Author Archive for Luke

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By Luke on May 24th, 2007

Ofcom publish Big Brother adjudication – ’serious editorial misjudgements’

Ofcom today published its Adjudication on Channel Four’s broadcast of Celebrity Big Brother 2007.
Ofcom’s investigation found that Channel Four made serious editorial misjudgements, compounded by a serious failure of its compliance process. Ofcom has therefore found Channel Four in breach of the Broadcasting Code and has imposed a statutory sanction on Channel [...]

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By Luke on April 27th, 2007

OFT recommends referring BSkyB to Competition Commission over ITV stake

OFT press release follows…
The OFT today reported to the Secretary of State on the completed acquisition by British Sky Broadcasting Group plc (BSkyB) of a 17.9 per cent stake in ITV plc (ITV). The OFT believes that the test for a merger reference to the Competition Commission is met on competition grounds.
The report confirms the [...]

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By Luke on April 25th, 2007

You can’t just think regulation you have to do it too

This post picks up on some of Russ’ earlier comments relating to Ofcom’s role in regulating the interactive television market in the wake of Panorama’s expose about GMTV and others on Monday evening.
Having observed Ofcom since its inception it is undeniable that the regulator has produced much innovative and well researched work across a number [...]

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By Luke on April 19th, 2007

Michael Grade on Ofcom’s decision to ban junk food advertising…

Speaking at the Voice of the Listener and Viewer’s ‘Fresh Visions from Familiar Faces – sustaining quality content into the digital age’ conference today, ITV’s Executive Chairman, Michael Grade reportedly said -
“I’m not opposed to regulation. What concerns me is that [when] any special interest group pops up and gets a campaign going and makes [...]

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By Luke on April 19th, 2007

Truphone mulls Ofcom complaint over handset restrictions

Interesting article from Andrew Orlowski in The Register which highlights moves by mobile providers to restrict internet telephony functionality on handsets. Truphone, a provider of WLAN VoIP services is reportedly mulling an official complaint to Ofcom to ask the regulator to intervene if mobile networks continue to cripple VoIP-capable handsets.
The article highlights Orange and Vodafone [...]

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By Luke on April 16th, 2007

NCC, Consumers and Heaney

It was interesting to note a number of articles at the weekend suggesting that the National Consumer Council are looking to ramp up pressure on Ofcom to force a settlement in the Sky/Virgin Media spat.
As I have said before it is amusing how many consumer groups and panels have attached themselves to this issue seemingly [...]

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By Luke on April 11th, 2007

Ofcom CEO Ed Richards talks to Ofcomwatch – Interview Transcript

Ofcomwatch had the pleasure of interviewing Ofcom CEO Ed Richards last month. In an interview that covered topics ranging from numbering policy to the proposed Public Service Publisher (PSP), Richards’ provides an assessment Ofcom’s progress to date and looks ahead to challenges such as the Digital Dividend Review, next generation access and the review of [...]

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By Luke on April 01st, 2007

Sunday Telegraph – ‘Ofcom execs ‘wined and dined”

Today’s Sunday Telegraph reports…
“The impartiality of communications industry watchdog Ofcom was being questioned last night, after it emerged that its two most senior radio executives attended a dinner party at the Hilton hotel in Dallas hosted by a company which weeks later won a bid to operate a UK radio station.
Ofcom’s director of radio, Peter [...]

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By Luke on March 26th, 2007

AP – Tories push for TV phone-in code of conduct

Associated Press are running this story -
“The Tories will seek to agree a code of conduct for television premium phone-ins today, at a summit with broadcasters, regulators and consumer groups.
Official inquiries are already under way following the emergence of a series of scams affecting high-profile quizzes and other shows.
But the shadow culture secretary, Hugo Swire, [...]

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By Luke on March 20th, 2007

BSkyB respond to Ofcom decision to launch investigation into pay TV

British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC Press Release

20 March 2007
BSkyB response to Ofcom statement
In response to Ofcom’s announcement of a market investigation into the pay-TV industry, a Sky spokesman said: ‘The marketplace for entertainment and communications services is fiercely competitive and changing fast.
From the BBC to Google, BT to Apple and Vodafone to Virgin Media amongst [...]

