BSkyB has reacted furiously to Ofcom's proposition to force them to sell its sports and premium movie rights to other platforms at regulated prices. Ofcom said such a move may be a “most appropriate way of ensuring fair and effective competition”. BSkyB has immediately rejected the proposal, saying it will “use all available legal avenues”, […]

As both sides await a judge's ruling over the legality of RealNetworks’ DVD copying software RealDVD, the major studios have filed a new complaint, charging that RealNetworks lied in court about circumventing DVD copy protections. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) asked the Judge to include in the court record five patent filings by […]

Comcast and Time Warner announce a partnership on the “TV Everywhere” initiative. Both companies have been leading proponents of the “authentication” online concept, intended to reinforce the pay-TV model by including access to programming delivered via the Internet as part of the monthly subscription. But until now, they’ve taken different approaches. Time Warner' TV Everywhere […]

Disney-owned ESPN is to broadcast live English Premier League football action in the UK for the first time after securing the rights to show 46 games for the 2009/2010 season and 23 games in each of the three following seasons until May 2013. The rights were made available by the EPL after the holder, Setanta, […]

A woman in Minnesota, USA has been ordered to pay $80,000 a song to record companies for illegally downloading tracks and violating copyright laws. A federal jury ruled that Jammie Thomas-Rasset wilfully violated the copyrights on 24 songs, and awarded record companies $1.92 million. She was found liable for using the Kazaa peer-to-peer file-sharing network […]

Eight per cent of consumers across the UK, France, Germany and the USA admitted to downloading video content illegally from file sharing websites, a consumer research study by Futuresource Consulting reveals. The study, 'Living With Digital: Consumer Insights into Entertainment Consumption', used a representative sample in each country and provided respondents with a list of […]

From David Del Valle in Madrid Spain's largest pay TV group Sogecable and Mediapro, main shareholder in commercial TV channel La Sexta, have signed an agreement to bring an end to their fierce war over TV football rights that has taken them to Courts. The three years deal will allow Sogecable-controlled digital DTH platform Digital […]

The BBC is developing an audience measurement tool which will provide insight into how audiences 'pick and mix' content across a variety of viewing platforms. The new Cross Media Insight system will factor in all time-shifted and online viewing. It will be designed to count repeats, iPlayer figures, recorded programmes, red-button, mobile-access and viewings via […]

Despite receiving some money against the £35m (E41m) it is owed, the English Premier League has told Setanta if it does not pay the balance by Friday, 19 June, it will put its remaining games – 46 live matches in the 09-10 season – out to tender. “In view of the shortage of time before […]

Japan’s upper house has approved a revision to the Copyright Law making downloading of pirated content illegal. The revision will go into effect on January 1st. Uploading of pirated music and video content is already proscribed, but downloading has been tolerated as long as it is for personal use. Legislators have prescribed no penalties for […]