Monday 20 September 2010, AM
BBC licence fee freeze could prove costly | Media | The Guardian
With negotiations about the next six-year licence fee settlement due to begin next spring, the trust is betting that if it compromises now, a softer line will be taken when those discussions get under way. Reserve judgment Tellingly, Hunt welcomed the trust's proposal to forego next year's rise, but said that he would reserve judgment on whether to accept its offer to give up the right to try to negotiate a further increase of up to 2 in 2012. That will now be considered as part of negotiations over the next licence fee settlement, which will run until the end of 2016, when the BBC's current 10-year royal charter ends. - guardian.co.uk
www.guardian.co.ukMichael Lyons may be a greater loss to the BBC than Jay Hunt | Media | The Guardian
Sir Michael Lyons, the departing chairman of the BBC Trust. Photograph David Levene The BBC lost two of its most senior figures last week. One loss Jay Hunt, the controller of BBC1 was widely written up as a matter of great regret. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukSunday 19 September 2010, PM
BBC Trust has never made sense, says former BBC chairman | Media | The Guardian
Sir Christopher Bland, the former BBC chairman, says the Trust's challenge is to operate 'a structure no one now has confidence in'. Industry insiders claim he stepped down because he suspected he was unlikely to be reappointed to the role by the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt. Hunt has criticised the trust in the past and suggested it has failed to hold executives to account, but he appears to have decided against replacing it. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukSunday reading - James Cridland
I was at a conference in Hilversum last week presenting in a special breakout day for the folks at Radio 1, I was unable to see Aleks Krotoskis keynote at the main session. Anyone whos worked in a radio station is aware of the type of people who also work there behind the scenes, there are some dedicated, funny, knowledgeable people who never make it to air. Absolute Radio has a nice man called Stuart Eddie Edwards, whos an intelligent, customer-focused member of the technology services team. - james.cridland.netjames.cridland.net
Our democracy is under threat if Murdoch wins control of Sky | David Puttnam | Comment is free | The Observer
There were many on the opposition benches who were astonished by the decision, given the OFT's prior clearance. He, like others, suspected that Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation had been lobbying for a referral on the basis that it had little interest in seeing an enlarged and strengthened competitor in cable television threaten its stranglehold on pay-TV. For him, it was an all too familiar pattern elected politicians, members of a sovereign parliament, even those with the best of intentions, being seduced, manipulated or worse, into making decisions that just happened to converge with the objectives of the most powerful media empire in the country. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukThe BBC must reprogramme itself to win | Media | The Observer
The decision to freeze the licence fee for at least one year, and probably two, also announced last week, illustrates the momentum is with those who want to curb the BBC's power and influence. Lyons's decision to retire as chairman of the BBC Trust after four years was taken in part because he had little prospect of being reappointed. BBC1 controller Jay Hunt left because she had a better and more lucrative offer from Channel 4. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukSaturday 18 September 2010, AM
Intel Threatens to Sue Anyone Who Uses HDCP Crack | Threat Level | Wired.com
Intel threatened legal action Friday against anybody who uses its proprietary crypto key leaked on the internet to produce hardware that defeats the so-called HDCP technology that limits home recording of digital television and Blu-ray. There are laws to protect both the intellectual property involved as well as the content that is created and owned by the content providers, said Tom Waldrop, a spokesman for the company, which developed HDCP. Should a circumvention device be created using this information, we and others would avail ourselves, as appropriate, of those remedies. Intels comments came as it confirmed that the internet leak of the master key to the High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection systemwas authentic. - wired.comwww.wired.comFriday 17 September 2010, PM
Sony adds iPlayer to Bravia TVs
The service will give users the option to watch television programmes from the last seven days. - dtg.org.uk
www.dtg.org.ukHDCP antipiracy leak opens doors for black boxes | InSecurity Complex - CNET News
