DTG :: News :: New HbbTV specification enhances consumer TV services

quotKlaus Illgner, chairman of the HbbTV Association, saidquotThe HbbTV Association is pleased to announce the HbbTV 2.0 specification which sets the stage to introduce exciting new services in 2016. quotWith HbbTV 2.0, consumers will be able to explore a richer, more immersive experience with new applications, exciting user interfaces and support for companion devices. This is an important milestone for the industry and represents the efforts of HbbTV Association members who have worked to define the specifications for the next wave of TV based on HbbTV. - dtg.org.uk

dtg.org.uk

Dishs Sling TV to Add AMC to $20 Monthly Internet Package, Launches Nationwide

Dish Network soon will add AMC - home of shows like quotThe Walking Dead,quot quotBetter Call Saulquot and quotMad Menquot - to the core 20-per-month Sling TV service, which it is launching nationwide in the U.S Monday with 14 cable channels including ESPN. quotWe flipped the switch this morning opening up Sling TV to all consumers, and we're giving them something they've been asking for AMC,quot Roger Lynch, CEO of Dish's Sling TV division. - variety.com

variety.com

Multichannel television remains relevant

The survey of over 2,000 multiplatform viewers found that 20 of those who have multichannel services said they were likely to cut their traditional pay-television services, while 25 of multiplatform viewers who do not have or have never had a multichannel service said they were likely to start subscribing to one. The overwhelming majority of those with both an online subscription video service and multichannel television are not ready to give up easy access to television channels, even when presented with the option of adding standalone services like HBO, Showtime or CBS. Three quarters of those with multichannel television rated access to broadcast networks as the main advantage and two thirds said that broadcast primetime dramas or comedies are essential. - informitv.com

informitv.com

Not in front of the telly: Warning over 'listening' TV

In response to the widespread sharing of its policy statement, Samsung has issued a statement to clarify how voice activation works. Samsung said quotIf a consumer consents and uses the voice recognition feature, voice data is provided to a third party during a requested voice command search. At that time, the voice data is sent to a server, which searches for the requested content then returns the desired content to the TV.quot. - www.bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

UKTV Play launches on Android

UK media company UKTV has launched its TV application UKTV Play on Android. Dan Fahy, UKTV's Director, Commercial and Business Development, said the broadcaster had created UKTV Play so that viewers could watch UKTV's great shows anytime, anywhere. - advanced-television.com

advanced-television.com

BBC Radio 6 Music leads the way as radios digital revolution gathers momentum

I went into a model railway shop and in the workshop in the back they had a radio tuned to 6 Music. It took us a long time to get there but to me it indicated that digital radio has really broken through said Lamacq. The proportion of in-home radio listening via digital platforms such as digital audio broadcasting radios grew to 46.2 per cent in the final three months of last year, overtaking analogue. - www.independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

BBC Trust must take a hard look at itself

Last week saw Rona Fairhead, the new chair of the BBC Trust, give her first major public speech. I remember watching Sir Christopher Bland, newly arrived as BBC chairman with a reputation for being his own man, make one of his first speeches in the mid-90s. Senior executives became visibly more relaxed as he complimented the BBC and its then strategy. - www.theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

Our unique television culture needs friends in high places

Except if you are a Conservative activist, commentator or backbench MP. They stare glumly at British television in the hands of an allegedly liberal, well-paid mafia undermining the moral fibre of the country, abusing the quotPoll taxquot of the licence fee unashamedly to advance a liberal worldview and consistently airing the grievances and stories of enemies of the Conservative party. The Conservative aim is to cut licence fee revenue back even more, perhaps recycling it to other broadcasters. - gu.com

gu.com

Why it is better for golf if BBC makes itself scarce on the fairways

The facts suggest that years of free-to-air Open Championships have done nothing to affect the decline of golf as a participation sport. The truth is that the BBC is well out of golf, or at least out of a massive commitment to one of the sport's two domestic showpieces. - www.theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

