Advanced Television

Ofcom

BBC Board appoints Thomson as non-executive director

The BBC Board has appointed Caroline Thomson as a non-executive director. She will serve for four years on the Board, from April 3rd. Thomson was previously Chief Operating Officer at the BBC, and has extensive experience in arts, culture, digital and media, having held a number of significant non-executive and executive roles. As a non-executive […]

March 5, 2025

GB News wins judicial review against Ofcom

GB News, the right-leaning news channel, has won its judicial review of decisions made by media watchdog Ofcom, that two shows hosted by Jacob Rees-Mogg breached the broadcasting code. The High Court judgment, external by Mrs Justice Collins Rice concluded that Ofcom’s rulings were unlawful, marking the first time Ofcom has lost such a case. […]

March 3, 2025

Ofcom calls on tech firms to make online world safer for females

Ofcom has proposed “concrete measures” that tech firms should take to tackle online harms against women and girls, setting a new standard for their online safety. With insights from victims, survivors, women’s advocacy groups and safety experts, the new draft guidance sets out practical, ambitious but achievable measures that providers can implement to improve women’s and girls’ […]

February 25, 2025

Ofcom: EE, Virgin Media lead pay-TV complaints

Ofcom has published the latest figures for the complaints it has received about the UK’s main broadband, mobile and pay-TV services. These figures cover the third quarter of 2024, from July to September. During this quarter, there was a slight decrease in the number of complaints we received compared to the previous quarter (from April […]

February 13, 2025

Ofcom sets out 6 GHz spectrum sharing proposals

UK comms regulator Ofcom has published proposals for upper 6 GHz spectrum to be made available and shared between mobile and Wi-Fi services. The UK is spearheading efforts to explore the sharing of upper 6 GHz by these two different technologies, which should bring benefits to the economy, and has also been promoting this approach […]

February 13, 2025By Colin Mann

Ofcom consults on Media Act implementation

UK media regulator Ofcom is publishing two consultations as part of its implementation of the Media Act. These new laws seek to ensure, among other things, that audiences can easily find and discover public service broadcasters’ content on connected TV platforms, and that they are well served by this content. Specifically, the new laws require […]

February 11, 2025By Colin Mann

Ofcom consults on spectrum auction

UK comms regulator Ofcom has launched a consultation on its proposals to auction the upper block of 1.4 GHz band (1492-1517 MHz) for 4G and 5G mobile use. 1.4 GHz spectrum was internationally harmonised for mobile telecommunications in 2015, and 40 MHz of the band (1452-1492 MHz) is already in use by mobile network operators […]

February 4, 2025By Colin Mann

Ofcom licenses Kuiper, boosts connectivity

UK comms regulator Ofcom has granted an earth station network licence to Amazon Kuiper Services Europe SARL for its ‘Kuiper’ non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite system. This decision means Kuiper will be authorised to provide satellite connectivity services such as high speed, low latency broadband to customers in the UK. Satellite services transmit data to and […]

February 3, 2025By Colin Mann

Ofcom fines MintStars video sharing site

Media regulator Ofcom has fined video sharing platform, MintStars, £7,000 (€8,289) for failing to adequately protect children from accessing adult content. Under existing laws which pre-date the Online Safety Act, UK-established video-sharing platforms (VSPs) are required to have measures in place to protect under-18s from videos containing restricted material. Ofcom’s industry guidance sets out, among […]

January 24, 2025

BBC plays dangerous game, again

Let’s not be coy, the demise of the Conservative government in the UK was a relief to the BBC. The relationship between the two was tense, at best, wilfully frictional at worst. The next Charter review begins this year, and the BBC will feel more relaxed about preserving the universal licence fee intact with a […]

January 21, 2025