From IPTV World Forum Christophe Forax, the cabinet member of EU Media Commisioner Viviane Reding responsible for Networks and Convergence, told the plenary session the Commission was operating a policy of "platform neutrality" across all broadband networks. Forax refered to recent controversy on its directive to Dutch cable operators to allow third party access providers […]

The UK government's suggestion that the BBC should be part of the drive to make broadband universal in the UK would distort markets and distract the broadcaster from its main purpose in making programmes, BSkyB has suggested in its submission to the Digital Britain review headed by Lord Carter, the communications minister, BSkyB said the […]

Research from Coda Research Consultancy estimates that UK Internet users watch at least £1.3 billion worth of video content a year through illegal file sharing, and that video rights owners are losing at least £100m a year in lost revenue. Year-on-year increases in these illegal behaviours are irreversible, but can be slowed through the launch […]

BSkyB has won permission to appeal against a Competition Appeal Tribunal ruling forcing it to reduce its 17.9% stake in ITV to below 10%. Last November, the Competition Appeal Tribunal rejected an appeal against the original ruling in October 2007 that the deal had restricted competition but Sky went to the Court of Appeal which […]

Oxford Economics institute in UK says online piracy cost the industry £235 million (E253m) in 2008 – that's nearly half of the £531 million the group says was lost to piracy of all kinds. But the annual online loss could be reduced to £83.2 million if downloaders received an ISP warning and if detection technologies […]

France’s culture minister has defended a new bill clamping down on Internet piracy that is backed by music artists but opposed by consumer groups. The proposed “creation and Internet law” has stirred controversy over a provision allowing a state agency to cut off Internet access for up to a year to those caught illegally downloading […]

From David Del Valle in Madrid Spain’s broadcasting agency Abertis Telecom, shareholder in satellites Hispasat and Eutelsat, has rejected SES Astra’s charges of favouritism in the Spanish DTT market before the European Union. In a letter to the European Competition and to the Spanish Ministry of Industry, the company has defended the Spain’s DTT model […]

Talking before a UK Parliamentary committee Comms Minister Lord Carter continued to hint net neutrality would not be a foundation of his Digital Britain report. Having already assured BT its investment in NGN would be recognised and protected, he said "Our emerging view is that it is not unreasonable for a network provider to be […]

The Shenzhen Bureau of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine revealed that the European Union’s new environmental regulations for simple set-top boxes (STBs) will directly affect China’s STB export business, which is valued at nearly RMB 10 billion (E1.14bn). A spokesperson for the bureau said that China currently produces more than 50 million STBs every year […]

BSkyB is lobbying to have the list of sporting events reserved for free-to-air television abolished in an ongoing government review. Chief executive Jeremy Darroch said Sky would argue for a situation where the World Cup or the Olympics could be shown on pay TV, with sports bodies free to decide where to sell their rights […]