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 [...]
Fight must go on for Five July 18, 2010 SOURCES close to pan-European broadcaster RTL Group yesterday poured cold water on speculation that newspaper tycoon Richard Desmond has sealed a deal to buy its beleaguered UK television channel Five, calling it “wishful thinking”. Desmond, the owner of Express newspapers and OK! magazine, was though to be on the brink of clinching an agreement to [...]
Battle of the broadcasters – BT vs SKY July 1, 2010 • BT yesterday attacked its major TV rival, offering Sky Sports 1 for as little as £6.99 a month • Sky pre-empted the BT move by hiking its wholesale prices, hitting the telecom firm hard IAN Livingstone, BT chief executive, could be staring down a £100m-a-year black hole after announcing a ground-breaking football package. The [...]
ITV: Broadcasting reform is urgent July 1, 2010 ITV has launched a plea to the government to overhaul the “archaic” regulatory system it says is strangling the industry. Chairman Archie Norman used the firm’s annual Parliamentary Reception to implore MPs to tear up the broadcasting rule-book. Norman said: “You must be wondering why we have put on this party when we can’t afford [...]
BT announces charges for Sky Sports July 1, 2010 BT has announced it will charge customers £16.99 a month for both Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2, or £11.99 for just one of the channels. The packages will be available on month-by-month contracts. BT and Sky signed a deal to allow BT Vision customers to watch the two sports channels, they revealed earlier [...]
BSkyB to increase sports prices June 30, 2010 British?Sky Broadcasting will today reveal a hike of between 11 and 36 per cent to the wholesale and retail cost of its sports channels, according to the?Financial Times. The higher charges on companies like BT and Virgin?Media mean BSkyB will be charging almost as much as when Ofcom, the regulator, intervened to force it to [...]
BT footy prices to be revealed June 29, 2010 BT will tomorrow unveil the pricing for Premier League matches snapped up from Sky. Customers signed up to BT Vision will be able to watch Premier league games for a knock-down price after communications watchdog Ofcom ruled Sky must slash its wholesale prices for Sky Sports 1 and 2. Speculation has been building that BT [...]
BT strikes up a footy deal with BSkyB June 28, 2010 BT HAS finalised a deal with BSkyB to offer its subscribers top-flight football next season. The move, which means football fans can watch their teams on BT Vision for the first time, could rock Sky’s dominance of the pay TV market after decades controlling the lion’s share of subscribers. It follows a controversial Ofcom ruling [...]