Sky ready for round one with Ofcom April 21, 2010 SKY and Ofcom will tomorrow begin what promises to be a long and tortuous legal battle over the future of pay TV. Sky will appear before the Competition Appeal Tribunal to request a stay of implementation on Ofcom’s new rules forcing the broadcaster to slash the prices it can charge rivals for Premier League football. [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING April 15, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES INVESTORS RAISE FEARS ON “STEWARDSHIP CODE” As the Financial Reporting Council prepares to issue a shareholders’ best practice code, industry groups and institutional investors say they are worried it will become another list of boxes to tick. The FRC’s consultation on the world’s first official “stewardship code” closes on Friday and it expects [...]
Premier League to defend Sky April 15, 2010 THE Premier League has announced it will challenge Ofcom’s ruling to slash the price Sky can charge its rivals to show matches. It says investment in the sport will suffer as a result. Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said: “Having taken time to study the Ofcom decision we have concluded we have no option [...]
Sky chief says Ofcom ruling to hurt industry April 14, 2010 SKY chief executive Jeremy Darroch yesterday launched a scathing attack on Ofcom, claiming the watchdog has endangered smaller channels and will hamper creativity. Speaking at the Mip TV conference in Cannes he said Ofcom’s decision to slash the prices Sky can charge for its content will distort the whole pay TV industry and will have [...]
Crunch meeting for Premier shareholders April 14, 2010 PREMIER League shareholders will meet this afternoon to discuss a series of key issues affecting football’s top flight governing body. The Premier League board is said to be eager to offer more money to lower league clubs to help stave off the threat of administration. We revealed last month the governing body could double the [...]
Digital Economy Bill gets tweaked in the wash up April 7, 2010 LABOUR was on track to squeeze its controversial Digital Economy Bill into law last night, but was forced to drop clauses on regional broadcasting and extending Ofcom’s powers. Crucially, the Conservative opposition backed proposals to cut off the internet connections of people found illegally sharing files as the bill was rushed through a third reading [...]
Digital Economy Bill set to pass into law April 6, 2010 HOPES for a last minute reprieve from “draconian” new anti privacy legislation appeared to fade yesterday as the government’s Digital Economy Bill (DEB) passed through to “wash-up.” This means the bill, which contains some heavily debated elements, enters a period where legislation is rushed through in the gap between Parliament being dissolved and a new [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS April 5, 2010 VODAFONE Collins Stewart has issued a “sell” recommendation on Vodafone after Ofcom’s mobile termination rate (MTR) proposals to bring down rates. Collins Stewart said that it could have a 20 per cent drag on Vodafone’s UK revenue by 2015. Over the four years Collins Stewart expect it will have a £330m impact on Vodafone profits. [...]
Ofcom cuts Premier footy prices March 31, 2010 MEDIA regulator Ofcom has slashed the price BSkyB can charge its rivals to screen its sports packages. It cut the wholesale price for Sky Sports 1 by 24 per cent to £10.63 a month. It means rivals BT and Virgin will be able to undercut Sky and chip away at its vast 9.5m subscriber base. [...]
Ofcom feels the heat over sports ruling March 31, 2010 OFCOM faced a fierce backlash to its landmark ruling yesterday as broadcasters and sporting bodies rounded on the embattled regulator. BSkyB vowed to carry out its threat to fight the ruling through the courts, hiring high powered City law firm Herbert Smith. The decision means the wholesale prices Sky is allowed to charge rivals including [...]