YouTube owner Google says an Italian court's sentencing of three of its execs to suspended jail terms is “astonishing” and “outrageous”. The three, Google's chief legal officer, former CFO, and a senior product marketing manager, have been given suspended prison sentences. The case concerned a video that showed a schoolchild being bullied for having Down's […]

US telco Qwest Communications has invested $10 million in start-up ZillionTV in return for exclusive rights to offer the IP-delivered video-on-demand service in the telco's footprint, according to legal documents. Unlike fellow telcos Verizon and AT&T, Qwest is unable to cross-subsidise an over the top or IPTV build-out with wireless revenues. It is also likely […]

China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) has called a halt to IPTV services provided by Guangxi Telecom, a subsidiary of China Telecom. SARFT said that the Guangxi Telecom launched IPTV operations earlier this month without permission. IPTV transmissions and operations in 14 cities in Guangxi have now been halted. Under Chinese regulations, […]

Three out of four (73 per cent) of UK consumers don't know what they are allowed to copy or record, according to research from Consumer Focus, who is calling on the Government to reform the UK's outdated copyright law before the laws lose all credibility. Most copyright law was written at a time when digital […]

Taiwan’s National Communications Commission (NCC), in line with its policy to stop analogue terrestrial TV broadcasts in 2012, is drawing up a plan to subsidise the purchase of STBs. The NCC has come out with two proposals: one calls for giving every household a free STB at a total budget of NT$10.5 billion ($328 million) […]

Walmart is to acquire VUDU, provider of digital technologies and services that enable the delivery of entertainment content directly to broadband HD TVs and Blu-ray players. VUDU is built into a growing number of broadband-ready TVs and Blu-ray players, that delivers instant access to thousands of movies and TV shows directly through the television. Customers […]

Rotana Media, the broadcast and music group owned by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, is selling a $70 million stake to News Corp. Rotana said that News Corp had agreed to buy a 9.09 per cent stake with an option to take this up to 18.18 per cent. The deal creates a cross shareholding […]

A government proposal to charge people with fixed phone lines 50p (E0.57) per month to help fund ultra-fast broadband has been condemned as “unfair” by MPs. The cross-party Business Innovation and Skills Committee said most of those who would pay the tax would not benefit from the faster broadband service. The focus should be on […]

Vivendi has declared it now owns 80 per cent of Canal Plus France, after acquiring a 5.1 per cent stake in the television channel for E384.2 million from French broadcaster M6-Metropole Television. Vivendi confirmed it plans to buy out minority shareholders in Canal Plus France and that an expert evaluation is being carried out to […]

TidalTV, a video advertising management solutions provider, has raised more than $16 million in recent second round funding led by Comcast Interactive Capital, as well as New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Valhalla Partners. The new funding provides TidalTV with the ability to invest additional resources in online video advertising and monetisation solutions for advertisers and […]