Ed Vaizey announces major digital radio expansion

The Minister highlighted progress made on the transition to digital radio over the last four years - more than 61 per cent of new cars now come with digital radio as standard, up from 43.5 per cent in Q4 2013 and only 4.4 per cent in Q1 2010 at the beginning of the Government's Digital Radio Action Plan. Dee Ford, CEO of Bauer Media, says quotBauer is the leading commercial digital radio broadcaster with over 51 per cent of our listening already digital. Our distinctive station formats are showing significant growth, and we have further invested in local DAB with the launch of 12 new stations. In addition, we have a strong commitment to National DAB radio with our Sound Digital bid for the second National digital multiplex. - media.info

media.info

#22B - Matt Price on the Future of the Press - The Media Podcast With Olly Mann

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Ed Vaizey updates industry with DAB plan

Dee Ford, CEO of Bauer Media, says quotBauer is the leading commercial digital radio broadcaster with over 51 per cent of our listening already digital. Our distinctive station formats are showing significant growth, and we have further invested in local DAB with the launch of 12 new stations. In addition, we have a strong commitment to National DAB radio with our Sound Digital bid for the second National digital multiplex. Jon Oliver, Category Manager - Tech, Halfords, says quotHalfords is committed to offer our customers the widest range of in-car digital radio in the market with the richly superior listening experience that it offers, and we welcome the significant coverage improvements and the expansion of choice of stations. From early April, all of our digital radio car stereos will be digital tick approved, and with our in-store expertise and nationwide fitting service across 467 shops, will drive further awareness with consumers. - radiotoday.co.uk

radiotoday.co.uk

Manchester local TV station in doubt

The future of the Sir Michael Lyons-backed local television station YourTV Manchester has been thrown into doubt after it has failed to get on air two years after receiving a licence. Industry sources have indicated that it is very unlikely that YourTV Manchester, which is chaired by former BBC Trust boss Lyons, will meet its transmission deadline. Ofcom has confirmed it is in talks with the service.. - www.broadcastnow.co.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

BBC licence fee: decriminalisation of non-payment pushed back until 2017

quotA BBC spokesman saidquotWe're working with the government's review into licence fee enforcement, and have always maintained that any changes to the licence fee system need to take into account the full effects on the BBC's income, and should only be made in tandem with the next licence fee settlement. The debate about the BBC's charter renewal and future of the licence fee will not begin in earnest until after the general election in May. Rona Fairhead, chair of the BBC Trust, used a speech on Tuesday to warn the government there was no public appetite for political interference in the BBC in a bid to avoid a repeat of the quotShotgunquot licence fee deal of 2010 that ushered in a new era of cuts at the corporation. - gu.com

gu.com

Birminghams local TV channel set to launch on February 28

The fledgling station, co-owned by former ATV presenter Mike Prince and ex-teacher Chris Perry, is due to launch at 6pm on Saturday February 28, and will broadcast from Walsall Studio School. quotPeter Stack, creative director and head of sixth form at the Studio School, which is based in the town's Goldmine Centre, saidquotOur philosophy is to bring the place of work to the school. - www.birminghammail.co.uk

www.birminghammail.co.uk

BBC: 6 Music and Radio 4 Extra lead digital charge

Radio 6 Music and Radio 4 Extra have both gained their biggest-ever audiences - with 6 Music becoming the first digital-only radio station to reach two million weekly listeners - according to data published by RAJAR. All BBC Radio's weekly reach over the period was 34.80 million and a share of 52.8. Radio 1 attracted 10.43 million listeners during the period with a share of 6.6, continuing to reach around 40 of the country's 15-24-year-olds. - media.info

media.info

Crack appears in BBC basement at ?1bn New Broadcasting House | Media | The Guardian

After the BBC spent pound1bn on redeveloping and building New Broadcasting House the corporation could be forgiven for thinking there would be few problems with its high-tech new central London headquarters. He went on to say it was, quotActually quicker to pop out to the Yorkshire Greyquot a nearby pub to quotBuy a pint and use their toilet than to find a working one in BHquot. Andy Baker, in charge of the building's management, said any building housing so many staff would encounter problems. - www.theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

25 per cent of all radio listening is now DAB

KISSTORY has over a million digital listeners, the Smooth network is up 41 and has nearly 2 million weekly listeners on digital, and LBC's digital listening was up 20 year on year thanks to its national coverage. Ford Ennals, CEO of Digital Radio UK, says quotThe shift to digital listening continues, with digital listening in home now overtaking analogue listening, and DAB is leading the way. The fact that over 25 of radio listening is now on DAB and the success of the national commercial stations on the Digital One DAB network strongly makes the case for the benefits of the launch of D2 - the second national DAB network. - radiotoday.co.uk

radiotoday.co.uk

When Netflix and other on-demand services killed the TV ad golden goose

Despite mounting evidence that viewers have been abandoning live viewing, Nielsen has not produced a viable system for counting all those non-linear views. Given viewers' strong preference for watching TV on their own schedules, PVR viewing numbers are only going to rise. - www.theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

