Advanced Television

Policy

UK agencies issue pirate streaming warnings

Throughout January 2023, UK intellectual property protection organisation FACT and police are visiting homes across the UK, serving notices to individuals to cease illegal streaming activities with immediate effect and informing users of the associated risks, which include criminal prosecution. Over 1,000 individuals have been identified following raids by West Mercia Police in the UK […]

January 10, 2023By Colin Mann

Green named acting DCMS Committee Chair

The UK House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has agreed that Damian Green MP will act as Chair during the absence of Julian Knight. Knight announced December 2022 that he would be recusing himself from Parliament until a complaint made about him to the Metropolitan Police has been resolved. Green has been […]

January 10, 2023By Colin Mann

FCC to establish Space Bureau

Formalising its November 2022 announcement, the Federal Communications Commission has released an Order adopting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s plan to modernise the FCC by establishing a Space Bureau and Office of International Affairs. The planned reorganisation is designed better to support the needs of the growing satellite industry, promote long-term technical capacity at the FCC, and […]

January 10, 2023By Colin Mann

Ofcom progresses online child protection work

UK comms regulator Ofcom is seeking evidence on risks of harms to children online and how they can be mitigated, as it prepares to develop codes of practice in our forthcoming role as online safety regulator. Within the first 100 days of its online safety powers taking effect, Ofcom will publish and consult on draft […]

January 10, 2023By Colin Mann

Orange, Canal+ near OCS deal

Orange and the Canal+ Group have signed a memorandum of understanding anticipating the acquisition by the Canal+ Group of all capital held by Orange in the OCS pay-TV package and in Orange Studio, the film and series co-production subsidiary. The Canal+ Group will become the sole shareholder of the two companies following this transaction. Orange […]

January 9, 2023By Colin Mann

Survey: UK homes could save on comms bills

As many UK mobile, TV and broadband firms prepare to hike monthly bills by up to 18 per cent this spring, new research from consumer champion Which? finds that customers could save over £250 (€284) a year by switching providers. Which asked more than 5,000 customers who had their contract end on either their mobile, […]

January 9, 2023

MultiChoice hit by Malawi fine

Pan-African pay-TV operator MultiChoice has been fined 10 million Kwacha (€93,800) by Malawi for breaches of its licence conditions. However, DStv says the fine is unwarranted. Malawi’s Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) also ordered MultiChoice to refund DStv subscribers cash because DStv allegedly adjusted its local tariffs in July last year without pre-approval from MACRA. According […]

January 9, 2023By Chris Forrester

Channel 4 to remain publicly owned

Following the emergence of correspondence that suggested such a move was likely, Michelle Donelan, UK Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has decided not to privatise Channel 4 after reviewing the business case for its sale. The broadcaster will remain in public ownership but with greater commercial flexibility, increased investment in […]

January 5, 2023By Colin Mann

Grown-ups in the room

On the same day the DCMS has confirmed an earlier leak that it is dropping its mad idea of privatising C4, Matt Hancock, the gurning TV celeb and former DCMS Secretary, closed his personal app (he launched it five years ago, in case you’re not a follower). Does this coincidence indicate that the grown-ups are […]

January 5, 2023

Euro-IX warns of ‘fair share’ traffic risks

Euro-IX, the trade body of European Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), representing most of the European IXP community, whether measured by traffic carried, number of networks served or overall network capacity, has written to Margrethe Vestager, the European Commission’s Vice-President and Commissioner for Competition, and Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Markets, expressing its concerns surrounding the […]

January 5, 2023By Colin Mann