Advanced Television

Regulation

UK creatives warn of SVoD skills impact

Research from Creative Skillset, the UK industry skills body for the screen-based creative industries, reveals the impact on the UK’s High End Television (HETV) production sector from the recent growth in FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google) and increased home grown production activity. The research shows

November 24, 2017

Freeview bosses warn of SVoD challenge

The companies responsible for UK free-to-air DTT platform Freeview have called on industry and policy makers to ‘step up’ to meet the profound changes in television being driven by American tech firms. Guy North, Freeview’s Managing Director, and Jonathan Thompson, Digital UK’s CEO, told delegates at the Outside the Box industry event in London that there […]

November 23, 2017By Colin Mann

ISPs ordered to ditch misleading speed claims

A new ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) ruling means broadband firms will no longer be able to advertise their fast net services based on the speeds just a few customers get. Currently ISPs are allowed to use headline speeds that only 10 per cent of customers will actually receive. From May 23rd 2018, adverts must be […]

November 23, 2017

Iranian national charged for HBO hack

The US Justice Department has charged a part-time Iranian government hacker with infiltrating HBO and trying to extort the premium broadcaster, a move that comes amid allegations the charges were rushed to bolster President Donald Trump’s case against Tehran. The man, Behzad Mesri, is charged with orchestrating the high-profile hack of the US cable channel […]

November 23, 2017

Gigwise, FindAnyFilm.com partner  

Popular music site Gigwise has partnered with pro-copyright consumer education body the Industry Trust for IP Awareness and its FindAnyFilm.com search tool as part of a site relaunch that includes a renewed focus on film alongside traditional music content. The partnership means that as well as a raft of new entertainment editorial, users will be […]

November 23, 2017By Colin Mann

Media Summit on Brexit: ‘We stuffed it up’

Last night saw the launch event for Media Summits and its series on the Media and Brexit. In typically forthright form, the former Digital Economy and Culture Minister Ed Vaizey told an audience of top TV practitioners and professional advisors: “Sorry, we really stuffed it up for you.” Vaizey said he hoped the current DCMS ministers […]

November 22, 2017

FCC proposes ‘Open Internet’ policy reversal

As trailed earlier in 2017, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has circulated a draft ‘Restoring Internet Freedom Order’ to his fellow Commissioners, which will be voted on at the FCC’s Open Meeting on December 14th, suggesting it will restore Internet freedom and eliminate heavy-handed sector regulation, effectively reversing predecessor Tom Wheeler’s ‘Open Internet’ policy designed to ensure […]

November 22, 2017By Colin Mann

UTECA: Spain Government ‘favours pay-TV’

UTECA, the largest private TV Association in Spain, has accused the Administration of discrimination against FTA TV to the benefit of pay-TV and new OTT platforms. The president of UTECA, Alejandro Echevarría, has urged the Government to put an end to the “favourable treatment” of pay-TV operators and demanded “legal changes” to make the new […]

November 22, 2017From David Del Valle in Madrid

TiVo wins Comcast patent case

An International Trade Commission (ITC) ruling has confirmed that Comcast “violated” two TiVo Patents. The decision says that Comcast’s infringements occurred on patents owned by Rovi Corp, now part of TiVo. The ITC decision means that Comcast’s highly-specified X1 set-top boxes are now banned from being imported. TiVo’s share price rose 12 per cent in […]

November 22, 2017By Chris Forrester

Cable Europe: EU geoblocking decision ‘lets down consumers’

Trade body Cable Europe has levelled criticism at the European Parliament following a vote on the Copyright Regulation taken in the JURI Committee. The vote effectively excludes some technological platforms such as mobile and the Internet from the scope of the retransmission framework – a move which the industry body describes as “out of step” […]

November 21, 2017By Colin Mann