Broadcast
Ingrid Lunden
Jan 22, 2010 11:26 AM
What’s a little harmless DRM? The BBC claims that plans by Freeview broadcasters to apply digital rights management to high-definition television content is “light-touch”, as Ofcom launches a second public consultation on the matter. The regulator’s first public consultation, made back in September, was only open for 10 days. But…
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Legal, Regulatory, Ofcom, Media & Publishing, TV, Broadcast, Companies, BBC
David Kaplan
Jan 22, 2010 9:09 AM
BBC Worldwide has tapped Electronic Arts (NSDQ: ERTS) exec Robert Nashak to help build up its gaming offerings as EVP of Digital Entertainment. During the nearly two years he spent at EA, Nashak’s last role was as a VP charged with overseeing the company’s social gaming group. He previously led…
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Industry Moves, Entertainment, Gaming, Media & Publishing, TV, Broadcast, Companies, BBC, BBC Worldwide, Electronic Arts, robert nashak
Patrick Smith
Dec 15, 2009 9:09 AM
—Swedish music revenues: It’s long been regarded the “home of illegal file-sharing” but the Swedish music industry has seen its revenues increase 35 percent since 2000 to SEK1 billion (£86.4 million) a year, according to a report from analysts Trend Maze and the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. From…
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Media & Publishing, TV, Broadcast, IPTV, VOD
Alex Ferreyra
Dec 3, 2009 11:57 AM
Now that the deal is done for Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA) to acquire 51 percent of NBC Universaal from GE, pending regulatory approval, here’s a look at how it all unfolded: —Reaction To The Comcast-NBCU Deal In Tweets—Comcast-NBCU: Hulu Board Meetings Could Get Interesting; Premium Hulu ‘Not In The Cards’?—Video: Comcast-NBCU…
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Media & Publishing, TV, Broadcast, Cable & Telecom, Companies, Comcast, NBC Universal
Patrick Smith
Nov 23, 2009 9:15 AM
New ITV (LSE: ITV) chairman Archie Norman has high hopes for the broadcaster to shrink its reliance on advertising and get viewers paying for its ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 channels, if reports from the Mail on Sunday and Sunday Times are to be believed. We’re sceptical that enough people will…
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Media & Publishing, TV, Broadcast, IPTV, VOD, Companies, ITV
MediaGuardian
Nov 19, 2009 1:02 PM
By Mark Sweney: ITN is to freeze the pay of all staff next year and cut 29 posts as part of a restructuring designed to bring the company back to profitability after it recorded a pre-tax loss of £3m in the first six months of the year. The news supplier,…
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Media & Publishing, Online News, TV, Broadcast
Robert Andrews
Nov 16, 2009 8:34 AM
England’s Football Association may not have had much of a say over last month’s groundbreaking online-only PPV England-Ukraine match - but now it’s embracing online-only distribution for itself… After testing exclusive free web streaming for England’s U21 UEFA Cup qualifier against Macedonia - two days before the more talked-about Ukraine…
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Entertainment, Sports, Media & Publishing, TV, Broadcast
Patrick Smith
Nov 13, 2009 5:09 AM
Cable operator Liberty Global has bought German cable and broadband business Unitymedia for €2 billion ($2.96 billion; £1.79 billion) from its private equity owners BC Partners and Apollo Management. The deal expands Liberty’s worldwide network of companies and operators but it also means it takes on €1.5 billion of Unitymedia’s…
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Media & Publishing, TV, Broadcast, IPTV, VOD, Money, M&A & Venture Capital, Mergers & Acquisitions, Countries, Europe, Germany
Patrick Smith
Nov 12, 2009 11:43 AM
Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 grossed more than $300 million in sales in its first 24 hours just in the US and the UK, making it not just the biggest video game launch of the year, but the biggest entertainment launch, in any medium, ever. That most hyperbolic…
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Entertainment, Gaming, Media & Publishing, TV, Broadcast, Money, Earnings, Companies, Vivendi, Universal Music Group
Patrick Smith
Oct 28, 2009 9:59 AM
BT (NYSE: BT) is now using the cover of Project Canvas in its latest bid to get BSkyB’s channels on its Vision TV service. The telco has previously asked Ofcom to order cheaper wholesale channel availability from Sky. Now, in a submission (pdf) to Ofcom’s third pay TV consultation, it…
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Entertainment, Movies, Sports, Media & Publishing, TV, Broadcast, Cable & Telecom, IPTV, Satellite, VOD, Companies, BT, News Corp., BSkyB, Virgin, Virgin Media
Patrick Smith
Oct 23, 2009 2:42 AM
BSkyB (NYSE: BSY) is set to continue and expand its strategy of widening content distribution onto different platforms such as games consoles, computer operating systems and third-party devices, to counter the threat from rival, web-based TV services. CEO Jeremy Darroch told investors and analysts on a call to accompany its…
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Entertainment, Movies, High Definitiion, Media & Publishing, Online News, TV, Broadcast, IPTV, Satellite, VOD, Money, Earnings, Companies, News Corp., BSkyB
Patrick Smith
Oct 22, 2009 11:54 AM
—Gamesload: The Deutsche Telekom-owned, German-based games download service is launching in 20 more European countries, including UK, Ireland, Sweden and Norway. The site, started in 2006, has 2,500 items to download. It still isn’t operating in France or Spain, but is offering to partner with distributors on a continent-wide basis.…
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Advertising, Media & Publishing, TV, Broadcast, IPTV, VOD, Companies, France Telecom, Orange, Microsoft, News Corp., BSkyB, Virgin, Virgin Media
Robert Andrews
Oct 16, 2009 5:29 AM
It’s already proved a thorn in the side of broadcasters once; now TVCatchup is trying again. The UK startup, about which little is known, is streaming 11 live British channels (from BBC, ITV (LSE: ITV), C4 and Five) to iPhone’s Quicktime via a new web adjunct (iphone.tvcatchup.com).