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By Luke on March 20th, 2007

Ofcom launch investigation into pay TV market – prompting Sky to demand investigation of Virgin Media

Ofcom has received a submission from BT, Setanta, Top Up TV, and Virgin Media, which asks Ofcom to investigate the pay TV industry and to consider whether to make a market reference to the Competition Commission under the Enterprise Act 2002.
Pay TV includes subscription and video-on-demand television services on all platforms: [...]

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By Luke on March 18th, 2007

Guardian’s MediaTalk – television companies ‘not really capable of regulating themselves’

I have been listening to the Guardian Unlimited’s MediaTalk show, which provides an overview of the week’s media news and offers up some comment and analysis from members of the Guardian’s team. It’s reasonably entertaining so check it out – link here.
In this week’s session, Emily Bell makes some interesting points in regard to the [...]

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By Luke on March 17th, 2007

Philip Rutnam tells it like it is on HD

Ofcom’s Philip Rutnam is a bright bloke. He doesn’t just ‘do’ public policy or regulation he actually ‘gets’ it. So when he sees the type of lobbying letter that was placed in the Guardian this week by a group of self interested parties calling for special treatment he responds by telling it like it [...]

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By Luke on March 16th, 2007

Will Richard Hooper get the BBC Trust Chair?

It is always interesting to see where ex-Ofcom people end up. Richard Hooper, Ofcom’s highly capable former deputy Chairman went to head up business publishing house Informa. But he stood down earlier this week. The Times City Diary picked it up yesterday -
“Richard Hooper, chairman of Informa, which has a lucrative business providing commercial information [...]

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By Luke on March 16th, 2007

Ofcom Consumer Panel’s letter to Ofcom – a friendly critique

We were bemused here at Ofcomwatch Towers by the Consumer Panel’s decision to write formally to Ofcom CEO Ed Richards in regard to the recent Sky-Virgin Media spat over carriage fees for Sky content. The rumble between the two companies has resulted in the loss of three Sky channels to Virgin Media customers – which [...]

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By Luke on March 15th, 2007

Number 10 e-petition lobbies against Ofcom’s ‘intervention’ in the Sky-Virgin Media content dispute

An e-petition aimed at lobbying Number 10 to have Ofcom remove requirements on Sky to provide its television content to competitors on ‘fair and reasonable’ terms has appeared on the Number 10 website. Not sure that the petition creator has the best grasp of competition law and what it aims to achieve.
Here is the slightly [...]

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By Luke on March 12th, 2007

Emily Bell suggests two regulators = no regulation

Emily Bell, writing in today’s Media Guardian hits the nail on the head – how come we have two regulators – Ofcom and ICSTIS – and yet TV quiz shows appear to have been developed and structured as a fraudlent means by which television channels prop up dwindling revenues in the face of an ever [...]

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By Luke on February 26th, 2007

Darling asks Ofcom to investigate BSkyB-ITV deal under Enterprise Act

In accordance with Section 44A of the Enterprise Act, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Alistair Darling, has today asked Ofcom to conduct an initial investigation into British Sky Broadcasting Group’s acquisition of a 17.9% stake in ITV plc.
This is the first time a special intervention notice has been issued by the DTI since [...]

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By Luke on January 23rd, 2007

Ofcom publishes first MIA on likely market impact of BBC’s proposed on-demand services

Ofcom today published its first Market Impact Assessment (MIA) which examines the BBC’s proposal to develop and bring to market new on-demand services.
The proposed services represent an important opportunity for audiences to access BBC content in new and different ways. The services also have the potential to expand growth in UK-based new media industries.
However, there [...]

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By Luke on January 11th, 2007

BBC sets aside Â£350 million to develop social networking sites

The MediaGuardian is reporting that -
“…the BBC has set up a Â£350m war chest for expansion into social networking on the internet and international acquisitions.
The BBC is to increase its presence in the social networking world with a series of new and improved websites, based around its favourite brands such as the car programme [...]

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