new digital transmission standard. The NCPO says that the scheme (worth Thai Baht 25 billion) has been suspended, along with other key telecoms investments, while the […]

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) says it has agreed a new partnership with the Hollywood Post Alliance (HPA). The partnership will begin with SMPTE providing administrative support to HPA, and it is expected to culminate in the merger of the two organizations by May 2015. “HPA is known not only for […]

In a random sampling of public opinion taken by the Forum Poll among 1,341 Canadians 18 years of age and older who were aware of how much they spent on cable and satellite TV, virtually all (92 per cent) say cable and satellite fees are too high, and 7‐in‐10 use the strongest term (“much too […]

Tanzania has extended its digital terrestrial coverage to 25 per cent of the nation. The switch-over from analogue TV was started in April, and the government says it is confident to beating the June 2015 deadline for the whole country. A  statement says that about 1 million digital set-top boxes have been sold, and there […]

Philip Pilcher, Head of European Policy at BSkyB, has questioned whether now is the right time for copyright reform in Europe. Speaking at the Westminster Media Forum Keynote Seminar – Next steps for copyright policy: UK and European reform – Pilcher noted that content delivery across Europe was dynamic, with consumers offered a wide range […]

France’s Canal+ has lost its unfair competition claim against Al Jazeera’s BeIN Sports. The commercial court threw out Canal+’s suit where the pay TV operator had claimed €293 million in damages for unfair competition. Canal+ was ordered to pay legal costs of €100,000. The judges ruled that Canal+ had failed to make their case and […]