Advanced Television

Regulation

DigiTurk hit with huge tax fine

Cukurova Holding’s owner Mehmet Emin Karamehmet has received an additional 500 million Turkish Lira tax fine for his cable and satellite TV broadcasting company DigiTurk. This latest event in a long-running saga brings his total tax obligations in Turkey to 2.2 billion liras, say local reports. The latest claim covers a period from 2005-2009 and […]

May 31, 2011By Chris Forrester

Telmex thwarted in TV bid

Teléfonos de México’s (Telmex) request for a licence to offer pay-TV service has been rejected by the Mexican government, which cited deficiencies in the quality of the company’s connections with rivals’ networks. The Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (Communications and Transportation Ministry) said that Telmex hadn’t provided required information to the government. The ministry will […]

May 31, 2011By Colin Mann

Sarkozy @ e-G8: “The Internet must have rules”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy opened the first e-G8 forum in Paris declaring that “[the Internet] you represent is not a parallel universe where legal and moral rules and more generally all the basic rules that govern society in democratic countries do not apply.” France has been in the vanguard of trying to protect rights holder […]

May 24, 2011

C4: Ofcom must be wary who controls audience data

David Abraham, the chief executive of Channel 4, has called on Ofcom to investigate the control of audience data after warning that valuable information is being “controlled and commercially exploited” by others. Abraham said that audience data is the “new oil, or soil, of television” and that as viewing behaviour becomes increasingly measurable through interactivity […]

May 24, 2011

Broadband Forum tackles connected home management

The newly released BroadbandSuite 4.1 extends the work of previous technical requirements to let service providers pinpoint problems that can emerge as consumers attach many new devices to their broadband services, such as Internet-enabled TVs and energy management sensors. Those new devices, as well as services such as home security and remote energy management, represent […]

May 24, 2011

EC sets out IP blueprint

As part of a drive to boost creativity and innovation, the European Commission (EC) has adopted a comprehensive strategy to revamp the legal framework in which IPR operate. Its objective is to enable inventors, creators, users and consumers to adapt to the new circumstances and to enhance new business opportunities. The new rules aim to […]

May 24, 2011By Colin Mann

Sky Italia: ‘We’re cutting everyone’s fees’

Sky Italia says Current isn’t being singled out – it is requesting that all channels whose deals are up for renewal settle for lower fees, its chief executive said, as he rejected claims that Sky had dropped Current TV for political reasons. “Every deal we are going into, we are trying to cut rates. The […]

May 23, 2011

DLNA boosts playback of commercial video on certified devices

Interoperability standards group the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) has released new Interoperability Guidelines for the playback of high-quality, premium commercial video. The new standard addresses the increasing demand for simplified access to premium commercial content throughout the home, including movies and network television programming. Developed in conjunction with global cable, satellite and telecommunications service […]

May 23, 2011

NAB backs rogue sites bill

The National Association of Broadcasters has come out in support of legislation aimed specifically at controlling ‘pirate’ and ‘rogue’ websites, especially those registered outside the US, which traffic in unauthorised distribution of licensed content or counterfeit goods. The legislation from Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy and his committee would allow the Justice Department to file […]

May 23, 2011By Colin Mann

Hunt: News Corp/Sky review has taken longer than expected

Jeremy Hunt, the UK Culture Secretary, whose Department for Culture, Media, Olympics and Sport is assessing the News Corp bid for the 61 per cent of BSkyB it doesn’t already own, has admitted that the process is taking longer than anticipated to conclude. He told the Broadcasting Press Guild that the Department was going to […]

May 20, 2011By Colin Mann