Pour some Sugar on YouView - What Satellite Digital TV

TechRadaris part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. - wotsat.techradar.com

wotsat.techradar.com

Youview will release an api after 14 april- The Inquirer

Probably because Youview will not launch until sometime in 2012, the API release will follow the expected 14 April publication of the final core technical specifications. Youview is expected to be launched as a set-top box, but it could be incorporated into other products. The new version will also be included as part of a revamped Industry Zone on the Youview website. - theinquirer.net

www.theinquirer.net

YouView sweet on Sugar

C21Media.net is Everything about content in the 21st Century, from television to web, mobile, tablet and beyond. - c21media.net

www.c21media.net

Danny Rogers on PR: The fierce battle for BSkyB is far from over - Advertising, Media - The Indep

News Corp's bid to take control of BSkyB is a fierce communications, lobbying and legal battle taking place at the very highest level. Driving the comms behind News Corp's bid has been its group director for strategy and corporate affairs, Matthew Anderson. The subject must come up at various dinner tables. - independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

Lord Alan Sugar brought on board to save ailing YouView - Telegraph

Meek, who has held several other senior broadcast and telecoms roles, including a stint on the board of directors at the controversial online advertising company Phorm, explained his unexpected departure It has been apparent for some time that the YouView board would benefit from additional expertise in consumer marketing and technology delivery. Originally scheduled to launch by the end of 2010, its launch date was pushed back to 2011 and now is not expected on shelves until early 2012. However, having been blighted with technology issues, and also having lost its technology chief, Anthony Rose, a key architect of the BBC iPlayer, many have questioned whether the expensive venture will get off the ground at all and - if it does whether it will still be relevant. - telegraph.co.uk

www.telegraph.co.uk

Ofcom - The UK Communications Infrastructure Report

1.2 As this is a new duty and because the Act gives Ofcom some discretion over which networks and services we report on, we published a consultation in July 2010 setting out our proposed approach to fulfilling the new duty and inviting stakeholder views. Amongst other things, we set out our proposals on which networks and services we would report on, what types of data we would require and where the data could be sourced. 1.3 This statement summarises the responses we received and sets out our current views on the approach we will take to producing the first Infrastructure Report. - stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk

stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk

BBC plays down digital revolution

The keynote speech may not merit an Oscar, but he tentatively painted a conservative picture of a broadcasting world that has perhaps changed less than he might have previously predicted. Nevertheless, he took the opportunity to suggest the need to focus on mobile television and gave the first indication of pricing for a new international BBC iPlayer subscription service. Nowhere should we feel more humble in trying to predict the future, he began. - informitv.com

informitv.com

YouView faces critics and strong competition

Richard Halton, the chief executive of the YouView, addressed a packed annual summit of a television industry group, having recently announced that the consortium was delaying the launch of its proposed platform until 2012. He began by saying that his wife had been due to give birth earlier in the week, pre-empting any quips about being overdue. There is now the suggestion that the straight-talking Lord Sugar, who knows a thing or two about set-top boxes, might be brought in to sort things out. - informitv.com

informitv.com

Sky on marriage of content and innovation

Beyond suggesting that there will effectively be no change for Sky News, he demonstrated that a customer focussed strategy would continue to deliver results for Sky, based on what he called the marriage of content and innovation. He was instead called to the Commons to deliver the news of his decision not to refer the case to the Competition Commission. Subject to a brief period of public consultation, the secretary of state intends to accept undertakings from News Corporation to create a separate public limited company for Sky News, retaining its stake of just over 39, capped for ten years. - informitv.com

informitv.com

Should BBC2 daytime be axed? - Television radio - guardian.co.uk

In fact I quite like an antiques programme a good dose of Antiques Roadshow on a Sunday evening is the televisual equivalent of doing your homework or ironing your shirts in preparation for the week ahead, only featuring decidedly more pieces of almost valuable but disappointingly chipped bits of crockery. The question is whether ditching the whole of BBC2 daytime in order to make 20 budget savings is less bad for viewers than making deep cuts elsewhere. You can't help but feel that what the BBC really needs is a proper daytime overhaul. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

