Film and TV writers are to stage their first strike for two decades, after last-minute talks failed. The WGA wants writers to receive a slice of the additional advertising revenue that studios make when TV shows are streamed over the Internet. It also wants an additional reward for creating bespoke digital content for the Internet […]
Satellite giant BSkyB won more new customers than anticipated in its first quarter but saw pre-tax profits fall to £121 million (E174m) in the three months to 30 September compared with £166 million last year. Revenue went up by 11 per cent on the comparable period to £1,185 million. The company said it had 939,000 […]
Spanish infrastructure company Abertis has bought a 28.4 per cent stake in satellite operator Hispasat for E199 million. Abertis said it had made the purchase through its Abertis Telecom unit from Ensafeca Holdings and it will now control 37.3 per cent of Hispasat shares as it also holds an indirect holding through its 32 per […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has prohibited all television service providers from entering into or enforcing exclusive access provisions that block competitors from serving apartments, condominiums or other private real estate developments. “Millions of consumers live in apartments, condos or other private developments, and, until now, many of them have been denied the benefits of […]
From Sotires Eleftheriou in Paris According to reports in the French press, the British investment fund Cinven wants to sell up to half of its 70 per cent stake in Ypso, the holding company that owns the cable operator Numericable, for almost E2 billion. Several investment funds have expressed an interest in acquiring this 35 […]
The US House of Representatives has voted unanimously to extend a tax moratorium that was first adopted to promote US Internet access in the early days. The ban prevents local authorities from levying a number of potential Internet taxes, and is a victory for technology and telecommunications companies. While short of the permanent ban they […]
IAC reported a 4.2 per cent drop in third-quarter net income amid higher costs as home-shopping channel HSN showed signs of a turnaround. IAC reported net income of $71.8 million, compared with $74.9 million, a year earlier. The latest quarter’s results included a $5.9 million gain related to the sale of Home Shopping Network Europe […]
Alcatel-Lucent has posted Q3 net losses of E258m on revenue down 7.8 per cent year-on-year at E4.35 billion. The group says the integration plan has seen 5,000 jobs cut in the year so far, with the company on track to achieve synergy-related pre-tax savings of E600m this year. It is to cut a further 4,000 […]
In the latest survey of revenue leakage over the last 12 months to the regional pay-TV industry, conducted by the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) and Standard Chartered Bank, the losses are conservatively estimated to stand at $1.54 billion, (E1.06bn) as compared to $1.13 billion in 2006. While the China market remains […]
Sirius Satellite Radio reported a narrower third-quarter loss and recorded a 50 per cent increase in new subscribers ahead of its planned combination with larger rival XM Satellite Radio. Sirius reported a loss of $120.1 million (E83.2m) for the three months ended September 30, compared with a loss of $162.9 million in the year-ago period. […]