France’s competition council has launched an investigation into exclusive broadcasting contracts between pay-TV operator Canal+ and certain specialist channels. The inquiry stems from a complaint lodged last year from French group AB claiming Canal+ has blocked its channels from being broadcast on certain broadband Internet services. Canal+ a unit of Vivendi, has exclusive contracts with […]

FiOS TV customers now enjoy even more home entertainment choices as Verizon has expanded its video-on-demand offer with programmes from CBS, Discovery Channel, Smithsonian Channel, Ovation TV and more. Verizon has also announced new VOD content that features college basketball tournament programming.

US telco Comcast has revealed that its Signature On Demand service claims more than seven billion VOD views and one billion hours watched since launching in 2003. Each month a total of 130 million hours of content is watched through the service.

DBS operators have a significant opportunity to gain market share in the pay-TV space thanks to a recently upheld FCC ruling on multiple dwelling units according to the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association. Now that The National Cable and Telecommunications Association’s motion to stay the FCC’s November 2007, order has been denied, satellite providers are […]

From Colin Mann in London In a surprise move, the BBC has secured the television rights to show Formula One in the UK from the 2009 season. The five-year deal marks the return of the sport to BBC screens 12 years after rival commercial broadcaster ITV began broadcasting Grands Prix. A new five-year exclusive deal […]

Harmonic has confirmed that that Sun Direct TV has deployed Harmonic’s digital video solutions for India’s first MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) direct-to-home (DTH) broadcast service. Harmonic has enabled Sun Direct TV to offer its new DTH service to 40 million homes in southern India by providing an end-to-end solution encompassing the latest generation DiviCom Electra encoders, […]

Over 120 MPs have shown their support for plans to introduce a UK wide local channel on Freeview, by joining the United for Local Television coalition. The designated local television network on the Freeview platform, Channel 6, could carry local news, programming, advertising and networked public service content. United for Local Television put forward that […]

The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) has released its “Digital Vision: India in 2012” report in New Delhi, providing an overview of the opportunities for rapid development of India's digital broadband and television industries. The CASBAA Digital Vision report also provides an assessment of India's pay-TV environment, along with recommendations for senior […]

The European Commission has formalised its adoption of DVB-H and says EU countries will 'be required' to promote it. The Commission said setting the Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld as the preferred European Union standard would give the industry a boost. “For mobile TV to take off in Europe, there must first be certainty about the […]

Netplay TV beefed up its position in the online bingo market by buying Bingos.com, a pan-European online operator with 1m registered players. The UK Aim-listed interactive gaming company paid £6.25m (E8.6m) in cash for a business that includes a suite of other games, including slots, table poker, keno and blackjack, which NetPlay will offer to […]