From Colin Mann in London The UK Government departments responsible for business and media have published a plan aimed at securing Britain's place at the forefront of the global digital economy. The interim report – produced by voluntary Steering Board of industry experts led by Stephen Carter, the Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting – […]

A large percentage of the BBC’s £130 million-a-year (E141m) digital switchover surplus licence fee money is expected to be taken by comms minister Lord Carter to help achieve his goal of getting broadband in every UK home by 2012. It has been reported that the outline of a deal has been reached, although the full […]

Comcast together with Disney-ABC Domestic Television, has announced the launch of the subscription video on demand service, Disney Family Movies. The service, which showcases classic and contemporary Disney family movies from one of the world's largest film libraries, is now available to Comcast digital customers. Disney Family Movies gives customers unlimited access to approximately 20 […]

Full year figures for TV viewing in 2008 from the Broadcasters‚ Audience Research Board (BARB) reveal that the average person in the UK watched 26 hours, 18 minutes of broadcast TV a week, up 48 minutes on 2007. This matches the previous highest broadcast viewing figure on record, reached in 2003. The growth across all […]

The theory that home-entertainment wins out in a recession is proved again with the latest results from BSkyB. Europe's biggest pay-TV operation announced net customer growth of 171,000 for the second quarter (to December 31, 2008), up from 167,000 for the like period a year earlier. Total base is now 9.24m. Like for like operating […]

Freeview has revealed that sales of Freeview+ (PVR) boxes have reached over 900,000, up 118 per cent compared to December last year with 26 per cent of all sales were achieved in a record final quarter. More than 17.2 million homes are now enjoying the benefits of Freeview. This growth is expected to continue as […]

The US Senate has approved a bill that would delay until June the date when television stations must broadcast in an all-digital format. Without congressional action, all TV stations by law must stop broadcasting their programmes in analogue format on February 17th. After President Obama voiced support for a delay to the transition, congressional Democrats […]

Live international cricket could be among sports to return to terrestrial television in some form following the completion of a ¬government-commissioned review into which events should be protected for ¬free-to-air broadcasters. As the former FA executive director David Davies and a panel of former sports¬persons, broadcasters and academics begins an independent review into the so-called […]

The UK culture secretary, Andy Burnham, has pledged to rescue Channel 4, backing a deal with BBC Worldwide a merger with Channel Five or “top-slicing” part of the BBC’s licence fee. Burnham, speaking at the Oxford Media Convention, said the role of the BBC must be protected “Let me be clear: the Channel 4 brand […]

From Branislav Pekic in Rome Portugal's Zon Multimedia has launched a Video-On-Demand service, called ZON Videoclube, for the clients of TV Cabo in Lisbon and Porto. The VOD service features hit movies from various genres, with some content also available in high definition. It also includes series, concerts, documentaries, kids titles, as well as a […]