Telescope, player in participation media services and Akamai, service provider for accelerating content and applications online, have provided the first multi-channel voting platform for participation media events, part of a growing industry that has become more significant to broadcasters. The two companies have successfully delivered the application, which enables audience members of participation TV shows […]

Swisscom AG is to shut down its interactive television operation Betty TV in Switzerland. ‘The results from Betty TV (Switzerland) were significantly below our expectations,’ said spokesman Carsten Roetz in an interview. Betty TV gained 10,000 customers in Switzerland and 100,000 in Germany since its launch last June. But Swisscom had produced 300,000 devices for […]

Sky Chairman Rupert Murdoch offered BSkyB shareholders a vindication of his company’s 18 years in business by declaring it would relish the competition brought by changes in the media landscape. Murdoch told investors at the company’s annual general meeting that the satellite broadcaster’s history since launching 18 years ago had been “a remarkable story,” with […]

Satellite giant BSkyB won more new customers than anticipated in its first quarter but saw pre-tax profits fall to £121 million (E174m) in the three months to 30 September compared with £166 million last year. Revenue went up by 11 per cent on the comparable period to £1,185 million. The company said it had 939,000 […]

BSkyB chief executive James Murdoch has revealed that the group is developing a “hybrid” media model using its satellite and digital terrestrial platforms to allow subscribers to access content seamlessly from TVs, PCs or mobiles. In an FT.com interview, Murdoch also rejected claims that his aggressive strategy had exposed it to possible regulatory punishment, saying: […]

From Branislav Pekic in Rome Italian public broadcaster RAI plans launch two new TV channels, as part of its new digital terrestrial TV strategy for the period 2008-2010 that has been approved by the Board of Directors. RAI's future 'core' DTT platform will see the launch of an entertainment channel for young viewers in 2008, […]

Hulu, News Corp and NBC Universal's online video joint venture, said it will pair traditional 30-second ads with long-form video such as full-length sitcom episodes, and restrict ads on short-form content to 10-15 seconds. CEO Jason Kilar said the sector was “just getting started”, adding: “No one has figured out the optimal customer experience. No […]

BrightSpot Media, creator of BrightSpot.TV, will surpass one million video ads served in the month of October. With BrightSpot.TV, consumers spend a few hours each month watching and interacting with commercials they find relevant and entertaining. These consumers originate from well established brands such as Gamefly, Napster, MLB.com, NBA, and XM Canada.

Jeff Zucker, NBC Universal's chief executive, has warned that Apple's iTunes digital media store was undermining the ability of traditional media companies to sell their content online at profitable rates, and he urged them to take a stand. “We know that Apple has destroyed the music business – in terms of pricing – and if […]

From Sotires Eleftheriou in Paris The AB group is to launch a new digital satellite platform, called Bis Television, to be available simultaneously from the Hotbird and Atlantic Bird 3 satellites. The platform will consist of all (except for the time being M6 and W9 and i-Television) of the free DTT channels, plus a number […]