Peter Bazalgette is stepping down at Endemol as Chief Creative Officer. Marco Bassetti will become COO. Bazalgette will continue as an advisor to the Endemol board.

Existing broadband networks would be unable to cope with future bandwidth-hungry applications such as high-definition television, Ofcom has warned, as it unveiled proposals to encourage investment in ultra-fast networks. Ed Richards, CEO, said that it was possible that companies other than BT, the former state fixed-line phone monopoly, and Virgin Media, the cable TV group, […]

EchoStar Communications has agreed to acquire Sling Media in a deal that values the maker of the Slingbox device at $380 million (E279m). The price is payable in cash and EchoStar options. Slingbox devices allow users to watch their home TV signals on any Internet-connected computer.”As an early investor in Sling Media, EchoStar has been […]

Arris Group is to pay $730 million (E517m) in a mix of cash and stock for C-COR Incorporated. Arris says with over 250 customers around the world, the companies collectively reported revenues of over $1.2 billion over the past year and the merged company will be the largest pure-play provider of equipment and solutions to […]

Icstis, the UK's premium-rate phone regulator, has issued a record £250,000 (E360,050) fine over fraudulent phone-in competitions on ITV show GMTV that 18 million callers entered but had no chance of winning. Icstis imposed the maximum penalty on phone company Opera Telecom, after it found the revenue generated by callers who could not have won […]

Configurable processor specialist ARC International has bought multimedia IP developer Alarity Corporation, for £2 million (E2.9 million) in cash. The bulk of Alarity’s development team is based in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the 40 strong group focuses on codec software, firmware, and advanced multimedia architectures.

Alcatel-Lucent announced it has acquired Tamblin, a privately held software company that provides applications and tool kits that will enhance Alcatel-Lucent’s solution for enabling IPTV users to find, connect and interact with brands and entertainment they care about. Service providers can use Alcatel-Lucent’s interactive TV applications, now enhanced by the Tamblin software with their existing […]

Some cable subscribers are suing to get their programming a la carte. A multimillion-dollar class-action suit has been filed against the major cable programmers and operators for violating antitrust laws by bundling programming in expanded basic tiers. In a suit filed by veteran antitrust attorney Maxwell Blecher on behalf of 14 cable and satellite subscribers […]

Ofcom's Market Impact Assessment (MIA) has ruled that the BBC's plans to introduce a new mixed genre digital TV channel in high definition format, available free-to-view without advertising, is unlikely to have significant negative market impacts. Audiences would have the opportunity to access the BBC's proposed HD channel on all digital television platforms – digital […]

Canada’s broadcasting regulator should give more flexibility to cable operators and television stations on advertising, Canadian content and channel packages, according to a report commissioned by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. The study will feed into the federal regulator’s public consultations next year on speciality and pay channels and cable and satellites services. Lawyers […]