An antipiracy code used in set-top boxes, Blu-ray and DVD players has been cracked and published on the Internet, and as a result, we may soon see devices on the market that allow people to make unauthorized copies of movies. These are some of the 376 lines of HDCP master key code posted anonymously to the Internet earlier this week. Intel created HDCP to be used for ensuring that only authorized devices are playing copyright-protected video and audio, and it licenses the technology to hardware manufacturers. - news.cnet.com
news.cnet.comWhich? test lab unveils its latest LCD TV results - September - 2010 - Which? News
Which tested models from LG, Samsung, Sony, Sharp and Technika, and found there are big differences in quality between the best and the worst. In it's latest LCD batch, Which pitted eight small screens against each other in its unique head-to-head, in-depth test. One of the TVs on test has been labelled a Which - which.co.ukwww.which.co.ukFriday 17 September 2010, AM
YouView: New 200 set-top box that lets you watch 7 days of TV for free | Mail Online
A 200 set-top box will let viewers pause live TV, access the internet and watch a week's worth of programmes with just a few touches of a button. Sky accused the corporation of expanding beyond its remit and said YouView was 'nothing short of mission creep', while Virgin Media lodged a complaint to regulator Ofcom complaining that the project was anti-competitive. A Virgin Media spokesperson said 'Theres a pressing need for a thorough and independent examination of this closed, anti-competitive platform as it will restrict consumer choice and stifle innovation. - dailymail.co.uk
www.dailymail.co.ukStairway to Heaven Climbing a 1786 ft Tower
- liveleak.comwww.liveleak.comIntel: Leaked HDCP copy protection code is legit | InSecurity Complex - CNET News
These are some of the 376 lines of HDCP master key code posted to the Internet. Intel has confirmed that code posted to the Internet earlier this week is the master key that is part of an Intel-created standard used to make sure only authorized devices are playing copyright-protected movies. With the master key code it is possible to build devices that play copyright-protected content without having to pay for licenses. - news.cnet.comnews.cnet.com
The internet revolution will be televised: broadcasters unveil their plans for future -TV Radio, Media - The Independe
If you wanted to name a landmark new internet television service that combined the content of Freeview with the online accessibility of YouTube, what would you call it, if not FreeTube The chief executive of YouView, Richard Halton, predicted that the initiative would transform habits in British living rooms. Connected TV creates all kinds of creative possibilities, for existing networks as well as local services and new developers of interactive applications. - independent.co.ukwww.independent.co.ukWatchdog rules dyke is offensive -Press, Media - The Independent
- independent.co.ukwww.independent.co.ukBBC chief gives warning as licence fee faces freeze | Media | The Guardian
The BBC has already announced a cap on sports rights of 9p in every licence fee pound and said it will spend 20 less on foreign imports, including Hollywood films and US dramas. The unprecedented decision to freeze the licence fee at this year's 145.50 per household may mean it has to go further, however. The licence fee freeze will leave the BBC with 72m less than it had budgeted for in each of the next two years at a time when it is paying for an expensive move to Salford and facing a pension black hole of up to 2bn. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukThursday 16 September 2010, PM
Media Talk: Jay Hunt and Sir Michael Lyons leave the BBC
download.guardian.co.ukBBC Trust proposes two year freeze to licence fee to 2013
Please visit the BBC Trust homepage to find the information you want. you may have typed the web address incorrectly - please check the spelling, or that there are no spaces or capital letters. Alternatively, please try the other links and search box on this page. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukBBC to freeze licence fee until 2013 | Media | guardian.co.uk
Today's move by the BBC Trust comes after intense political pressure from the government, which has repeatedly made clear that it wants the corporation to recognise the difficult economic environment and sacrifices being made elsewhere in the public sector. The BBC is giving up a planned 2 increase in March next year and the chance of a smaller rise in 2012. The trust said it had asked BBC executives, led by the director general, Mark Thompson, to find short-term savings in June. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.uk
BBC licence fee freeze: tactical retreat or total surrender? | Media | guardian.co.uk
