UK media regulator Ofcom is proposing to crack down on the amount of “sustained sex scenes and sexual language” shown on TV immediately after the 9pm watershed, to better protect younger viewers from explicit content broadcast free-to-air by so-called “babe channels” such as Playboy TV and Babeworld TV. ….

Japan’s upper house has approved a revision to the Copyright Law making downloading of pirated content illegal. The revision will go into effect on January 1st. Uploading of pirated music and video content is already proscribed, but downloading has been tolerated as long as it is for personal use. Legislators have prescribed no penalties for […]

From Colin Mann in London The UK government has published its Digital Britain report, which sets out the importance of the Digital Economy to the nation's economic future, and how it will drive future industrial capability and competitiveness. It makes the case that the United Kingdom's communications infrastructure and increased Digital Participation are key to […]

The lobbying effort is backed by more than 15 organisations from the creative industries and, for the first time, Amicus/Unite and the Trade Union Congress. The coalition urges the government to ensure a tough stance is taken in the final Digital Britain report, due to be published by the communications minister, Lord Carter. “Job losses […]

The communications minister Lord Stephen Carter is to leave his job after this week’s Digital Britain report is published. It is being reported that Carter will leave the government by the end of next month to return to the private sector. Carter has been in the role 18 months after a fraught spell as Downing […]

The European Commission is recommending that rules governing the emerging next-generation broadband services – specifically, those around competitor access to infrastructure and wholesaling of broadband access – should be developed through a "common approach" across the continent. If national telco regulators find that a dominant telco has significant market power over the faster lines, they […]

France’s highest legal authority struck down a key provision of the controversial law that would have cut off Internet access to people who repeatedly download copyrighted content illegally. The council rejected the core portion of the measure, under which a newly created agency, acting on the recommendations of copyright owners, would have been able to […]

Sky says the “crown jewels” list of sporting events reserved for free-to-air television amounts to a “tax on sport” that subsidises terrestrial broadcasters. In its submission to the government’s review of the A list of sporting events that must shown on free to air TV, the pay-TV broadcaster also argues that the policy reduces competition […]

UK Health minister Ben Bradshaw has been appointed as the new culture secretary, replacing Andy Burnham, in a move that comes at a crucial time in the final run up to the Digital Britain report. Bradshaw, a former BBC journalist, is to take over as secretary for culture, media and sport after Burnham was moved […]

From David Del Valle in Madrid The Cabinet has approved a law that will oblige pay TV and commercial TV channels and telco operators to finance the state-owned group RTVE with a great amount of their annual revenues. All those players will have to dedicate 1.5 per cent, 3 per cent and 0.9 per cent […]