Reacting to news of its lowest monthly viewing figures ever, ITV has commissioned Shed Productions to produce an eighth series of ‘Bad Girls’ for ITV1, and a second series of ‘Footballers� Wives Extra Time’ for ITV2.
That should sort it…inspired stuff!
A week ago, I asked “Where is the debate on Internet regulation?” Well, it seems that the debate has now started – thanks to one of our friends at Ofcom. In the last few days, there has been a seminar in Hong Kong hosted by the Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority and the Office of [...]
As I forecast in a posting a week ago, the Government has today issued a consultation paper proposing that it become a criminal offence simply to view certain categories of extreme adult pornography, namely material which is “graphic and sexually explicit and which contains actual scenes or realistic depictions of serious violence, bestiality or necrophilia”. [...]
Yesterday, the European Commission granted clearance under the EU Merger Regulation to the acquisition of sole control of Channel 5 by the RTL Group S.A. (RTL) of Luxembourg, which belongs to Bertelsmann.
In July Bertelsmann reached 90.4% control over RTL, after buying WAZ Group’s share in the company, and it acquired 30% or Russian Ren-TV for [...]
Most of Lord Birt’s speech in Edinburgh was numbingly dull – a long list of his own achievements, all of which had made UK television the best in the world. Indeed, the industry has seemingly only hit the dumbing down buffers since he went off to tinker with various policy train sets at Number 10.
However, [...]
LONDON (AFX) – BT has denied a report in the Observer newspaper that it is planning to bid for the rights to screen English Premier League football matches.
‘The story in the Observer is nonsense. It is completely false,’ a BT spokesman said.
The Observer reported that BT wanted to buy Premiership TV rights as part of [...]
ITV is set to record the worst-ever viewing figures for its main channel this month, potentially putting its advertising revenues under pressure, the Mail on Sunday reported today.
The paper reported that the figures, compiled by the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB), will show that flagship channel ITV 1 had an audience share of 19.45% in [...]
Around the world, much thought is being given to the timetable for and the process of switching off analogue television broadcasting and moving exclusively to digital broadcasting. Here in the UK, Ofcom has recommended a phased switchover staring in 2008 and concluding in 2012 and it has even published recommendations for when each region should [...]
The OECD published yesterday its Communications Outlook 2005. You can buy it online for 50 pounds here. I have not read the report but from the various press releases these seem to be the key points:
* The industry is profitable again, but developments in Internet technology challenge the role and business models of traditional telecommunications [...]
The “Guardian” today devotes a full page in its main news section to the growing threat to the Microsoft hegemoth posed by the young upstart Google. The feature suggests that: “Already there are whispers in California’s Silicon Valley that it is becoming too much like Microsoft, the technology firm that every teccie loves to loathe”. [...]
I am a somewhat late convert to Skype, which I just downloaded two weeks ago. So, please ignore my post if this is no news to you. Today’s Times features a little piece on Google’s move into VOIP. Considering Google’s brand strength I think Google Talk could become a serious competitor for Skype.
I think I’m [...]
Just responding to Nic’s earlier post about SwitchCo…
Good call – it’s been a long time since April 2005. Would it kill them to even put some basic information up? Or at least just a link to the .pdf document on digital switchover the government produced?
Thus, it’s not surprising to see news like this.
Sorry folks, I’m a little delayed on this, but Ofcom announced last week that it has published the responses to its consultation on the BT settlement / undertakings to avoid a referral under the Enterprise Act.
The responses (about 35) are here.
Yesterday’s Independent on Sunday reports that BSkyB has raised concerns that the role envisaged for the BBC in promoting ditigal take-up could conflict with EC State aid law. According to the Independent, BSkyB’s submission to the Government states that:
“The proposed obligations on the BBC to build out the DTT [digital terrestrial television] network using state [...]
As reported a while back, SwitchCo is the Government-backed body in charge of co-ordinating the switchover programme. SwitchCo launched in April 2005. According to the Government�s publication A Guide to Digital Television and Digital Switchover (June 2005):
“SwitchCo � will co-ordinate the switchover to digital television. It is an independent organisation set up by the public [...]
Ofcom has repeatedly made it clear that it has no powers to regulate Internet content and it does not wish to seek such powers. However, senior figures at Ofcom have called several times for a public debate on the regulation of Internet content in the context especially of the convergence of broadcasting and the Net. [...]
Digital Spy reports today:
�Telewest has reportedly set a deadline for preliminary bids for its content division, Flextech. The Telegraph reports that the cableco, which is gearing up for a merger with NTL, wants initial bids for Flextech in by the start of September�
However, it is uncelar whether Flextech will be sold. Just last week CabSat [...]
The Spanish Consumer Union has filed a complaint against Telefonica Moviles before the National Competition Authority, that should now decide whether or not to open competition proceedings. The reason is that the Spanish mobile operator plans to change its billing system to charge in 30-second blocks after the first minute of each call (which is [...]
The acceptance by Energis of the bid from Cable & Wireless is a major development in the altnet market and is part of a process of consolidation which should result in a smaller number of stronger competitors to the incumbent BT. But what has a decade or so of network competition achieved so far?
According [...]
Published: August 15th 2005
Author: Stephen Griffiths
Free Download: http://www.breakthroo.com
This concise and free 8-page report examines the broadband video service marketplace, and identifies new:
- Opportunities & Threats (market or technology changes affecting value net segments in a negative or positive way)
- Dis-intermediation (value being bypassed to reduce a value segments importance and basis for competition)
- Re-intermediation (value [...]