David Cameron, then leader of the opposition, first talked about freezing the BBC licence fee in March last year. Two months later Cameron forced a parliamentary debate over the 2009 licence fee increase, although his motion was easily voted down by Labour and Lib Dem MPs. The BBC Trust has volunteered a two-year freeze until 2013, at what the corporation's management claims is a hypothetical cost of 144m. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukProject Canvas rebrands as YouView | Media | guardian.co.uk
YouView has said it expects to launch sometime before July 2011, despite companies including Virgin Media submitting complaints to Ofcom to try to block the service. It is thought that beta testing of the service is likely to start in the first quarter of 2011. However, Halton said other content owners including newspaper groups have also expressed an interest in launching services on the platform and that the company intends to launch a section on the new YouView website to fully engage with prospective content partners. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukThursday 16 September 2010, AM
Richard Halton to be Project Canvas chief executive | Media | guardian.co.uk
Meek, the former chief policy partner at Ofcom who MediaGuardian.co.uk revealed was joining the venture in July, is expected to announce Halton's appointment today. A number of companies, including Virgin Media, have lodged official complaints with the media regulator Ofcom. According to the BBC, Project Canvas will have a marketing budget of 48.4m in its first four years. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukDaybreak loses a fifth of its viewers -TV Radio, Media - The Independent
ITV1's new breakfast show, Daybreak, has lost a fifth of its viewers since its first show last week. - independent.co.ukwww.independent.co.uk
Big trouble at BBC2? Critics say its lost its identity but the channels controller is calm under fire -TV Radio, Media
The Stig, the previously anonymous Top Gear character dressed like a Star Wars stormtrooper in a white full-face helmet and white racing suit, has been taking up rather more of Hadlow's time than she would have liked. Since she inherited the channel in November 2008, BBC2's audience share has fallen from 8.3 per cent and an average weekly watch of two hours, 16 minutes to a 6.5 per cent share and average view of one hour, 40 minutes a week. In that time, it has been overtaken in popularity by Channel 4. - independent.co.ukwww.independent.co.ukWednesday 15 September 2010, PM
Vince Cable adopts hands-off approach to News Corporations BSkyB takeover | Politics | The Guardian
Vince Cable has distanced himself from rumours that he could intervene in News Corporation's proposed takeover of BSkyB. He can opt to exercise an intervention notice, under the 2002 Enterprise Act, calling on Ofcom to advise him whether the takeover would restrict plurality in the industry. It is understood Cable has not yet consulted Ofcom on the issue, even informally. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukBBCs Thompson - Project Canvas will be creative playpen for artists
Beginning in Glasgow at the Kings Theatre on January 14, - thestage.co.ukwww.thestage.co.ukPestons Picks: Ofcom expected to review News Corps bid for Sky
So News Corp will be concerned that a reference to Ofcom and then potentially to the Competition Commission could delay and even stymie the deal. BSkyB's directors said the offer was 1 per share too low, but agreed to resume negotiations after regulatory hurdles have been cleared. BSkyB is the biggest broadcaster in the UK. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukBSkyB to close Bravo and Channel One | Media | guardian.co.uk
Bravo's programming includes US import Spartacus Blood and Sand. BSkyB has decided to focus on the Living TV channel portfolio, which will see a 25 boost to its programming budget, and the gameshow and quiz channel Challenge. There will be just 58 roles after integration, but it is understood that there are a significant number of positions potentially available in other parts of the BSkyB operation. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukWednesday 15 September 2010, AM
OFT clears Skys acquisition of Virgin Media Television - Brand Republic News
Sky OFT clears Virgin Media's acquisition The competition watchdog has published its decision without explanation, saying this will follow in a few days. Sky agreed the deal with Virgin Media in June, pledging to pay 105m on completion and 55m once it had secured regulatory clearance. Virgin 1 was rebranded as Channel One on 3 September. - brandrepublic.comwww.brandrepublic.comRegions analogue TV transmitter turned off | Aberdeen and North | STV News
TV viewers in Aberdeen City and Shire have said goodbye to analogue channels for good. The final stage of the switchover saw all analogue channels, including STV, turned off permanently at midnight on Wednesday. The switch to digital TV will bring Freeview to approximately 44,000 homes in the region for the first time. - news.stv.tvnews.stv.tv
