As recently rumoured, and following confirmation that talks were taking place, Liberty Global and Telefónica are to merge their UK operations in a 50-50 joint venture that brings together Liberty’s multiplay operator Virgin Media and Telefónica’s O2, the country’s largest mobile platform. The pair say the combination creates a stronger fixed and mobile competitor in […]
BT has announced what it describes as “the UK’s biggest communications infrastructure investment in a generation”. Philip Jansen, Chief Executive, commenting on the telco’s Year End results, said that BT had risen to the challenge of the coronavirus crisis, keeping the nation and the NHS connected, standing by its customers and supporting the most vulnerable […]
Nigeria’s government raised the level of VAT on goods and services to 7.5 per cent back in February from 5 per cent. Initially pay-TV broadcaster DStv/Multichoice absorbed 2.5 per cent of the tax itself and kept subscription prices at the pre-increase level. That is now changing. Multichoice has told subscribers that it cannot continue to […]
Broadband solutions provider Iskratel is to provide active and passive telecommunications equipment for the construction of an ultra-fast fibre-optic (XGS-PON and GPON) broadband network in 210 municipalities as part of the CEBF (Connecting Europe Broadband Fund) financed RUNE (Rural Network) project with its partners Rune Enia in Slovenia and Rune Crow in Croatia. As part […]
The previously-announced combination of Viasat Consumer, Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group)’s satellite pay-TV and broadband-TV business, with Canal Digital, Telenor Group’s satellite pay-TV business, into a new joint venture company has been completed. The combination was approved by the European Commission on April 30th. The closing of the transaction creates a large-scale player that the […]
Intelsat’s shares had a torrid time May 5th with a 12.4 per cent fall in value at one point to just $1.10. It isn’t the lowest that Intelsat shares have traded recently ($1.04 on April 15th) but it highlights the anxiety the market has for the company’s future prospects. One shareholder (Cyrus Capital Partners) is […]
The BBC and Pact have agreed a new terms of trade deal for BBC television productions made by independent producers. The new terms of trade will now provide the BBC with the ability to transform what it can show on BBC iPlayer. The BBC will receive an automatic 12 month BBC iPlayer window on all […]
Pay-TV network Starz is suing MGM alleging that the studio has licensed “hundreds” of movies in breach of its exclusivity agreement with Starz. The complaint was filed May 4th in a California Federal Court. The writ alleges that the Starz deal with MGM covers recent James Bond movies as well as classics such as Bill […]
UK comms regulator Ofcom has published its latest weekly research on how Britons are receiving and acting on news and information during the current Coronavirus pandemic. The report summarises the findings from week five of the ‘lockdown’, including how people’s experiences and behaviour has changed since the previous weeks. The research, which also includes early […]
Although raising the possibility of such a move nearly a year ago, Paolo Pescatore, TMT Analyst at PP Foresight, has nevertheless described the possible merger of Liberty Global’s UK multiplay operator Virgin Media with Telefónica’s O2 mobile telco in the UK as “a bolt out of the blue” and an intriguing move that is more […]