Advanced Television

Business

DirecTV up on quarter

DirecTV reported that fourth quarter 2007 revenues increased 17 per cent to $4.88 billion, and operating profit increased 4 per cent to $617 million compared to last year’s fourth quarter. “DirecTV’s content and service leadership continue to drive superior results in a tougher marketplace that reflects increasing competition and a slowing economy. Advanced services–including the […]

February 14, 2008

Yahoo buys Maven

Yahoo has bought Maven Networks a provider of online video technology for about $160 million to expand its ability to sell advertising alongside Web clips. The deal will help Yahoo and its network of Web partners deliver video to sites and sell advertising within and around the clips, in a challenge to the Internet video […]

February 14, 2008

Disney acquires 20% of Vocento

Vocento has revealed that Disney has agreed to acquire 20 per cent of the Spanish media group’s Net TV unit for around E27 million. In a statement, Vocento said the sale is part of its 2008-10 strategy plan to consolidate its position as a Digital TV provider. After the sale, Vocento will hold 55 per […]

February 14, 2008

HP man for News Corp

Mark Hurd, the chairman and chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, has joined the board of News Corp. Hurd replaces Roderick Paige, the former US education secretary. Rupert Murdoch praised the HP boss's management skills. “Mark has had great success in sharpening HP's strategic focus resulting in increased growth and profitability for what is one of the […]

February 14, 2008

UK to follow France and make ISPs police piracy?

Britain is to follow France in making ISPs cut access to users who repeatedly download music or films illegally. The government had given the music and film industries a year to come to a voluntary agreement with ISPs over how to tackle illegal file sharing, but that period expired at the end of 2007. In […]

February 13, 2008

FLO Forum attacks EC mobile stance

From David Del Valle in Barcelona The European Commission’s decision to bet on the DVB-H standard to for Europe has been fiercely criticised by the Qualcomm-sponsored FLO Forum at the MWC in Barcelona which has demanded a neutral position from European authorities in the emerging mobile TV business. “It is still very premature having a […]

February 13, 2008

MTV president out

The president of MTV, Christina Norman, is stepping down after almost three years of trying to revitalise the cable channel and adding music and reality-based programming. Van Toffler, the president of the MTV Networks' Music and Logo Group, will assume Norman's day-to-day responsibilities for MTV.

February 13, 2008

Takeover rumours circle Setanta

Pay-TV sports broadcaster Setanta Sports was at the centre of takeover speculation after reports of a £1 billion-plus (E1.4bn) offer for the business. The Irish company received the unsolicited approach from a unnamed European media company and the interest could spark a flood of rival offers, reported the Sunday Telegraph. BT, Virgin Media and US […]

February 12, 2008

Microsoft must up bid for Yahoo

Yahoo’s board is expected to officially reject Microsoft’s takeover bid concluding the $44.6 billion offer “undervalued” the company, and want an offer equivalent to $40 a share, rather than the $31 offered by Microsoft. The company’s share price has increased so much since the offer was made that Yahoo’s market value now exceeds Microsoft’s offer, […]

February 12, 2008

Kudelski acquires EmbedICs

The Kudelski Group, specialists in CA, have agreed to acquire EmbedICs, a US-based embedded software, cryptography and fabless semiconductor design firm.

February 11, 2008