Alleged HDCP master key leaked, HDTV copy protection may be dead | Security News - Betanews
The entertainment industry may have encountered another setback in its efforts to protect its content Monday as a hacker has reportedly cracked high definition content protection, more commonly referred to as HDCP. With the master key, the system no longer works, as hackers would now be able to create their own source and sink keys, both of which are needed to playback content on HDCP-protected devices. Thus a perfect connection could always be ensured between transmitting and receiving devices. - betanews.com
www.betanews.comTuesday 14 September 2010, PM
Jay Hunt and Channel 4: a match made in heaven? | Maggie Brown | Media | guardian.co.uk
Jay Hunt has been appointed chief creative officer by Channel 4. The post of director of vision, Hunt's immediate boss, is held by Jana Bennett, and it is she who is now stepping in to run BBC1 and lead the hunt to find the successor. Nor was the BBC, under heavy attack for lavish executive salaries, in a position to match the estimated 45 rise in salary to around 395,000 she will receive from Channel 4, excluding any bonuses. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukTVonics DTR-HD500 Freeview HD recorder has 500GB storage, slideshows | Crave | CNET UK
Freeview HD PVRs are slowly starting to trickle on to the market at last, but our primary grumble is they're too expensive. The TVonics HD500 isn't the most wallet-frightening we've seen though, at around 280. There's plenty of good news though, such as a two-year warranty -- if you buy it from TVonics' own website -- and a free upgrade that will allow proper Dolby Digital, coming in October. - crave.cnet.co.ukcrave.cnet.co.uk
Freeview HD system picks up IBC award | 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.ukHDCP master key supposedly released, unlocks HDTV copy protection permanently -- Engadget
Who discovered this and by what technique isn't immediately clear, but as early as 2001 security researcher Niels Ferguson proposed that it could be easily revealed by knowing the keys of less than 50 different devices. - engadget.com
www.engadget.comThe new national Capital FM: what does it all mean? - James Cridland
Its not a new radio station Global are rebranding radio stations that they already own and run this isnt a brand new station on a brand new frequency. So, for people in Huddersfield, now, they have a radio station called Galaxy and come the new year, itll be a radio station called Capital. Others will, of course the station will have a new evening, and mid-morning, slot live from London. - james.cridland.netjames.cridland.netSir Michael Lyonss days at BBC Trust were always numbered | Jane Martinson | Media | guardian.co.uk
Sir Michael Lyons has announced he will step down as BBC Trust chairman. BBC chairmen may rarely venture north during the August bank holiday but, with hindsight, you should expect them to when the BBC director general is giving the speech of his career. Of course a man who lasted that long in local politics knows a thing or two about fighting back. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukJana Bennett to take temporary charge of BBC1 | Media | guardian.co.uk
Channel 4 confirmed today that Hunt will be joining as chief creative officer, probably in January. Julian Bellamy, who has been acting chief creative officer, will be leaving Channel 4. Bennett has told staff she will be responsible for all commissioning decisions at the channel until a replacement for Hunt is appointed, along with George Dixon, the head of broadcasting at BBC1. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukChannel 4 appoints Jay Hunt as chief creative officer | Media | guardian.co.uk
Julian Bellamy, the head of Channel 4 who has been acting chief creative officer and applied for the job full time, will be leaving the broadcaster. Hunt will be on a salary just under 400,000 and is expected to join Channel 4 in January. She will have a seat on the Channel 4 executive board, while leading its new integrated commissioning and content team across all platforms. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukTuesday 14 September 2010, AM
Digital radio switchover target far too early, say experts | Media | guardian.co.uk
No digital switchover date should be set by the government until less than 30 of radio listening was via analogue platforms, the CEG recommended. Under current plans a switchover date would be put in place when analogue listening was still as high as 50. We are concerned that vulnerable listeners will be subjected to a marketing strategy to 'bully' them into adopting digital radio in the two years between an announcement and a switchover. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.uk
FCC set to allow "white space" broadband after two-year wait | Tech Policy Law News - Betanews