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Media & Publishing, TV, Broadcast, Mobile
Patrick Smith
Oct 14, 2009 6:34 AM
—YouTube auctions: Google’s YouTube is introducing an auction-based video ad platform in the UK which encourages advertisers to bid for keywords to appear in a new Promoted Video section in search results. Currently, Sponsored Links and are promoted through Google (NSDQ: GOOG) AdSense. From NMA. —ITV.com: After the hullabaloo of…
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Advertising, Entertainment, Sports, Media & Publishing, TV, Broadcast, VOD, Companies, Google, YouTube, Independent News & Media, ITV
Robert Andrews
Oct 13, 2009 4:28 AM
The business that operates one of six UK digital terrestrial TV multiplexes is now little more than a pension fund for ITV.
COO John Cresswell, named interim CEO on Tuesday, has scrapped the sale of SDN and will instead use it as “asset backing” toward ITV’s pension scheme.
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Media & Publishing, TV, Broadcast, Companies, ITV
Patrick Smith
Sep 29, 2009 9:00 PM
The online controller of the BBC’s Future Media & Technology department Anthony Rose rejects James Murdoch’s attack on the corporation, arguing that sharing its iPlayer technology will help rival broadcasters monetise online video content. Speaking at the launch of the MediaGuardian Innovation Awards 2010, at which Rose won Innovator of…
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Media & Publishing, TV, Broadcast, IPTV, VOD, Companies, BBC
Patrick Smith
Sep 29, 2009 11:00 AM
VMtv’s celebrity and lifestyle channel Living TV is expanding its online footprint with a new ad-funded VOD portal hosting short-form clips of shows and news. Liv is currently available on Livingtv.co.uk but will eventually be hosted on IPC Media fashion and style sites including Marie Claire, as Marketing reports.
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Media & Publishing, Magazines, TV, Broadcast, IPTV, VOD, Companies, BBC, BBC Worldwide, Virgin, Virgin Media
Patrick Smith
Sep 22, 2009 9:40 AM
Substituting ITV (LSE: ITV) regional news for proposed multimedia consortia from 2012 could be twice as expensive as simply funding conventional ITV regions replacements, Ofcom has warned. The Digital Britain policy paper advocated the exciting new prospect of eclectic, independently-funded news consortia (IFNCs). Ten Alps, Independent News & Media, Guardian…
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Media & Publishing, Newspapers, Online News, TV, Broadcast, IPTV, VOD, Companies, BBC
Patrick Smith
Sep 16, 2009 1:37 PM
—MySpace: The News Corp-owned social network is parting ways with its head of UK sales Nick Reid, who leaves at the end of October after three years. There’s no word on where the ex-Emap man is headed, but the departure is not thought to be linked to July’s restructure that…
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Industry Moves, Media & Publishing, TV, Broadcast, Companies, CBS, News Corp., MySpace
Patrick Smith
Sep 16, 2009 11:55 AM
Channel 4 CEO Andy Duncan is stepping down in January, after five years in charge. It comes at a period of huge uncertainty for C4, which is now seeking a CEO and a new chairman. The broadcaster’s TV travails are well-documented, but what must Duncan’s successor do online… ?
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Media & Publishing, TV, Broadcast, Companies, Channel 4