Thu, 28th October

UK internet economy ‘worth billions’
The internet is worth £100bn a year to the UK economy, a study has concluded.  The research, which was commissioned by Google, found that the internet accounts for 7.2% of the UK's gross domestic product (GDP).  If the internet was an economic sector it would be the UK's fifth largest, said the report from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).  This would make the sector larger than the construction, transport and utilities industries.  Matt Brittin, managing director of Google UK, said: "The internet is a central pillar of the UK's economy.  "The sector has come of age, and with great prospects for further growth the UK internet economy will be vital to the UK's future prosperity.”

Source: bbc.co.uk

Thu, 28th October

Virgin Media boosted by mobile and data business
Marketing Week reports that Virgin Media showed strong growth in mobile and business arms over the last quarter.  Video on demand continues to drive acquisitions to its TV platform, with an extra 14,800 customers over the quarter, creating a customer base of 4.24m.  Virgin Media is likely to appeal against Ofcom’s recent decision to give the go ahead to proposed VOD service YouView, despite the company citing competition issues.  

Source: mad.co.uk

Thu, 28th October

LimeWire shutdown just a temporary inconvenience for filesharers
The Guardian’s technology blog reports that “’history shows the injunction against the LimeWire website is unlikely to be a game-changer”.  Limewire users accustomed to illegally sharing copyrighted content yesterday learned of a permanent injunction against LimeWire's illegal peer-to-peer filesharing operation.  George Searle, LimeWire chief executive, commented: "Our team of technologists and music enthusiasts is creating a completely new music service that puts you back at the centre of your digital music experience," he wrote on the parent company's site. "We'll be sharing more details about our new service and look forward to bringing it to you in the future.

Source: guardian.co.uk

Thu, 28th October

Broadcasters grappling with 'inconsistent' copyright laws
Existing levels of copyright protection for broadcasters are "problematic" and inconsistencies from country to country should be ended, concludes a new report by the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO).  Specific regulations on the legal protection of broadcasting organisations and the content of their programmes have existed for 50 years.  The report argues that the scope and effectiveness of regulations to protect authors and copyright holders is a matter of considerable debate, particularly in the modern era, which is seeing broadcasters extend their traditional services to embrace the digital age.  In March, Europe's broadcasters put pressure on the EU to clean up rules for rights clearance of online content, particularly live streams and video on demand, complaining that “the current patchwork of regulations was too expensive and too cumbersome”.  The Council of Europe recently decided that it should strive to bring about internationally-binding rules on protecting broadcast signals to safeguard audiovisual content against piracy.

Source: euractiv.com

Wed, 27th October

BBC admits Mark Thomas filesharing show contained inaccuracies
The BBC has admitted that parts of a controversial Culture Show report by comedian and political activist Mark Thomas on filesharing were inaccurate, but denied a complaint by UK Music chief executive Feargal Sharkey that it was "biased and prejudicial".

Source: guardian.co.uk

Wed, 27th October

Lovefilm cuts losses as turnover leaps 33%
Revenues at Lovefilm jumped by a third in 2009, boosted by the company’s expanding profile in the market for home cinema.

Source: ft.com

Mon, 25th October

Internet-connected TVs finally arrive
Simon Calver, the chief executive of LOVEFiLM, tells Emma Barnett why he believes the time for internet-connected TV has come.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Mon, 25th October

Sky launches new service in battle with internet TV
Sky is launching a new service on Tuesday called Anytime+, which will allow customers to download more than 600 films and TV shows from partners such as HBO to their set-top box.

Source: thisislondon.co.uk

Mon, 25th October

Netflix pushes online, eyes expansion
Anita Awbi reports that US video service Netflix is jettisoning the DVD rental model in favour of online streaming, and is eyeing international expansion that could take it head-to-head with the UK's LOVEFiLM.

Source: c21media.net

Mon, 25th October

YouView chief: we are not anti-competitive
Anthony Rose, chief technology officer of YouView, the project to bring video-on-demand to Freeview and Freesat, dismisses accusations that the BBC-backed service is an anti-competitive cartel.

Source: guardian.co.uk

Fri, 22nd October

European Parliament finally debates Acta copyright infringement treaty
The first debate in the European Parliament on the Acta treaty was finally due to take place last night. The treaty could precipitate the imposition of a new range of rules on copyright infringement and sharing. Opponents say it will limit free speech, while the music industry claims it is essential if their business is to remain viable.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Fri, 22nd October

TalkTalk to speed up plans for new television service
Britain's second-largest broadband provider said on Wednesday it would build a special telecoms network that will transmit its TV service. On Tuesday, Ofcom, the media and telecoms regulator, gave the go-ahead to YouView in spite of objections by BSkyB and Virgin. TalkTalk's content delivery network should ensure that customers are able to stream video content to their TVs in a high-quality manner. TalkTalk is planning to upgrade its broadband service to higher speeds by increasingly relying on BT's new optical fibre infrastructure rather than ageing copper phone lines.

Source: yahoo.com

Fri, 22nd October

Keeping companies on the right side of the law
The Digital Economy Act means that businesses must be seen to be doing more to police their Internet service and block inappropriate activity.

