Mediaset-controlled Tele 5 has filed a lawsuit against YouTube accusing the video sharing service of violating intellectual property rights by posting video clips without permission. The TV network has urged YouTube to cease distributing its content on several occasions, according to the channel, but the company has ignored its claims arguing that it is only […]
Former singer Feargal Sharkey used the London Calling music conference to demand a levy on gadgets that allow music to be copied. “To legislate for the copying of a CD on to an iPod might, at this point in the development of humanity, seem like a technical irrelevance, even bizarre. But if successful, this would […]
From David Del Valle in Madrid The sale of Sogecable pay-TV division, Digital Plus, is also attracting interest from several private equity firms, such as Permira and Apax, with suggestions that Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, Mexican media mogul Carlos Slim and even Telefónica are potential bidders. Prisa has hired HSBC to handle the sale process. […]
Vodafone Group has announced that, after five years in the role, Arun Sarin will be retiring as Chief Executive at the end of the Company’s AGM on 29th July 2008. He will be succeeded by Deputy Chief Executive Vittorio Colao
Hardware makers are meeting politicians and copyright societies to discuss introducing a Europe-wide levy on media devices, offsetting revenue apparently lost from personal copying. Since 2001, 22 of Europe's 27 countries have made technology manufacturers pay the surcharge on products that allow music, books, movies and other copyrighted content to be copied. Now the European […]
From David del Valle in Madrid The Spanish media group Prisa, owner of the newspaper El PaÃs, is taking full control of the TV company Sogecable, owner of Digital Plus, Canal Plus and Cuatro, by acquiring the remainder 2.29 per ceny shares to reach 100 per cent for E75.5 million. The move paves the way […]
French commercial TV operators Television Francaise 1 (TF1), Vivendi SA’s Canal+ and M6-Metropole Television have announced the creation of an association (ACP) to ‘defend the rights and professional interests’ of national, private, terrestrial channels. The formation of ACP comes at the time when a government-appointed commission is due to announce its proposals for removing advertising […]
German cableco Unitymedia posted EBITDA in the first quarter of 2008 of E94.3 million up from E81.6 million in 2007. The company said it had enjoyed its strongest quarter for digital pay-TV take-up for two years with 29,000 new subscribers, giving it a total of 485,000. During the quarter there were 65,000 net additions to […]
German cableco Unitymedia posted EBITDA in the first quarter of 2008 of E94.3 million up from E81.6 million in 2007. The company said it had enjoyed its strongest quarter for digital pay-TV take-up for two years with 29,000 new subscribers, giving it a total of 485,000. During the quarter there were 65,000 net additions to […]
From David Del Valle in Madrid Spain’s largest cable company ONO reported a profit of E8 million for the quarter against a E13 million loss for the same period last year. EBITDA amounted to E164 million, up 10.6 per cent, with total revenues reaching E400 million, 75 per cent of them from the residential business. […]