The UK government has launched a consultation into plans to return live coverage of the Ashes and home nations’ Football World Cup qualifiers to free-to-air TV. Currently, there is a list of sports which are reserved for broadcast live only on free-to-air TV, such as the football World Cup tournament, and, a second list that […]
Discovery Communications has turned to a Hollywood marketing executive to lead its joint ventures with Oprah Winfrey and Hasbro. Peter Liguori, the former Fox Broadcasting chairman, will take over as Discovery's chief operating officer, replacing Mark Hollinger, who took over the group's international networks last week. The former HBO and FX Networks executive confirmed he […]
The FCC has released another request for information for its national broadband plan, this one focused on how set-top boxes could help spur the viewing of video over the Internet. The commission pointed out that while only 76% of households have personal computers, 99% have TV sets. “The convergence of the television and content delivered […]
Rovi Corporation has condemned last week’s UK High Court ruling that three of its Gemstar EPG patents are invalid. The company promised to appeal the decision that said Virgin Media had not impinged patents with its own EPG. Samir Armaly, Rovi’s SVP of worldwide patent licensing said: "We..intend to continue to pursue Virgin and other […]
General Electric has agreed to pay Vivendi $5.8 billion for the French group's 20 per cent stake in NBC Universal paving the way for the conglomerate's planned sale of 51 per cent of the US media group to Comcast. The valuation is at the high end of expectations and essentially equates to one fifth of […]
Spain’s Telefonica has agreed to buy 21 percent of Digital+, the pay television business of indebted media group Prisa, for E470 million. However only E240 million will exchange hands as the remaining E230 million correspond to debt owed to Telefonica by Prisa. Telefonica and Prisa have drawn up a shareholders’ agreement whereby the Spanish telecom […]
ITV has paid £18 million (E19.7m) cash for Disney's 25 per cent stake in GMTV. The acquisition forms part of ITV's strategy to focus on its core activities and will allow closer integration between ITV and the breakfast service. John Cresswell, Chief Operating Officer at ITV, said: “GMTV is the gateway to the ITV day […]
Virgin Media has emerged successful in the patent dispute lodged against it by Gemstar TV Guide. The London High Court rulings call into question the ability for intellectual property rights holder Rovi to enforce its patents both in the UK and with operators around the world. Gemstar, now part of Rovi, had claimed Virgin's EPG […]
Three people have been arrested in the north-eastern Athens suburb of Aghia Paraskevi on suspicion of breaking the encryption codes used by the Greek digital satellite pay-TV platform Nova and offering free viewing to tens of thousands of people around Greece. The three men are alleged to have sold to their clients, for a one-off […]
Vivendi/Canal+ has bought broadcaster TF1's 9.9 per cent stake in Canal Plus France for E744 million. After the deal – originally planned for the first quarter of 2010 – is completed, Vivendi’s Canal Plus Group will own 74.9 percent of Canal Plus France. TF1 has held a put option since January 2007 following Vivendi/Canal Plus […]