DTG Summit 2011: DTG Digital Radio Test Centre to open in Spring 2011

This will be available to help Government and industry deliver the Digital Radio Action Plan More details will be announced shortly. The DTG is not responsible for the content of other web sites. - dtg.org.uk

www.dtg.org.uk

The eight ages of Rupert Murdoch - Media - guardian.co.uk

-

www.guardian.co.uk

Media Monkey's Murdoch Diary - Media - The Guardian

It is hard to know where Mr Murdoch can go next to suck up to Beijing, but some cynics say they wouldn't put it past him to divorce his wife Anna and marry a Chinese woman. Just as we all have to replace old vehicles every now and then, so must Rupert Murdoch. Whether the 747 he has in mind is new or secondhand he didn't specify, but either way you can see why one skinny man pushing 70 and his svelte young missus would want to keep to themselves a plane capable of carrying 400 people in comfort. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

BBC - BBC Internet Blog: BBC's Technology Strategy Update: summary road maps

It's been a while since my last blog on the BBC's technology strategy and I wanted to give an update on what we've done and observed. The paper published last year was the first step towards sharing the BBC's technology direction and ambitions. Publishing detail about what we hope to achieve, we believe, will lead to much more fruitful conversations with our technology partners and suppliers over the coming years. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

DTG Summit 2011: D-Book 7 will include all requirements for BBC iPlayer v.3

BBC iPlayer will be a reference service and its requirements will be factored into the DTG's testing regime. D-Book 7 technical compliance will be an important step towards certification to carry BBC iPlayer. DTG Staff 07.03.2011 Links open in a new window. - dtg.org.uk

www.dtg.org.uk

Rupert Murdoch at 80: poised to strike his biggest deal yet - Media - The Guardian

Yet while critics may wish the Australian-turnedAmerican would simply retire, in truth the business he runs has never been more powerful than it is now, as he stands on the threshold of completing his biggest ever transaction, the 8bn or so buyout of BSkyB's other shareholders. Those who work for Murdoch talk about a man reluctant to discuss his age although one long-serving London-based executive was advised to mention diets as a way of making conversation with a man careful to maintain his health despite a punishing travel schedule. On the face of it, his recent moves could be argued as forming part of a tidying-up which prepares the company for whenever Murdoch does choose to retire. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

Rupert Murdoch: the press baron who dared to look to the skies - Media - The Guardian

This article will be doing something that Rupert Murdoch would never contemplate looking backwards. He may be celebrating his 80th birthday on Friday, but it will not dim his ambition to go onbuilding his already gigantic News Corporation. The fact that the behemoth of a company exists is entirely down to Murdoch's acute understanding of the media as a business, as a commercial proposition. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

The establishment might rest easier in a post-Rupert Murdoch world - Media - The Guardian

I should say at the outset that I've never met or worked for Rupert Murdoch but I am beginning to feel as if I know him. When years later I got to know some of the characters involved personally it became very clear that that aggressive, incumbent-busting, establishment-bashing, chippy-outsider sort of personality was what held the organisation together and gave it such a strong sense of identity and purpose. Looking back across his whole career Murdoch's MO becomes clear. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

Stephen Glover: Jeremy Hunt is the fall guy in this deal - Stephen Glover, Opinion - The Independen

The Culture and Media Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, is an ambitious fellow. He has been spoken of, perhaps somewhat fantastically, as a future Tory leader. If this analysis is correct, Mr Hunt is something of sacrificial lamb. - independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

