The Motion Picture Association of America MPAA) and labour union SAG-AFTRA have jointly filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission expressing concerns about Chairman Wheeler’s proposal designed to open up the set-top box market. Writing in the MPAA’s policy blog, Neil Fried, Senior Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs explains why, and what’s at stake […]
On April 28th, satellite operator Intelsat will unveil its Q1 results, and there’s little doubt that change is in the air. The past few quarters has seen altogether too much doom and gloom associated with Intelsat, and now there are clear signs that as this year rolls out the businesses prospects look much healthier. Indeed, […]
Egypt’s giant public broadcaster, the Egyptian Radio & Television Union (ERTU), has seen its controversial chairman/director general Essam El-Amir “relieved” of his duties. Egypt’s prime minister Sherif Ismael made the decision according to the Egyptian cabinet’s official spokesman Hossam El-Kawish. The report was confirmed by Egypt’s semi-official newspaper Al Ahram. The new DG is Safa […]
The UK Government has confirmed that it plans to harmonise the maximum sentence for online copyright infringement with physical infringement – at 10 years. The proposal was contained in its response to a Consultation on Criminal Sanctions for Online Copyright Infringement. Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister for Intellectual Property, noted that the creative industries add £84.1 billion […]
Canal+ chairman Vincent Bolloré has threatened to close down the broadcaster’s loss-making premium pay-TV channels if their balance sheets fail to improve in the coming months. Talking at Vivendi’s general meeting of shareholders, Bolloré warned that Canal+ Group could divest the pay-TV unit to concentrate on its distribution activities (Canalsat, Canal Overseas, StudioCanal) with beIN […]
Broadcasters could be forgiven for wishing the digital train would occasionally slow down or at least rest a little longer in one station before moving on to another. For many years, of course, it was very straightforward – a signal was sent, by a variety of means, to a TV where it was watched or […]
To celebrate 25 years of Sky Sports, David Beckham has filmed a special interview in VR with Kirsty Gallacher, selecting his top three Premier League goals. The 5-minute piece has been unveiled exclusively on Facebook 360. Picked from his illustrious Premier League career for Manchester United, Beckham discusses what made the final three so special […]
Disney’s ABC is extricating itself from the partnership with Univision Communications on Fusion, which they launched in late 2013. Effective immediately, Univision takes over ABC’s role in distribution and sales and has sole editorial control. Univision is forming the Fusion Media Group, which includes Fusion, El Rey, The Root, The Onion, A.V. Club, Clickhole, StarWipe, […]
The EBU has withdrawn member services from Romanian public service broadcaster Televiziunea Română (TVR) following the non-payment of debts totalling CHF 16 million (€14.5m). TVR will now no longer be able to participate in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest and will lose access to other EBU member services including the Eurovision News and Sports News […]
Abu Dhabi’s Media Zone Authority (MZA), which includes the twofour54 production facility, says it is streamlining its initiatives which support the film and TV industries. Image Nation Abu Dhabi, an MZA entity, will take the lead in supporting and investing in film and television productions through its current initiatives, which emphasise active partnership and local […]