Babelgum has called for the scrapping of the BBC/C4/ITV JV Kangaroo declaring any other option would breach Competition Commission rules. In its written response to the Commission's suggested remedies to keep the JV legal, Babelgum says only one of the proposed options – banning the project – is realistic. Last month Kangaroo made its compromise […]
The European Commission says one year after the entry into force of a new EU Directive meant to liberalise TV rules and remove outdated and bureaucratic restrictions on the provision of digital TV over the Internet, video on demand and mobile TV in Europe, EU Member States have made little progress in adapting national rules. […]
The first global standard offering an in-home, high-speed network capable of delivering room-to-room HDTV has been agreed by ITU. The standard, published under the G.hn banner, promises high quality multimedia over power, coaxial, phone and other home network wiring. It will give up to 20 times the throughput of existing wireless technologies and three times […]
The European Commission has taken a decisive step towards the promotion of competitive Mobile TV services in the EU. It has published a set of guidelines for the authorisation of Mobile TV to accelerate roll-out of the service across Europe. Mobile TV revenues worldwide are expected to reach more than E7.8 billion in 2013. “Successful […]
Deception and Distrust: The Federal Communications Commission Under Chairman Kevin Martin" is the unsubtle title of a new report from the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. The report concluded, among other things, that the outcome of an la carte cable report–reversing findings of a previous report–was predetermined and dictated by the […]
From Colin Mann in London Stephen Carter, the UK's first Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting, considers that the digital sector, while vitally important to the economy, punches below its weight. Lord Carter is spearheading a report – Digital Britain – intended to be a comprehensive analysis of the digital economy, at its core an […]
Ofcom has released details of its 2009-10 annual plan, with emphasis on delivering spectrum through the digital dividend and promoting competition in pay-TV. Ofcom expects to make a decision on proposals to force Sky to offer some of its premium channels wholesale in spring 2009. The current consultation as a result of Ofcom's pay-TV review, […]
BSkyB is to continue legal action in the fight to hold on to the 17.9 per cent stake it holds in rival broadcaster ITV. The UK Competition Appeal Tribunal last month upheld an original ruling by the Competition Commission that by holding the stake BSkyB had an adverse impact on the market. But Sky has […]
The FTTH Council Europe has concluded its input into the European Commission's public consultation exercise on regulatory approaches to Next Generation Access (NGA) networks. Joeri Van Bogaert, President of the FTTH Council Europe explains the guiding principles of the response: "The FTTH Council Europe believes that, where feasible, competition based on access to passive infrastructures […]
Project Kangaroo, the JV between ITV, the BBC and Channel 4, is planning a test launch in January ahead of a competition ruling that will decide its ultimate fate. It is currently the subject of a Competition Commission investigation assessing its impact on the online video-on-demand market, but is forging ahead with technical development of […]