WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING September 16, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES VODAFONE BALKS AT BEING FORCED SELLER Vodafone’s chief executive has warned that he will not be “forced” into selling the UK group’s minority stakes in four mobile phone operators. Vittorio Colao insisted that the sale this month of Vodafone’s 3.2 per cent stake in China Mobile for £4.3bn ($6.7bn) was not done in [...]
No review due for BSkyB deal September 16, 2010 THE government has not yet decided whether to refer for review the proposed takeover of pay-TV group BSkyB by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, it said, responding to a report a review was likely. The BBC said business secretary Vince Cable was likely to ask the media regulator Ofcom to look at the impact of any [...]
Ofcom could probe BSkyB September 15, 2010 OFCOM could be asked to review News Corporation’s bid for BSkyB if a formal offer is made with business secretary Vince Cable likely to issue an “intervention notice”. The notice would order the watchdog to look at the impact of the takeover. News Corporation wants to take over the remaining 61 per cent of BSkyB [...]
Capital London to become national station September 13, 2010 Capital London will become a national station under audacious new plans by its owner Global Radio. Galaxy Radio and 10 other stations will be subsumed into the national brand as the firm ramps up its rivalry with the BBC. The move will create the largest commercial radio brand in the UK, with bosses calling it [...]
Canvas called poison pill for internet TV August 31, 2010 OFCOM has received a third competition complaint about BBC-backed video-on-demand service Project Canvas. Regional broadcaster Six TV joins Virgin and Sky in claiming the joint venture will unfairly dominate the online TV market. Virgin lodged an official complaint earlier this year and now Six TV has branded the venture a “poison pill” for the local [...]
Start-ups affected by internet debate August 26, 2010 IF YOU haven’t heard of the net neutrality debate then you soon will. The debate centres on whether internet service providers (ISPs) have the right to charge different prices for various services on the internet. For example, downloading a video might cost more than just opening a web page. The debate stepped up a gear [...]
BT has signed up as few as 60,000 to its sports package, say insiders August 15, 2010 BT’S offering of Sky Sports 1 and 2 was hailed as a lynch-pin of the firm’s transformation into a big player in the pay-TV market. But industry insiders estimate that it has only signed up around 60,000 sports customers, despite spending tens of millions promoting the service. BT Vision has struggled to compete with the [...]
Competition probe hits Sky Movies August 4, 2010 SKY will face an investigation by the Competition Commission into the dominance of its pay-TV movie service. Ofcom has requested the probe after raising concerns over the prices Sky is able to charge for new releases and the lack of consumer choice. The Competition Commission will have a maximum of two years to investigate the [...]
Ofcom slams broadband speed claims July 27, 2010 OFCOM yesterday confirmed what most people with a broadband connection already know – that you don’t always get the connection speed you pay for. Extensive research by the communications watchdog revealed that customers are often receiving broadband speeds less than half those being advertised. Ofcom yesterday unveiled a new code of practice aimed at empowering [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: WHAT DO OFCOM’S FINDINGS MEAN FOR CONSUMERS? July 27, 2010 ED RICHARDS | OFCOM Ofcom’s research shows that average speeds have increased, which is good news. But actual speeds are often much lower than many of the advertised speeds which makes it essential that consumers are given information which is as accurate as possible at the point of sale. RICHARD HUNTER | HARGREAVES LANSDOWN The [...]