Sky vows to ramp-up spending on original British content

Speaking after Sky announced a 16 rise in adjusted operating profit in its first results since its pound5bn acquisition of Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland last November, Darroch said the focus on content and a push into drama was paying dividends in terms of improving people's perception of Sky. quotWe've seen recently a sea change now in terms of perception of Sky's content over the last few years. If you ask customers today who's the leader in terms of entertainment, slightly more than half will say Sky - well above even the likes of the BBC, Virgin and others. - www.theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

Media: Head of BBC Trusts first major speech; the battle for sports rights; Skys Fortitude.

downloads.bbc.co.uk

World Service cuts back on medium wave broadcasts

Fran Unsworth, the director of the World Service, says 'Our English language service will still be available via satellite and on the internet - which is increasingly how our audiences tune in. The BBC took over the cost of the World Service from the Foreign Office in April 2014. - www.bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

BBC Trust to look into ?100m bid to save BBC3 channel | Media | The Guardian

With negotiations around the BBC's royal charter and licence fee due to begin in earnest after May's general election, Fairhead called on the BBC to be extricated from the next government spending review. Fairhead said the BBC's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, headed by Tim Davie, had to generate more revenues and return more income to the licence fee payer. - www.theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

Cable TV viewing declined by more than 12 percent in January

So why is live TV struggling DiClemente pointed the finger at streaming services as the reason for the decline quotNetflix, Amazon Instant Video, and Hulu, continue to siphon viewers away from linear TV,quot he concluded. Disney on the other hand only faced ratings declines of 7.5 percent, thanks in part to great ratings for ESPN. - gigaom.com

gigaom.com

BBC Trust chair warns government over political interference

BBC Trust chair Rona Fairhead has warned the government there is no public appetite for political interference in the BBC in a bid to avoid a repeat of the quotShotgunquot licence fee deal of 2010 that ushered in a new era of cuts at the corporation. With negotiations about the BBC's new royal charter and licence fee set to begin in earnest after May's general election, Fairhead said it quotOught to be crystal clear what the BBC has agreed to do as part of its public service remitquot following a quotProper public debatequot. - gu.com

gu.com

Digital Two applications published by Ofcom

Sound Digital plans to co-site transmitters for D2 with Digital One and the BBC national networks to avoid adjacent channel interference to existing digital radio services, and use the same dual satellite distribution feeds that are used by the Digital One network. Some of the services proposed are already available on Digital One, but Sound Digital says it will still broaden listener choice as the transfer of Planet Rock, Premier Christian Radio and Absolute Radio 80s to the new multiplex would support a further future extension in the choice of distinct national digital radio services available in the UK. Listen2Digital were the secret bid by Orion Media, partnering with Babcock Communications Ltd and other companies offering to bring even more choice to the digital radio scene. - radiotoday.co.uk

radiotoday.co.uk

Broadcast and Screen International publisher sold by Top Right Group

Media Business Insight, which publishes the industry magazines Broadcast and Screen International, has been sold by Top Right Group to the private equity firm Mobeus Equity Partners, which backed a management buyout. Duncan Painter, CEO of Top Right Group quotWe believe Mobeus is an excellent partnership for the MBI business. Their investment will enable the management team to further develop the valuable information MBI provides to its customers across multiple platforms. We wish them every success with their plans for the future. - www.theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

RNIB's Insight Radio confirms closure of Sky service

RNIB's Insight Radio station has announced that it will cease transmission on Sky channel 0188 on Monday 9th February 2015. On air and on social media platforms, it is encouraging listeners to make the switch to Freeview channel 730, where the station has had a presence since 1st April 2014.Alternatively, the station continues to be available mobile and online platforms. - www.a516digital.com

www.a516digital.com

In Net Neutrality Push, F.C.C. Is Expected to Propose Regulating Internet Service as a Utility

