Advanced Television

Policy

Ofcom: NOW tops Q1 broadband complaints

Ofcom has published the latest figures for complaints it received about the UK’s major mobile, broadband and pay-TV providers. These figures cover the first quarter of 2024, from January to March. During that time, complaints fell compared to the previous quarter – complaints about fixed broadband, pay-TV and landlines all fell while complaints about mobile services […]

July 25, 2024

France: Arcom selects 15 TNT services

Arcom, the French media regulator, has pre-selected the channels that applied for national broadcasting authorisation on terrestrial hertzian (TNT) frequencies. Digital terrestrial television (DTT), the exclusive reception mode for nearly 20 per cent of households in France, remains an essential means of broadcasting for the public. Taken together, DTT channels constitute the most structuring offering […]

July 24, 2024By Nik Roseveare

EC warns on Rai

The European Commission (EC) has raised press freedom concerns after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government was accused of interfering with Italian public broadcaster Rai and silencing critical voices. Věra Jourová, the European Commission vice-president overseeing values and transparency, warned of a funding squeeze and alleged “intimidation” of journalists after unveiling an annual report on the […]

July 24, 2024

Ofcom fines TikTok £1.8m for inaccurate safety data

Ofcom has fined TikTok £1.875 million (€2.1m) for failing to accurately respond to a formal request for information about its parental controls safety feature. Ofcom explains that it  sought information from video-sharing platforms under regulations that pre-date the UK’s Online Safety Act, to inform a planned report highlighting the safety measures they have in place […]

July 24, 2024

Arrests in illegal streaming crackdown

In one of the largest operations to date, UK intellectual property protection body FACT and partners, including Sky, have taken action across the UK to combat illegal streaming and the use of unlawfully modified Firestick devices. In a month-long coordinated and sequenced nationwide surge, FACT and police targeted individuals providing unauthorised access to premium TV […]

July 23, 2024By Colin Mann

Spain: 1,000+ bars convicted of football piracy

La Liga, the Spanish sports association, reports that it has obtained more than a thousand convictions against hotels, bars and restaurants that have engaged in football piracy. This figure, which translates to a favourable ruling every two days, is attributed to a change in strategy that La Liga implemented in January 2019, when it began […]

July 23, 2024

Ofcom consults on space mobile spectrum

UK comms regulator Ofcom is seeking views on the potential for satellites, aircraft and other airborne platforms to improve mobile coverage, and the implications for how it manages any associated spectrum needs. Most people depend on mobile networks that use masts on the ground to transmit signals to their phone, but mobile satellite services are […]

July 23, 2024By Colin Mann

CMA signs AI competition statement

As artificial intelligence continues to develop at speed, the European Commission, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the US Federal Trade Commission and US Department of Justice have signed a joint statement setting out shared principles to protect competition and consumers. The statement affirms their shared view that AI, particularly powerful foundation models, has […]

July 23, 2024By Colin Mann

Spain: Public tender for new DTT channel

The Spanish government is reportedly set to call a public auction to award a new DTT channel. The Government is holding talks with the different Spanish TV groups about it. Prisa, former owner of Canal Plus, could be one of the most likely candidates to bid for the new channel. Other groups like Unidad Editorial, […]

July 18, 2024From David Dell Valley in Madrid

Trump-Murdoch together again

Rupert Murdoch has attended the Republican Convention in Milwaukee, signalling the love-hate relationship with the candidate is back on. After 2020, Murdoch reportedly quipped that Trump was ‘increasingly mad’ and would be a danger in a second term. He backed Ron DeSantis’s run for nomination. Trump, meanwhile, never forgave Murdoch’s Fox News for calling key […]

July 17, 2024