Digital Catapult, the UK’s leading agency for the early adoption of advanced digital technologies, is joining forces with comms regulator Ofcom to launch a new high-tech lab to speed up the development of 5G communication kit and help Britain diversify its supply chains. The government-backed £1 million (€0.84m) SONIC Labs will help accelerate the adoption […]
As part of an ongoing strategic review of the UK public service broadcasting system, the UK government will review the ownership model and remit of Channel 4 and consider tightening regulation of SVoD services such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) says that with a […]
The BFI has announced Denitsa Yordanova as the new Head of the recently launched UK Global Screen Fund. Starting on July 12th, Yordanova will lead the UK Global Screen Fund team in promoting, delivering and growing the pilot fund, engaging with industry across the UK to support independent screen content to compete effectively in the […]
In its submission to UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom’s Small Screen: Big Debate consultation, commercial broadcaster ITV has warned that legislation needs a radical and urgent update for the global online era if the Public Service Media (PSM) system is to continue to deliver for the people of the UK, in the ways Ofcom’s research suggests […]
The UK government is proposing law changes to boost ongoing efforts to improve connectivity for people who live, work and travel in rural areas. The reforms will remove one of the biggest barriers to better coverage in the countryside by reducing build time and costs for new infrastructure, while protecting rural areas by minimising any […]
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden have met with broadband industry leaders and praised the sector for creating more than 22,000 jobs over the last year as forecasts for gigabit rollout are revised further upwards. They welcomed the firms’ work to help the nation build back better from the pandemic with […]
MPs say streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video should be obliged to provide viewing data on British-made shows to UK broadcasters and Ofcom. The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMS), has said that UK broadcasters have a right to know how shows that they commissioned are performing on streaming platforms. The comments […]
Julian Knight, Chair of the UK parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, has criticised the Government for its failure to answer questions on how it intends to deliver on its revised-down broadband targets and the roll-out of 5G. In a Report, Broadband and the road to 5G, MPs had warned that Ministers risked failing […]
UK government has shelved its plans to decriminalise non-payment of the TV licence fee but will keep the issue under “active consideration”. DCMS secretary, Oliver Dowden, has been persuaded said switching to a civil enforcement risked being seen as an invitation to evade the fee and could reward those who declined to pay. But he […]
MPs on the UK House of Commons, Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee have confirmed the appointment of Richard Sharp as the new Chair of the BBC Board following his appearance before the Committee. In a Report, Committee members say they were impressed by Sharp’s understanding of the business, the need to deliver on public […]