France's minister for the digital economy Eric Besson, has set out the roadmap for analogue digital switchover. The aim is to achieve switch off by the end of November 2011. The first switch-off is scheduled for November 8, with a pilot switch off in city of Coulommiers, a town of 20,000 inhabitants south-east of Paris. […]

DirecTV Group, America’s largest DTH operator with over 17 million customers, has reported that Q3 earnings rose 14 per cent, fuelled by growth in subscribers, higher prices and lower capital expenses. “We are in a tough economy and a competitive environment,” Chief Executive Chase Carey said in a conference call with analysts. But business has […]

From Branislav Pekic in Rome The Portuguese Government has announced a tender that will award a license to a new free-to-air TV channel, which will be distributed exclusively by digital terrestrial television. Interested parties will have until 21 January 2009 to submit their bids to the country's media sector regulator, the Regulating Body for Social […]

From Branislav Pekic in Rome The Portuguese Government has announced a tender that will award a license to a new free-to-air TV channel, which will be distributed exclusively by digital terrestrial television. Interested parties will have until 21 January 2009 to submit their bids to the country's media sector regulator, the Regulating Body for Social […]

Virgin Media has had a competition tribunal appeal rejected that, if upheld, could have resulted in rival pay-TV broadcaster BSkyB being forced to sell its entire 17.9 per cent stake in ITV. Last month Virgin Media lodged an appeal arguing that the Competition Commission failed to properly consider special rules governing the plurality of media […]

Behavioural ad targeting network Phorm has lost another likely client – Orange has decided against it on privacy grounds. Orange's online ads SVP Paul-François Fournier said: "Privacy is in our DNA, so we need to be honest and clear about what we are doing. We have decided not to be in Phorm because of that. […]

Google is to introduce agency commission for video advertising to encourage increased investment and progress within the sector. The company says it will launch an “incentivisation programme” to show Google’s commitment in developing video advertising opportunities across its network, including YouTube. Jonathan Gillespie, Google head of media solutions and YouTube in the UK, said, “We […]

Disney-ABC Television Group and Verizon are making ABC’s video-on-demand offering available to Verizon FiOS TV customers across the US. ABC’s new content joins Verizon FiOS TV’s VOD library, which offers more than 11,000 titles per month, 70 per cent of which are free. Verizon, which delivers FiOS TV over the country’s most advanced fiber-optic network […]

Polish telco TPSA has finally launched its new DTH service. It comes as part of a package called neostrada tp z telewizja that includes internet access at speeds ranging from 512Kpbs to 2Mbps, along with telephony for those receiving it via ASDL. Subscribers are being offered 32 Polish and foreign TV channels, along with over […]

BSkyB has been criticised by media watchdog Ofcom for breaching advertising rules during its' channel carriage dispute with Virgin Media cable. Virgin complained about a series of ads referring to the loss of Sky channels on Virgin. Ofcom said that undue prominence was given to telling Virgin viewers they could switch to Sky’s service. It […]