More than 70 per cent of New Zealand youth would stop accessing illegal versions of copyrighted material if they received a notice from their ISP, a survey has found. Research firm Synovate found that a notice from their ISP would be enough to stop 71 per cent of young people further accessing illegal copies of […]
From David Del Valle in Madrid A Spanish cabinet meeting has approved a new overall TV law (Ley General del Audiovisual) paving the way for the creation of an Audiovisual Council, the exploitation and development of pay DTT, Mobile TV and HDTV and allowing TV cross-ownerships, among other things. With the new legislation, TV operators […]
The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) has confirmed the approval of A/153 ATSC Mobile DTV Standard. The ATSC Mobile DTV Standard defines the technical specifications necessary for broadcasters to provide new services to mobile and handheld devices using their digital television (DTV) transmissions. “Development and adoption of the ATSC Mobile DTV Standard is a major […]
British Sky Broadcasting has accused the BBC of "riding a coach and horses" through the market for internet TV by investing licence-fee money in Project Canvas. The BBC and its partners, ITV, BT and Five, say Canvas will bolster the free-to-air TV platform Freeview as Sky, Virgin Media and other pay-TV providers launch more advanced […]
Canal Plus CEO Bertrand Meheut has called for a moratorium on the French government's plan to tax commercial channels to compensate public broadcaster France Télévisions for the loss of advertising on its channels. Meheut told Le Figaro the tax should be put on hold until the end of 2011, when advertising on the public channels, […]
RealNetworks is appealing a court ruling barring it from selling its RealDVD copying software and a set-top device in development that copies DVDs. The company has filed a notice with a Circuit Court of Appeal that it intends to appeal a preliminary injunction preventing it from selling RealDVD or its Facet set-top. In August, US […]
BT Group has criticised a government proposal that would allow UK authorities to suspend Internet access temporarily for those who engage repeatedly in copyright-infringing file sharing. BT said the 'summary justice' proposal undermines rights to due process and raise costs for consumers by requiring expensive network interventions on the part of ISPs. BT also said […]
The Technical Committee of the European Broadcasting Union has agreed a set of measures for Hybrid Broadcast Broadband (HBB) services and devices. It says it backs "the exciting opportunity these technologies bring to viewers and the broadcasting world, and the significant work that has already been done in this domain." The committee said that while […]
Virgin Media and BT have attacked BSkyB's pricing mechanism for its premium channels in a joint submission to Ofcom's pay-TV inquiry. The companies say Sky's "near monopoly" restricts consumer choice and keeps prices high. Ofcom has already recommended it should regulate the wholesale price of Sky's premium channels. The two companies, plus Freeview provider Top-Up […]
Set top boxes for Project Canvas, the IP catch-up TV initiative from the BBC, ITV, Five and BT, are scheduled to be available in shops by December of next year. Richard Halton, IPTV programme director at the BBC, confirmed that, barring regulatory problems, the first Project Canvas set-top products “will be on sale by Christmas […]