The Internet Association, whose members include Amazon, Facebook, Google and Netflix, applauded Mr. Obama and urged the F.C.C. to follow his lead to quotEnsure a free and open Internet. Mr. Farber helped design parts of the Internet, served on the board of the Internet Society and is a former chief technologist of the F.C.C.quotMy fear,quot Mr. Farber said, quotIs that regulating the Internet like a telecommunications service potentially opens a Pandora's box. - www.nytimes.com

www.nytimes.com

Fairhead: BBC charter renewal bigger than a 'small elite'

Rona Fairhead will today warn that the job of renewing the BBC’s charter for the next decade should not be handled by a “small elite” if it is to deliver value for licence fee payers. In a carefully worded message for the government, the BBC Trust chairman will argue that renewing the broadcaster’s charter and agreeing its licence fee settlement must be subject to “proper public debate”. Taking to a stage at the British Museum this evening for her first speech since taking office in October last year, Fairhead said charter renewal will provoke a “very real debate about the future, size and shape” of the BBC. - www.broadcastnow.co.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Heart TV in breach for too many adverts

Ofcom noted during monitoring that the Global-owned pop music channel exceeded the permitted advertising allowance in a clock hour on 27 October by 72 seconds. Global explained the error occurred due to the automatic movement of a break to the end of a clock hour, which pushed some commercials intended for the 1000 clock hour into the 1100 clock hour. - radiotoday.co.uk

radiotoday.co.uk

Absolute Radio 70s test spotted on satellite

Absolute Radio 70s has been spotted testing on satellite in a major distribution boost for the offshoot of Absolute Radio. Data for Absolute Radio 70s has been seen on the Eutelsat 28A satellite via the transponder on frequency 11680, vertical polarisation, label 55392, symbol rate 27,500. - www.a516digital.com

www.a516digital.com

Follow the money and you'll find the future of news

Every waking moment, note how social media - especially Facebook and YouTube, at least for the moment - have taken over as massive platforms for news in words and in viral pictures. With James Harding and his ambitious, two-stage Future of News report, begin to glimpse how the digital tsunami of information - some of it going global in an instant, some of it leaving gaping holes in the coverage local communities require to help them navigate life - needs a trusted friend to guide the way. - www.theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

Rural broadband: BT attacked on broadband costs

In response BT said that its initial cost estimates were quotBased on our initial view of how much it would cost to deploy fibre in rural areasquot. He felt vindicated by the findings, saying quotThirty-eight per cent excess costs have been confirmed in the cost models used to calculate the milestone payments. Those monies - and there will be more - need to be used to extend the fibre rollout further. - www.bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

it's time for a proper, factual inquiry

Are reporters nowadays confined to their desks, relying on phone and email contacts In a digital world, is the decline in shoe-leather reporting problematic Some suggest a readiness to sacrifice quality reporting by obliging reporters to churn out articles without adequate checks. - www.theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

Two bidders for D2 here s what we know

If Sound Digital win, three stations would be removed from D1, allowing extra services to join the first national multiplex, or giving the remaining stations the opportunity to offer a stereo service. Ford Ennals, CEO of Digital Radio UK is happy with the bids quotWe welcome both bids for the second national commercial DAB network - it's great news for radio and for listeners. The additional capacity on DAB will enable greater innovation, more competition and a wider choice of stations for listeners. We look forward to the launch of new stations in early 2016.quot. - radiotoday.co.uk

radiotoday.co.uk

BBC retains Premier League rights for ?204m | News | Broadcast

The BBC will keep hold of Premier League football until 2019 and launch a mid-week Match of the Day on BBC2 as part of a £204m deal. The corporation has retained the football highlights package for another three seasons, from 2016/17 to 2018/19, after it was reported that ITV decided against bidding. - www.broadcastnow.co.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Children's TV and current affairs unlikely to be involved in BBC competition revolution

Senior sources at the BBC say that the business case is quotLess clear cutquot for childrens' production, a market the BBC dominates. The two BBC channels commission many independent producers as well as the BBC's own The Dumping Ground, Hackertime and Sam and Mark's big Friday Wind Up. Greg Childs, who headed the launch team for BBC Children's channels, CBBC and CBeebies, and is now director of the children's media foundation, said quotThe BBC is the only game in town, certainly the only big player in town. - www.theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

