The smart folks over at Back Channel have wasted no time in sinking their teeth into today’s acquisition of Energis by Cable & Wireless, using their Zero Sum solution. If their analysis is indicative of the true state of play at Energis, then it is understandable why C&W pushed the button sooner rather than later, [...]
One of the reasons why the Internet is an historically unique media is that it enables every consumer to be a producer or every reader to be a writer. This phenomenon is sometimes called “social media” which has been characterised as “an example of the demand-side supplying itself”. I recently devoted my monthly Internet [...]
EU: Responses to the public consultation on the scope of Universal Service.
The European Commission has made available 75 of the responses it received to the public consultation it launched in relation to its Communication “On the Review of the Scope of Universal Service in accordance with Article 16 of Directive 2002/22/EC”.
The responses that are [...]
The Guardian reports this morning:
‘The European commission is preparing legal action against the Premier League after talks over the sale of lucrative television rights for top football games appear to have stalled.
After 18 months of negotiations, commission officials believe the Premiership is dragging its feet over how to open up the sale of the rights [...]
Slow week, folks:
* Today is the closing date to respond to Ofcom’s consultation on BT’s proposed undertakings and settlement to avoid referral to the Competition Commission under the Entreprise Act. You know – the future of telecoms regulation in the U.K. The responses are not yet up on Ofcom’s website, but keep checking here.
* The [...]
Last week The Economist Leader stated: �There�s no solid evidence that video games are bad for people, and they may be positively good�
Today the BBC reports:
�A South Korean man has died after reportedly playing an online computer game for 50 hours with few breaks. The 28-year-old man collapsed after playing the game Starcraft at an [...]
According to Digital Spy:
“ITV has formally withdrawn its complaint over Sky’s charges for use of the Conditional Access (CA) system.
The broadcaster had alleged that the �17 million it pays Sky for use of the software, which encrypts the channel and provides viewers with their correct regional variant, was “unfair, unreasonable and unduly discriminatory”.
Ofcom had been [...]
The Digital TV Group reports that the BBC has agreed to set aside around �400m of licence fee-generated revenues to help low-income households make the transition to digital television. Apparently a senior un-named source told The Business that: “There will be a portion of the BBC licence fee in subsidising [sic] at least a [...]
*** A message from David Hickson ***
I am continuing my campaign to press Ofcom to use its powers to stop Silent Calls being made by those who fall within its jurisdiction – see previous postings.
There is clearly a market for selling by telephone and if this is going to happen, most of us would wish [...]
Stream ripping is the use of special software to save MP3 tracks from radio stations that broadcast over the Internet. More information and discussion here.
Interesting opinion piece. The three reasons, according to Greg Dyke, why the BBC should get a ‘generous settlement’ with respect to its license fee in the new charter:
1. The BBC will lead the digital switchover
2. The BBC is internally restructuring
3. It will/can make more ‘home-grown programmes’
I wonder if there are any reasons why the BBC [...]
Folks,
The OII says its two-day conference ‘will draw on the experience and evidence of distinguished researchers, policy-makers, business leaders and practitioners to foster considered discussion and analysis in the context of current live issues such as child protection, network security and individual privacy.’
‘Called �Safety and Security in a Networked World: Balancing Cyber-rights and Responsibilities�, the [...]
Just back from four days in a tent in a British seaside holiday camp, I know the true meaning of tedium (just kidding, it was lovely, apart from the weather and the food). For those interested in truly tedious pursuits, such as measuring glacial advances in real time, here is the July update from the [...]
Voice of the Listener & Viewer (VLV) has announced a full autumn programme of social events, lectures and conferences on current broadcasting issues and involving top speakers from the industry, politics and academia.
All of the events, in London, Cardiff and Edinburgh are open to the public at affordable prices. All offer participants the [...]
The premium rate regulator ICSTIS today announced that it will prevent network companies (e.g., BT) who connect premium rate calls from sharing call revenues with providers offering premium rate services for at least 30 calendar days after calls have been made by consumers.
This slow-money-flow is intended to stop fly-by-night premium phone rate scams.
This is a [...]
The Ofcom Consumer Panel – the independent adviser to the communications regulator Ofcom – has welcomed the agreement between Ofcom and BT on the company providing equality of access to its network by its competitors, but it has some sharp messages on implementation of the agreement for Ofcom and BT – and for BT’s competitors. [...]
RAI has finally got a new president! It has been more than a year since Lucia Annunziata, the last president of the Italian public service broadcaster, resigned in protest for political interference and manipulation (resignation had by then become something in vogue within the Italian PSB�for the same reasons).
Last June, RAI journalists threatened to go [...]
Here’s the story – Russia’s Foreign Ministry is banning ABC News from covering events inside the country, after this interview…
At least ABC rightly calls Basayev a ‘terrorist’. Credit them for that.
The BBC, presumably acting pursuant to its editorial guidelines, calls Basayev a ‘Chechen rebel . . . who claimed responsibility for the 2004 raid [...]
According to the latest survey by Technorati, as of the end of July 2005, there are now over 14.2 million weblogs. Interestingly, this is just about double the number of blogs that were tracked five months ago. In March 2005 Technorati were tracking 7.8 million blogs, which means the blogosphere has just about doubled [...]
Ed Richards on July 20 (Westminster Media Forum speech):
‘The linear advertising model is under threat as viewers access on-demand services or skip ads through PVRs . . . . What we see is a welcome period of change, of new technologies forcing established ones to respond.’
Tivo.com on August 1:
‘The features of the new direct [...]
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