Four top US TV networks have asked a federal court to stop the Internet video service FilmOn.com from offering TV channels over the web and on Apple’s iPad for free. FilmOn.com was launched in September by British entrepreneur Alki David. The network’s suit comes as start-ups have sought to bypass traditional media companies by offering […]
Ofcom has expanded on how a new form of wireless communication called “white space technology” will work in practice. This follows an earlier consultation, exploring the potential of the technology, which could be used for a wide range of applications. The technology works by searching for unused radio waves called “white spaces” between TV channels […]
Vince Cable, the UK Business Secretary, has issued an intervention notice on News Corp’s bid to acquire the 61 per cent of BSkyB shares that it does not already own. The notice requires that Ofcom investigates the public interest consideration of media plurality and submits a report by December 31st. The European Commission will investigate […]
Sky has this morning served the formal notice of intent with the European Commission that signals the imminent tabling of a formal bid for the 61 per cent of BSkyB it doesn’t already own. The EC now has 25 days to decide whether further investigation is required on competition grounds. Meanwhile UK government will have […]
A Turkish court has reinstated a 30-month ban on YouTube days after it was removed, as a dispute continued over the video-sharing website’s refusal to remove content deemed illegal in the EU candidate country. Access has been blocked by the Turkish government since May 2008 after users posted videos Turkey says are insulting to the […]
Egypt is getting tough with some contentious channels and, meanwhile, there’s some highly vocal Arab criticism that ordering channels off Nilesat is directly linked to upcoming presidential elections in Egypt. ‘Not so’, implies Nilesat’s chief engineer Salah Hamza. “We have no formal regulator covering satellite transmission. There is no Ofcom, no FCC, no […]
Mobile phone users in rural areas could soon see their 3G reception improve after regulators allowed operators to repurpose their existing spectrum for mobile broadband services. The ruling by Ofcom that refarming of 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum would not harm competition in the UK mobile market settles a three-year row that has held back the […]
Neil Berkett, Virgin Media CEO, has used the company’s results announcement to attack Ofcom’s decision not to investigate YouView, the BBC-originated platform to bring VoD to Freeview and Freesat. Berkett said he surmised Ofcom had seen its 25 per cent budget cut coming and has wrongly ‘deprioritised’ the issue. “When you have less resources to […]
AEPOC, the European Association for the Protection of Encrypted Works and Services, has reported a breakthrough judgement against Pay-TV piracy. Belgian prosecutors, joined by AEPOC member Sky Deutschland, have won a lawsuit against pirates, who sold illegal viewing cards to Germany and Austria from 2006 to 2008. The First Instance Court of Tongeren, Belgium ruled […]
There have been plenty of headlines in the UK suggesting that Ofcom has “approved” YouView, the BBC-backed video-on-demand service. “Not so,” implies Tony Ballard, a media lawyer at Harbottle & Lewis. Ofcom has said that any investigation now would be “premature” because it was part of an emerging sector, its impact too unclear at this […]