Has Sky TV ruined cricket for the masses? - FootyBunker.com

They purchased the broadcasting rights for a staggering 2 million US Dollars. For the first time, The Cricket World Cup will be shown in high definition and will reach over 200 countries around the world. The final day of the 2005, 4th Ashes Test, that memorable day in a memorable series which those of us lucky enough to witness will never forget, reached 8.4 million viewers. - footybunker.com

footybunker.com

Students and the future of radio - James Cridland

I had a good time speaking to radio production students at the University of Westminster last week. The above isnt it. I always feel slightly awkward going to talk about the future of radio to people who are radios future but they seemed to enjoy it. Why are more and more people listing to radio shows on different platforms other than the radio itself - james.cridland.net

james.cridland.net

Wyre Forest gearing up for digital TV switchover From Kidderminster Shuttle)

The Digital UK Switchover is happening in different parts of the country this year and, by 2012, everywhere will have switched from analogue to digital. The Central TV region, along with two other regions, will be switched over by the autumn. All of the analogue channels will be turned off and Freeview digital TV and radio services will take their place. - kidderminstershuttle.co.uk

www.kidderminstershuttle.co.uk

Radio Today.. with RCS: Date set for Radioplayer launch

-

radiotoday.co.uk

Murdoch Wins Again as Sky Takeover Gets the Green Light - TIME

Murdoch's business rivals and political enemies have cried foul, claiming the deal will allow him to strengthen his grip on the nation's media sector and once again proves he is too close to the government. Until now, Murdoch's News Corporation has owned just 39 of Sky, always seen as enough to give Murdoch effective control of a business of which his son James used to be chief executive and remains chairman. The reason News Corp now wants full ownership is essentially commercial at a time when other parts of the media industry are being squeezed, Sky has become seriously profitable, set to throw off 1.6 billion in cash a year. - time.com

www.time.com

'iPlayer for radio' to launch on March 31 - Telegraph

It will be the first time that both the BBC and commercial radio stations have come together on a single online radio player. He said the service would also be available on mobile phones in the future. The service, financially backed equally by the BBC and commercial radio groups, is the first of its kind, as it will give web users a single access point to both commercial and BBC radio content. - telegraph.co.uk

www.telegraph.co.uk

Murdoch's screen test: The media mogul may have got his way with News Corp's takeover of BSkyB, but at what cost? - Scot

Murdoch's organisation agreed to spin off Sky News into an independent listed company to avoid a lengthy competition inquiry. News Corp would retain a 39 per cent stake in the new firm while the remaining shares would be distributed among other BSkyB shareholders. Sky News would be funded for ten years by BSkyB and Murdoch would undertake not to increase his shareholding in the new company for the same length of time. - business.scotsman.com

business.scotsman.com

Letters: BSkyB ownership - Letters, Opinion - The Independent

As an admirer of Sky News and as someone who has previously held senior executive roles both inside and outside the Murdoch stable, I feel that the survival of an outstanding media channel is paramount. It's also hard to see who else but Rupert Murdoch would have been willing to invest in a television news operation that loses at least 20m annually. Sky News is a valuable component of the media plurality landscape and, one way or another, its outstanding quality and ultimate survival will continue to depend on the fiscal support of Rupert Murdoch. - independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

David Prosser: Murdoch's most expensive victory - Business Comment, Business - The Independent

The word in the City yesterday was that leading Sky investors want 1100p a share from theMurdochs. That's getting on for 3 more than the current market price, though the stock has been rising all week, and it's almost double the 600p or so at which Sky was trading before News Corp made its intentions known early in the summer of last year. 1100p seems wildly optimistic on the part of investors, but it is becoming clearer by the day that the regulatory victory may turn out to have been the easy part of clinching this deal. - independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

Rupert Murdoch 'will slash BSkyB marketing spend' - Mail Online

BSkyB has been encouraged by News Corp to spend heavily to build its position. BT, for example, spends about 200 million each year. Murdoch's son James, who is BSkyB chairman, sharply increased the marketing expenditure in 2004 after taking over as chief executive when his father was chairman. - dailymail.co.uk

www.dailymail.co.uk

Rupert Murdoch: don't fear an old man in his twilight years - Media - The Observer

