Advanced Television

Regulation

Bahrain bans legitimate beIN Sports decoders

Bahrain, which is engaged in a bitter diplomatic rift with near-neighbour Qatar, has confirmed it is banning satellite decoders and receivers capable of receiving beIN Sports, which is based in Qatar. Moreover, Bahrain is to forbid the sale or renewal of subscriptions to beIN Sports. Bahrain’s Ministry of Information, which once had the reputation of […]

July 23, 2018By Chris Forrester

HbbTV releases Version 2018-2 of conformance test suite

The HbbTV Association, a global initiative dedicated to providing an open standard for the delivery of broadcast and broadband services through connected TVs and set-top boxes, has announced that its new version of the HbbTV conformance test suite has been published. This is the second and most relevant release out of the three annual releases. […]

July 23, 2018

Spain: Masmovil acquires spectrum from Eurona

Masmovil has confirmed the acquisition of 40MHz in the 3,4-3,8GHz (“3,5 GHz”) band from Eurona Wireless Telecom. The consideration for the acquisition amounts to €30 million. With this new acquisition of spectrum, added with the one recently obtained after the purchase of Neutra, Masmovil Group already has 80MHz in the 3.5GHz band. Masmovil says the […]

July 20, 2018

India: Government seeks to ban “unpermitted” channels

India’s Jammu & Kashmir regional government is asking local cable MSOs and cable operators to immediately drop at least 30 “banned private satellite channels” in order to maintain “peace and tranquility” in the Northern India region, which borders the Himalaya mountains and Pakistan. The Times of India newspaper is reporting that last week cable operators […]

July 20, 2018By Chris Forrester

Record fines for illegal Sky use

Following a successful prosecution by UK intellectual property protection organisation FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft), the licensees and company directors responsible for the running of three pubs in the Midlands have been convicted of 64 offences and ordered to pay a combined total of £327,405 (€367,530) in fines and costs for showing Sky Sports illegally […]

July 19, 2018By Colin Mann

Intelsat joins the Seamless Air Alliance

Intelsat has joined the Seamless Air Alliance, a consortium dedicated to the development and promotion of standards to facilitate a better, more seamless, inflight connectivity experience for passengers. The standards would eliminate the immense costs and hurdles commonly associated with acquisition, installation, and operation of data access infrastructure by streamlining system integration and certification, providing […]

July 19, 2018

Google receives €4.3bn EU fine for Android

Google has been fined a record €4.34 billion over Android which the European Commission claims has been used to “cement its dominant position” in search. Google’s parent Alphabet has been given 90 days to change its business practices or face further penalties of up to 5 per cent of its average global daily turnover. It […]

July 18, 2018

France sets out 5G roadmap

The French Government has unveiled its 5G roadmap and launched four priority courses of action. “5G is strategically vital to France’s industry, the competitiveness of our economy, innovation and revitalised public services,” says Electronic communications and postal regulatory authority, Arcep. “Starting in 2020, 5G is promising to deliver a jump in technological performances and pave […]

July 17, 2018By Colin Mann

FCC’s Pai: Sinclair/Tribune ‘serious concerns’

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has issued a statement announcing circulation of a draft hearing designation order regarding the Sinclair/Tribune transaction paving the way for a judicial hearing. “Based on a thorough review of the record, I have serious concerns about the Sinclair/Tribune transaction,” stated Pai. “The evidence we’ve received suggests that certain station […]

July 17, 2018By Colin Mann

Jail term for streaming service pirate

The owner and operator of a major pirate streaming service, and mass supplier of illicit streaming devices that provided illegal access to Premier League football, has been jailed for five years and three months. John Haggerty, the owner of Evolution Trading, appeared in Newcastle Crown Court in the north-east of England for sentencing after pleading […]

July 17, 2018By Colin Mann