Advanced Television

European Commission

€128m EC 5G connectivity boost

The European Commission has announced grant agreements totalling €128 million to support 31 new 5G infrastructure projects, following the third call for proposals of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF Digital). This adds to the €93 million already committed to finance 35 projects for 5G under the first two CEF Digital calls, for a total of […]

December 23, 2024

EC to investigate Liberty Media, MotoGP deal

The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Dorna Sports by Liberty Media. The Commission has preliminary concerns that the transaction could lead to higher prices for the licensing of broadcasting rights for motorsports events hosted by both parties. Liberty Media and Dorna Sports […]

December 20, 2024By Colin Mann

New EU space boss explains strategy

The European Commission’s new head of its Defence & Space (DG DEFIX) portfolio has started work. Andrius Kubilius, the former prime minister of Lithuania, assumed office on December 1st. He will work under Ursula von der Leyen who is the continuing president of the Commission. Commissioner Kubilius held a staff meeting on Dec 1 and […]

December 3, 2024

EC approves Swisscom’s Vodafone Italia takeover

The European Commission has approved the acquisition of Vodafone Italia by Swisscom under the foreign subsidies regulation in a deal worth €8 billion. Swisscom, the Switzerland-based telco, plans to merge Vodafone Italia with Fastweb, its subsidiary in Italy. “Swisscom has been operating successfully in Italy since the acquisition of Fastweb in 2007. Over this period, […]

September 24, 2024

Breton quits EU Commission

Thierry Breton has resigned from his role as European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services in a public dispute with EU Commission president Ursula von der Layen. One source claims he was fired. Breton was also responsible for Europe’s Space & Defence portfolios. Breton, who has held the role since 2019, was vice-chairman and CEO […]

September 16, 2024By Chris Forrester

EC warns on Rai

The European Commission (EC) has raised press freedom concerns after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government was accused of interfering with Italian public broadcaster Rai and silencing critical voices. Věra Jourová, the European Commission vice-president overseeing values and transparency, warned of a funding squeeze and alleged “intimidation” of journalists after unveiling an annual report on the […]

July 24, 2024

CMA signs AI competition statement

As artificial intelligence continues to develop at speed, the European Commission, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the US Federal Trade Commission and US Department of Justice have signed a joint statement setting out shared principles to protect competition and consumers. The statement affirms their shared view that AI, particularly powerful foundation models, has […]

July 23, 2024By Colin Mann

Vodafone calls for Connectivity Union

Telco giant Vodafone is calling for a new Connectivity Union to help accelerate Europe’s digital ambitions and unleash its ability to compete on a global scale. It says that Europe’s future economic success will be underpinned by next-generation connectivity. Only through 5G standalone will European businesses be able to fully capitalise on the industrial value […]

July 3, 2024By Colin Mann

European VOD Coalition adds infrastructure views

The European VOD Coalition has welcomed the opportunity to provide input to the European Commission’s consultation on the White Paper, How to master Europe’s digital infrastructure needs?. The Coalition brings together video-on-demand and digital entertainment companies that share common values and invest in and distribute audiovisual content in the Europe Union as their core commercial […]

July 1, 2024By Colin Mann

ETNO calls for strengthened connectivity policies

According to ETNO, the voice of Europe’s telecommunications network operators, currently, 76 per cent of European citizens see advanced connectivity as essential in improving their lives and socio-economic prospects, with almost 30 per cent asking to strengthen the availability of high-speed Internet for everyone, everywhere. Accordingly ETNO is urging the new, European leadership to take […]

June 26, 2024By Colin Mann