Advanced Television

Broadcast

TV on demand audiences rise

More than a third of British viewers regularly watch programmes on-demand instead of relying on traditional TV schedules, according to research. The report from Tiscali shows that 37 per cent, twice last year’s figure of 17 per cent, are now used to creating their own TV schedules. More than three-quarters (79 per cent) of British […]

January 17, 2008

Sky boosts Anytime

Sky is to launch its first TV ad promoting Sky Anytime on-demand service as part of a multimillion-pound campaign for Sky Movies. The TV ad for the Sky Anytime PC service, which uses the tagline “Nobody likes watching the clock”, features the Billie Holiday song Any Old Time. BSkyB has created a series of three […]

January 16, 2008

IFC VOD on cable

The Independent Film Channel is launching a new video-on-demand platform for independent films on some major cable systems. Festival Direct will be an on-demand service on Cablevision Systems, Cox Communications, Time Warner Cable, Comcast and Charter Communications. Viewers will get to choose from films that have premiered at film festivals around the world, including Cannes, […]

January 16, 2008

Spain’s DTT reaches 10m

From David Del Valle in Madrid One out of every four households in Spain are already connected to DTT, reaching a total of 10 million viewers. However, only 4.6 million people daily watch DTT in the country, representing an average share of 9.5 per cent, according to the latest figures released by the Pro DTT […]

January 15, 2008

Portuguese reject DTT subsidies

From Branislav Pekic Rome Portugal's Minister for Parliamentary Issues, responsible for the Social Communications Portfolio, has rejected subsidising DTT decoders, pointing out that the Government does not have the obligation of paying for digital TVs or decoding devices. “The incentives that the Government has already made available are for the improvement of the offer via […]

January 11, 2008

Analogue switch-off fails in Spain

From David Del Valle in Madrid Spain has failed to switch off Local TV analogue transmissions breaking the law that stated that from January 1st all 1,000 existing local TV stations should be migrating to digital. Two years before the complete migration to digital, scheduled for April 2010 for nation wide TV channels, the road […]

January 11, 2008

Sony VOD for Belgacom

Sony Pictures has signed a Video-On-Demand agreement with incumbent telecom operator, Belgacom, in Belgium. Through the deal Sony is providing an extensive range of movie content from the Sony Pictures current slate along with titles from the Studio's library. The service enables Belgacom TV customers to view movies on their TVs through their set top […]

January 11, 2008

No more ads on French public TV?

From Sotires Eleftheriou in Paris In a surprise announcement President Sarkozy said that the government is looking to drop ads from the public sector television and radio channels. These are currently financed by a licence fee of E116 a year, with advertising bringing in an extra E800 million, providing France 2 with 40 per cent […]

January 10, 2008

Sony and Disney buy FilmFlex

FilmFlex, the cable movies VOD service in UK, has been bought by Sony Pictures and Disney. The two studios already owned a third each of the business, and acquired the remaining third held by SeaChange subsidiary OnDemand Group. The stake was acquired for approximately $14.5 million

January 10, 2008

Increase in US measured advertising

Total US measured advertising spending is projected to increase 4.2 per cent in 2008, according to the full-year forecast released today by TNS Media Intelligence, provider of strategic advertising and marketing information. Measured expenditures are forecast to grow by 3.6 per cent in the first half of 2008 followed by a gain of 4.7 per […]

January 10, 2008