Matthew Hancock, the UK’s Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, has indicated that Comcast’s $31 billion (€25.4bn) bid for Sky does not raise the same concerns as the initial, rival bid by Fox for the 61 per cent of the broadcaster it does not already own. In a Statement, Hancock said: “On […]
The launch of a campaign to clamp down on social media firms has got off to a rocky start, as the culture secretary, Matt Hancock, admitted it was likely to be two years before there was any new law. In a round of media interviews, Hancock said there was no date for legislation, but it […]
British households are paying for broadband services that are, on average, 51 per cent slower than advertised, according to analysis from consumer body Which?. Results generated from 235,000 uses of the Which? broadband speed-checker tool show that, on average, customers are paying for speeds of up to 38 megabits per second, but actually only receiving […]
The US Senate has voted to overturn the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Restoring Internet Freedom Order which replaced previous net neutrality legislation, passing a bill that has little chance of advancing in the House but offers net neutrality supporters and Democrats a political rallying point for the midterm elections. Democrats forced the May 16th vote […]
Spain’s two largest TV groups, Mediaset and Atresmedia, could face €5 billion compensation demands if the CNMC (Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia) probe into their allegedly-illegal ad practices that distort the market finds that they are indeed guilty. Regional public broadcasters and smaller DTT operators could ask for sky-high compensation of up […]
Vimeo, the ad-free open video platform, has joined the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) as a Promoter member. AOMedia is a non-profit organisation formed by specialists in video with the aim to define and develop media technologies that address the need for an open and royalty-free standard for video compression and delivery over the web. […]
Calvo Mawela, the CEO of South Africa’s MultiChoice pay-TV service, is arguing that OTT newcomers such as Netflix and Amazon Prime should have value-added tax added to their subscription costs, as well as being forced to contribute to other South African media-related services, and pay licence fees.
Spain’s competition watchdog, the Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC), has launched a probe into alleged anti-competitive advertising practices undertaken by the largest TV companies Mediaset and Atresmedia. Both parties have been accused by media and ad agencies of obliging them to meet some ad investment quotas and the joint commercialisation of […]
Ed Vaizey, the former Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy, has revealed that George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer between May 2010 and July 2016, sought to move UK broadcasting to IP delivery. Delivering a closing Keynote Address on the Current Policy Landscape for Digital Communications at the DTG Summit in London, Vaizey suggested […]
Mediapro, the Spanish TV company, has confirmed it will appeal against the Milan Court’s decision to cancel its tender to sell the Italy’s Serie A football TV rights. Contrary to the alleged breach of competition rules, Mediapro believes that its commercial proposal meets the Serie A criteria. The company argues that its offer to operators […]