UKTV has reported its highest-ever audience figures at Christmas 2011, closing a record-breaking year for the pay-TV joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Scripps Networks International. UKTV’s channels, including Watch, Dave and Good Food, held a 6.6 per cent share of the TV viewing on Christmas Eve and a 5.1 per cent share on Christmas […]
China’s SARFT media regulator has issued new rules for suppliers and users of Internet-based TV transmission. The new regulation – Operation and Management Requirements for Licensed Internet Television Operators – requires that Internet TV set-top boxes be operated only in cities selected for China’s network convergence trials. The document requires that Internet TV platform operators, […]
Attracted by market prospects for mobile TV, Israeli maker of TV chips for mobile devices Siano Mobile Silicon is planning a push into the US in 2012, with the possibility an initial public offering filing as early as 2012, reports Bloomberg. Chief Executive Officer Alon Ironi said that Siano had held conversations with bankers and […]
Leading Japanese telco NTT DoCoMo has reached a basic agreement with five companies — Fujitsu Fujitsu Semiconductor, NEC Corporation, Panasonic Mobile Communications, and Samsung Electronics — to establish a fabless joint venture company by the end of March 2012 to develop and sell semiconductor products for mobile devices. The joint venture company, leveraging the six […]
Japanese electronics giant Sony is to exit its S-LCD manufacturing joint-venture with South Korea’s Samsung. Samsung will pay $940 million to Sony for complete ownership of the venture. Sony and Samsung have worked together on flat-panel LCD production for the past seven years and industry reports made it clear last July that Sony was looking […]
The Federal Communications Commission has removed the final obstacle to the commercial use of the “white spaces” of unused spectrum between broadcast TV channels. “With [the] approval of the first TV white spaces database and device, we are taking an important step towards enabling a new wave of wireless innovation,” said Julius Genachowski, the FCC […]
In a move that recognises the growing importance of content discovery and navigation in the multiscreen entertainment age, Motorola Mobility has acquired SetJam, a television and movie directory. “Motorola and SetJam share the vision of making content delivery, discovery, and consumption seamless across any screen, and as a world leader in video technology, Motorola will […]
Australia’s Treasurer Wayne Swan has given the green light for pay-TV provider Foxtel’s $2.5 billion takeover for regional pay-TV operator Austar. Approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is still needed for the deal to proceed. The ACCC raised some concerns about the tie-up in a statement of issues published in July and […]
Matt Child is Solaris Mobile’s new CEO replacing Steve Maine who has left “to pursue other professional interests”. Dublin-based Solaris Mobile is the Eutelsat/SES joint-venture set up in 2006 to develop next-generation mobile communication services. Designed initially as a satellite and terrestrial platform in support of DVB-H and S-band transmissions to cellular and handheld devices, […]
The European Commission has given permission for the joint venture between The Netherland’s Ziggo MSO and HBO for a package of premium channels. The Commission said the deal would not restrict competition in provision of channels and would increase competition in the market for programme rights. The plan is for six premium channels under the […]