India’s broadcasting regulator has ruled that all TV channel must reduce the number of ad-minutes per hour, and trim the ‘screen clutter’ of scrolling ads during mainstream programming. One popular all-news channel (Hindi TV News) shows 20-24 ad-minutes per hour. The new rules limit the total number of advertisements in any hour to 12 minutes […]
The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Italy to pay €10 million for the non-allocation of frequencies to Europa 7. The Italian broadcaster, owned by Francesco Di Stefano, has for 10 years been deprived of the frequencies to which it was entitled, in violation of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights […]
The UK Government has outlined the next stages in its review of communications policy. The announcement follows recent speculation that the process was being delayed as a result of the uncertainty surrounding the position of Media Secretary Jeremy Hunt, whose continuation the post had been called into question amid suggestions that he had expressed support […]
O2 and Be Broadband are the latest UK ISPs to block The Pirate Bay. Be Broadband has already started blocking access to the bittorrent tracker, with O2, which owns Be’s network, starting its blocking measures today. O2 and Be Broadband, along with BT, Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk and Everything Everywhere were issued a court order […]
The past few days have seen Syrian television output effectively banned from the Middle East’s two most powerful satellite operators, Arabsat and Nilesat. The decision came about because of a demand from the Arab League’s Foreign Ministers. However, it is now clear that some segments of Pan-Arab opinion were against the decision. For example, Lebanon’s […]
Disney is establishing new nutrition guidelines for ads in its kid-targeted channels Disney Chairman Robert Iger told First Lady Michelle Obama at the Newseum in Washington. Under the guidelines, “all food and beverage products advertised, sponsored, or promoted on Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior, Radio Disney and Disney-owned online destinations oriented to families with […]
Brazil’s recently enacted Pay-TV rules have to be implemented, according to the Fórum Brasil de Televisão 2012, held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The rules include programming quotas. Carla Ponte, head of Discovery Network’s Production and Development Department in Brazil,told local journalists that the company has been producing local material in the country, even before the […]
Australia’s Attorney-General’s Department has succeeded in resurrecting industry negotiations for tackling online piracy which had been stalled for nearly four months since the most recent meeting in February 2012. Industry sources have confirmed that a fresh meeting is scheduled in the coming days. Telecommunications industry trade body Communications Alliance CEO John Stanton revealed April 20 […]
John Polson, the Australian actor, director and founder of Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival, has lent his support to anti-piracy campaigning, suggesting that few Australians would illegally download if there was greater awareness of its devastating impact on the industry. Polson said the Federal Government needed to educate better audiences about such practices. […]
Jeremy Hunt, the beleaguered Culture Secretary, is hanging on after his day-long appearance before Leveson. There have been many descriptions of Hunt, none flattering, as he seeks to dig himself out of the many holes he so thoughtlessly jumped into. The most accurate one is that he is PM David Cameron’s human shield; given Cameron […]