For in case you're still counting candles Mr Murdoch hits the big 80 on Friday. An age, moreover, that renders 10-year business commitments notional, going on totally ridiculous. Why, then, does so much of the reaction to his cleared BSkyB deal assume the old boy has suddenly become immortal - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

Murdoch wins again and the public will be the loser - Observer editorial - Comment is free - The Observer

The culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, intends to permit this 8bn-plus deal, impeded only by a 10-year agreement to hive off loss-making Sky News into an independently managed business. If News Corp is allowed to buy the 61 of BSkyB it doesn't already own, Murdoch will have a customer base of 10 million television subscribers in addition to his 40 share of the newspaper market. Some 333,000 people have signed an online petition opposing the buyout. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

How much will BSkyB shareholders care for their orphaned news channel? - Media - The Observer

A few investors have been huffing and puffing about 950p, although that's ambitious. To find out more information about driving traffic to your content or to place this widget on your site, visit outbrain.com. We welcome your feedback at userhelpguardian.co.uk or feedbackoutbrain.com. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

BSkyB investors aim to drive up Murdoch's price - Business - The Observer

BSkyB's investors believe the company's shares are worth holding onto if they cannot extract a higher price from Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. BSkyB's biggest shareholders are co-operating, on a highly informal basis, to negotiate a sharp increase in News Corporation's 7.8bn, 700p-a-share offer for the 61 of the broadcaster it does not control. They intend to push for a far more aggressive price than that sought by BSkyB's independent directors. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

BBC iPlayer - Archive on 4: Murdoch at 80

The other that he is the champion of the free market that opened up British media from the stifling grip of unions. To mark the 80th birthday of the world's most controversial media baron, Steve Hewlett will attempt to get the inside story of the man behind the headlines, by talking to some of his harshest rivals, as well as his closest collaborators. In 1931, Murdoch was born to a wealthy media family in Melbourne, Australia. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

YouView to open API - Broadband TV News

The release will follow the publication of the final core technical specifications due on April 14. At this point it will cross refer to the D Book and once D Book 7 is published we will reference that. The D Book needs to be very precise on the core specification and how people should build it. - broadbandtvnews.com

www.broadbandtvnews.com

People watch more TV than they think - TV Radio, Media - The Independent

People are buying bigger televisions and watching them more, a survey shows. Researchers who questioned more than 2,000 adults also found they watched on average an hour a day more TV than they thought they did. Figures from the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board showed most people watched more than 30 hours of television a week. - independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

There is still a way to win this Murdoch media war - Polly Toynbee - Comment is free - The Guardian

As certain as the sun rises in the sky was it that the owner of the Sun would be granted ownership of Sky outright. Few are surprised but that doesn't stop most being shocked. Rupert Murdoch did what he has always done defied regulators, governments and tax authorities to carve himself an anti-competitive market dominance with an unmatched global concentration of media power. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

Lord Sugar ready to take the hot seat at YouView - Media - The Guardian

Lord Sugar, the star of The Apprentice, is expected to be named the new chairman of YouView, the delayed Freeview video-on-demand service. Called in by Channel 5's Richard Desmond to review the venture's business plan, the star of The Apprentice is believed to be set to take the role, subject to clearance at a final meeting of shareholders. YouView had targeted June for the launch but for months its chairman, Kip Meek, who is expected to be replaced by Sugar in an announcement next week, has been conceding the possibility of delays. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

The BSkyB decision may lead to a rethink on monopoly power - David Boyle - Comment is free - guardian.co.uk

It already seems an age since Hunt took over responsibility for the decision from Vince Cable, so the political element of this seems less urgent. Conservatives may regard this kind of decision as good for business Lib Dems at least a generation or more ago would have regarded it as bad for business, because it kowtows to monopoly power. Cable's comments to an undercover reporter caused such a storm precisely because he made it look as though the impending decision was a political one. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