Regardless, the opportunities it provides to speed up the rollout of broadband across the country excites those who have been working hard to make the technology a reality. Spectrum in these bands would be opened up with no licensing fees for their use, similar to the way Wi-Fi has been licensed. Broadcasters have opposed the idea almost from the get go, with the National Association of Broadcasters arguing that white space broadband could lead to interference of television signals. - betanews.comwww.betanews.comCable under pressure to block Sky takeover -Business News, Business - The Independent
Sky's independent directors rejected the offer, but talks are continuing. The Government can block the deal on plurality grounds under the 2003 Communications Act. - independent.co.ukwww.independent.co.ukMonday 13 September 2010, PM
Report: 97% of UK to be watching Connected TV by 2015
Ninety-seven per cent of Brits believe they will be getting their TV or video content from the internet or recorded to watch on their schedule by 2015, according to research commisioned by Rovi Corporation. More than 52 of viewers feel that having a TV connected to the internet will make it easier to find the content they want to see. Today the laptop is second only to the TV as the chosen device on which to view TV programmes and almost as popular as the TV for viewing films streamed from the internet or user generated content, with 50 of viewers comfortable to do so, according to the survey. - dtg.org.ukwww.dtg.org.ukBBC R
The work on the standard was completed in an incredibly short time to meet the deadline. Our colleagues in BBC Distribution then picked up the baton to achieve a technical launch in December last year and a consumer launch in April 2010 just in time to meet the deadline. I'm really proud of the people across the department and the wider BBC who put so much into the project. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukinformitv - Surveys offer guide to the future of television
Almost everyone in Britain believes that within five years they will be watching television or video programmes from the internet or from a digital video recorder to watch when they want, if the results of recent research are any guide. Meanwhile television is no longer viewed as a necessity in America, although the average home still has more sets than people. Rovi, a company with a history in electronic programme guides, commissioned research covering a 1,000 people in the United Kingdom aged over 20 years. - informitv.cominformitv.com
Rupert Murdochs Sky takeover should be blocked, Vince Cable told | Media | guardian.co.uk
This is a reference to the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who owns Italy's biggest commercial broadcaster, Mediaset. Cable has the power to block the takeover on media plurality grounds if he decides it is in the public interest to do so. Rupert Murdoch is the chairman and chief executive of News Corp. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.uk
STV launches move into hyperlocal | Media | guardian.co.uk
STV Local websites are geared towards being a more interactive experience than traditional local newspaper websites, with users encouraged to upload their own news stories, announcements, images, reviews and add listings to a local business directory. To garner interest in the new sites, STV will offer training to interested contributors and engage with journalism and media courses across Scotland. Online portals for the rest of the country will be rolled out throughout 2010 and into 2011. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukMonday 13 September 2010, AM
Local news TV advisory panel set to report to Jeremy Hunt | Media | guardian.co.uk
Led by Nicholas Shott, the head of UK investing at Lazards, the panel has been deluged with submissions and is currently consulting widely in its quest to find a sustainable broadcast model, which could be rolled out across at least part of the country. Last week, the panel visited newspaper groups and other interested bodies in Scotland. Claire Enders, the founder of media consultancy Enders Analysis and a member of the panel, said they expected to deliver an interim report by the end of September and their final proposals by the end of the year. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.uk
Phone hacking could derail Rupert Murdoch and News Corp | Media | The Guardian
It was all looking so good for Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. Transition to new government achieved with a few favours owed on account of switching sides to support the eventual winner. Better still, a company stalwart at the new prime minister's side director of communications and key adviser, no less. - guardian.co.ukwww.guardian.co.ukComplaints mount over Canvas launch -Business News, Business - The Independent
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