Two bidders for second national DAB multiplex

Listen2Digital's bid also includes RTEacute Radio 1, which is the Irish public service broadcaster's speech and music station, Share Radio, the financial broadcaster that launched in London last year, two Christian stations from Premier Christian Radio, and a number of confidential partners including a new sports talk station, a top40 station, a modern rock channel, a specialist jazz/blues/soul station, and a channel devoted to food. The multiplex will also add national coverage to Sunrise Radio, UCB Inspirational and to Premier Christian Radio, the only station to publicly appear in both bids. - media.info

media.info

TV advertising needs to measure up to the challenges ahead

With smart TV advertising targeting, it means that not only is the consumer watching different things at different times in different places, they're also being served different ads depending on their demographic data and viewing habits. In the US, universal use of gross rating points is more commonplace, largely because organisations such as Nielsen measure multiple media formats, including press, TV and out-of-home TV. The main point is that planners need an effective way of combining the quotOverlappingquot media that fall between different media categories in a way that doesn't detract from the accountability their clients demand. - www.theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

#22 - The Future of News, Radio Academy woes, Page 3 - The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

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Muddled thinking clouds BBC3 bid

So little of Avalon and Hat Trick’s BBC3 bid adds up. What’s their long-term goal, asks Stephen Arnell. So Avalon and Hat Trick are sticking to their guns with their proposal to buy BBC3. Unfortunately though, with each further detail they reveal, there are more questions than answers. - www.broadcastnow.co.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

UK Digital TV penetration falls

Among the old there has been a decrease in Freeview ownership and it is no longer the case that Freeview ownership is higher in rural locations. In 2014 there was a decrease in Freeview-only ownership among consumers aged 65-74 and also among those aged 45-64. - www.broadbandtvnews.com

www.broadbandtvnews.com

Radio 2 goes country with DAB station

The pop-up DAB radio service - Radio2Country - will air from March 5 to 8, midday to midnight, with a line-up of archive documentaries, live broadcasts and special shows, including coverage from the UK's largest country music festival C2C from London's O2. Artists scheduled to perform include Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Lee Ann Womack and Lady Antebellum. Sax Appeal Ivy Benson's All Girl Band is a sister programme to a documentary about the bandleader which aired on Radio 4 in October and is available on iPlayer Radio. - www.bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

Sky News to merge digital and TV staff in newsroom shakeup

A Sky News spokesman denied the plans were about cutting costs quotSky News is reorganising its newsroom to fully prepare for its future in a fast changing industry. We believe the changes proposed will fundamentally transform our newsroom so we can continue to be a leading news organisation in a digital world. Sky's move comes as BBC News looks at how it and the industry will adapt to the changes in the ways news is viewed and gathered in its report The Future of News. - www.theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

http://www.niemanlab.org/2015/01/heres-how-the-bbc-disrupted-by-technology-and-new-habits-is-thinking-about-its-future/

As part of that process, the BBC today released the first part of a report entitled quotFuture of Newsquot that examines the changing news industry and how the BBC plans to adapt to evolving technologies and new ways that the broadcaster's massive audience - both locally in the U.K. and globally - consumes the news. As many countries in the world limit free speech and press freedom, BBC News could seize on an opportunity to further position itself as an arbiter of independent news quotWe find ourselves increasingly reflecting on the position of the media in Russia and Turkey,quot the report said, adding that the BBC is looking at how it could develop a news service for North Korea. - www.niemanlab.org

www.niemanlab.org

Future of News

59 of UK online news users said they had glanced at the news headlines online in the past week, compared to 43 who said they had read longer stories online. Last year, an academic experiment looked at how Facebook had manipulated the news feed of 700,000 users for a week, to see how viewing different types of news might affect the users' moods. - www.bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

Consultation on local DAB coverage published

The Local DAB Expansion Plan is designed to improve the coverage of local DAB multiplexes around the UK. The plan is funded by Government, local radio multiplex operators and the BBC and would see local DAB coverage rise from around 76 of homes at present to around 91 of UK households by late 2016, with a corresponding increase in road coverage. The proposed changes would allow the extension of local DAB coverage into some currently unserved areas and would not affect listeners' existing reception of local DAB services. - radiotoday.co.uk

radiotoday.co.uk