YouView: we want to be Freeview for the connected world - News - TechRadar UK

YouView is hoping to become Freeview of the connected world when it launches in 2012, believing that the delays the service has faced will make for a better product. YouView announced in February that its service would be delayed until 2012, but Halton believes that this delay will be better for YouView in the long run. This will be happening in April, with Halton explaining that the document was based on crucial feedback the industry has given YouView. - techradar.com

www.techradar.com

BBC: IPTV shouldn't be restricted to YouView - News - TechRadar UK

- techradar.com

www.techradar.com

Hunt rebuked for BSkyB interview - News - Broadcast

It takes just 2 minutes and offers full, instant access to the Broadcast website along with a copy of the magazine delivered every week. - broadcastnow.co.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

BBC - BBC Internet Blog: The creative potential in connected TV

Earlier this week, Mark Thompson spoke of a common tendency to overestimate the impact technologies can have in the short term, and underestimate the impact they can have in the long-term. The challenge now lies in evolving TV to add the interactive richness that will make TV better, but keep it simple and seamless. Connected TV, whether on Pay-TV platforms or free-to-air, remains relatively niche. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

YouView just a part of BBC connected strategy - Broadband TV News

We have to reinvent the experience of pressing red, it is far too soon to say what this means, but we have a keen sense about the audience needs and those journeys that should be intuitive. Keating said the traditional programme junction should also be revisited. If a kid is watching Shaun the Sheep, they should be able to access the educational game that is attached to it. Keating gave other examples around news, the Olympics and the arts. We want the broadest possible collection of routes to deliver this and YouView is one of a number of routes. - broadbandtvnews.com

www.broadbandtvnews.com

Media Talk podcast: Hunt approves News Corp plan for Sky News

download.guardian.co.uk

Reaction to Sky News spin-off - Telegraph

I think the deal is going to close sooner than expected, perhaps in Q2, and it also tells us that Rupert Murdoch is very keen to get this deal done. We think he will use his digital newspapers as a way to differentiate his broadband product. It's worth billions to his balance sheet so if he has to warehouse or spin off Sky News for a period, he's happy to do that. - telegraph.co.uk

www.telegraph.co.uk

Jeremy Hunt gives Rupert Murdoch's Sky News hive off for BSkyB plan green light - Mail Online

Jeremy Hunt said he accepted that a plan to spin off Sky News as an independent company would prevent the tycoons News Corporation getting too tight a grip on the British media if the 8billion takeover goes ahead. Labour attacked Mr Hunt for what it called a politically motivated U-turn, pointing out that just weeks ago he had said he intended to order a full-scale competition probe. Yesterday Mr Hunt insisted News Corp had moved a very long way from its original offer and spinning off Sky News would mean it had less control of news media, not more. - dailymail.co.uk

www.dailymail.co.uk

FT.com / UK / Business - Investors mobilise to raise BSkyB price

Printed from http//www.ft.com/cms/s/0/91be86a6-45c4-11e0-acd8-00144feab49a.html Print a single copy of this article for personal use. - ft.com

www.ft.com

STV joins forces with Channel 6 for local TV bid - Scotsman.com Business

- business.scotsman.com

business.scotsman.com

Murdoch wants to turn Sky News into right-wing news channel like Fox (contd. p94) - John Rentoul - Indepen

Dozens of left-wing people across north London warned their lives would be rendered hollow and meaningless unless Murdoch was given free rein to turn Sky into an ultra-right wing news channel pumping Christian free-market hate ideology into the homes of millions of lower middle class sheep. Hunt then rose to point out that Lewis had not said whether the Opposition were for or against the deal. Labour were completely unable to summon up the beginnings of any sort of case against the deal. - blogs.independent.co.uk

blogs.independent.co.uk