And lo, it came to pass that Ofcom has – after over 2 years – concluded that Sky does have too much power in the Pay TV market and has to be strong armed into playing fair.
Ofcom is now consulting on proposals requiring Sky to wholesale designated premium channels – Core Premium Sports [...]
Continuing this summer’s non-linear approach to Ofcom-themed blogging, I finally got around to reviewing Ofcom’s proposed changes to the broadcasting code. You have until 4 Sept 09 to respond to Ofcom. You can submit comments here.
Let’s start with the basics: Most of the broadcasting code is ridiculous. With a code of some sort required [...]
This post is another attempt to illuminate some of the issues surrounding the question of whether the BBC licence fee should be top-sliced to support the competitive (pluralistic) provision of local and regional news. I’m generally against top-slicing the BBC licence fee. I actually think the commercial sector can support advertiser funded local news. I [...]
Folks, I thought the MediaGuardian was going to bust an artery today. Wall to wall coverage of Digital Britain. They even had a live blog covering developments. A live blog! It’s official: Digital media policy is the new climate change. We rock.
More later when I’ve had time to read the entire report. But here are [...]
UPDATE:
The Palm Beach (FL) shut-off (like Apollo 11 he says!):
Ohio (wearing a helmet!):
Louisiana:
***
The USA: Six time zones. 3.8 million square miles. A nation of 300+ million TV addicts.
It’s all digital now, baby! Coast to coast. Well, almost.
Some broadcasters pulled the analogue plug just after midnight. Other stations will do it throughout the day on Friday. [...]
As everyone knows the issue of local / regional television news provision has been teed-up for a possible resolution in the forthcoming Digital Britain report. Ofcom is also pushing the issue. I heard one of its officials on Steve Hewlett’s media show discussing it today. It also got a bit silly last week.
I’ve always said [...]
The Washington Post yesterday eulogised Wall Street Journal investigative reporter John Wilke.
I pursued an anti-fraud case from 2001-2006 that involved the FCC’s radio spectrum auctions. The case was complex, maybe even a bit boring from an outside perspective. But it showcased a lax regulatory approach to compliance that was costing US taxpayers hundreds of millions [...]
[What follows is a guest post by David Mason]
Evidence-based intervention?
Ofcom has recently become involved in a spat with the BBC over regional news funding, according to The Guardian. They report a senior Ofcom person as saying:
“This is an extraordinary development, for the BBC to say that our numbers are fantasy. It makes them look foolish, [...]
I am a big critic of Ofcom’s Pay TV investigation. It looks like a solution in search of a problem and it has dragged on far too long. The real kicker: There’s probably not much that can come of it that will ever benefit television viewers in the UK. It looks like a forthcoming litigation-fest [...]