Source: menmedia.co.uk

Wed, 20th October

YouView at your leisure: set-top box brings online TV without a computer
A new internet TV service could mean an end to missing any show on television. The YouView service, which was given the go-ahead by Ofcom yesterday, uses a new set-top box that plugs into a user's broadband connection. It will allow people to record and pause live TV, as well as using services such as the BBC 's iPlayer and Channel 4's 4OD. Viewers will be able to watch episodes of hit shows at any time via their broadband connection.

Source: thisislondon.co.uk

Wed, 20th October

YouView gets green light from Ofcom
OFCOM has effectively given the green light to a video-on-demand service backed by the BBC after declining to launch a competition investigation.

Source: cityam.com

Tue, 19th October

Former music industry boss argues case for £1 albums
A former major-label boss has called for a radical drop in the price of albums. Rob Dickins, who ran the UK division of Warner Music for 15 years, made the suggestion at Manchester's In the City music industry  conference last week, claiming the move would combat piracy and give sales a massive boost.

Source: guardian.co.uk

Tue, 19th October

Website selling fake films closed down in Liverpool
Liverpool City Council has said it will continue to close down websites selling counterfeit CDs and DVDs and prosecute the people behind them. The warning comes after the site marks-domain.org was closed after an 18-month covert operation by trading standards.

Source: bbc.co.uk

Tue, 19th October

UK net is 'not ready' for future
The UK is slowly climbing up the broadband world rankings, but is still not "ready for tomorrow," according to a global study of net services. The applications ascribed to tomorrow's internet include high definition internet TV and high-quality video communications.

Source: bbc.co.uk

Mon, 18th October

PlayStation provides LoveFilm with further route to TV
PlayStation has teamed up with LoveFilm to let users subscribing to the film service stream films directly to their TVs.

Source: mad.co.uk

Mon, 18th October

Germany Is the Last Holdout in YouTube’s European Music Quest
Kevin J. O’Brien reports that Google appears to be rooting out the legal hurdles to the growth of YouTube in Europe, having signed royalty agreements with music copyright collecting societies in seven countries since October 2009. The deals allow the company to bring in new revenues by placing advertisements next to music videos.

Source: nytimes.com

Mon, 18th October

UK STUDY: Nearly Half of Wi-Fi Networks Unsecure
Jared Moya reports that according to a study conducted on behalf of the CPP Group, nearly 40,000 Wi-Fi networks across six UK cities were found to be “high risk”, and almost half of all the networks surveyed could be hacked in less than five seconds, potentially posing problems for the targeting of illegal file-sharers through the Digital Economy Act.

Source: zeropaid.com

Fri, 15th October

Ofcom's copyright crackdown code is a 'few weeks' away
Ofcom is close to publishing the final version of a code that will govern how copyright holders and internet service providers will identify suspected file-sharers.
Speaking at a conference on Thursday about parliament and the internet, the regulator's chief executive, Ed Richards, said Ofcom had "clear duties" in formulating the code, as a result of the Digital Economy Act (DEA)

Source: zdnet.co.uk

Fri, 15th October

UK STUDY: Nearly Half of Wi-Fi Networks Unsecure
The study Illustrates the problems the government will have in properly enforcing the country’s Digital Economy Act, and the challenges it faces in ensuring those accused of illegal file-sharing are actually guilty of the crime.

Source: zeropaid.com

Fri, 15th October

Protecting copyright – Failure in Irish filesharing case damages attempts to punish illegal downloading
The Irish Examiner fears that following Wednesday’s filesharing case, illegal downloaders will continue to escape punishment. The paper adds that ‘Not too many of us would rush to man the barricades to protect the property rights of multi-millionaire rock stars but illegal file sharing has its greatest impact at a far less lucrative level. It may not be comfortable to acknowledge it but illegal downloading — theft by any other name — has had a profound impact on everyone in the music and film industries because the idea of taking another’s work without payment has almost become the norm.’

Source: irishexaminer.com

Thu, 14th October

Channel 4 gives £5m boost to British film industry
The evening Standard reports that London's film industry received a boost today as Channel 4 announced it will increase its movie budget by 50 per cent.  Channel 4 chief executive David Abraham said: "Film has a special and unique role in UK culture, promoting a wealth of extraordinary British talent from storytellers and producers to directors and actors. I have been determined... to ensure that it plays a commensurate part in Channel 4's public service delivery." Tessa Ross, controller of Film4 and Channel 4 drama, added: "It's wonderful to be able to deliver some good news to our industry, most importantly because we believe there is a wealth of great talent in the UK that this extra money will allow us to support."

Source: thisislondon.co.uk

Thu, 14th October

LoveFilm to stream movies on Sony’s Playstation
The Independent, City AM and Daily Telegraph all report that LoveFilm has teamed up with Sony to offer movie streaming directly through the PlayStation 3 console.

Subscribers to LoveFilm, of which there are currently 1.4m, will be able to choose from its collection of movies and watch them on their televisions.

Sources: telegraph.co.uk, cityam.com, independent.co.uk

Thu, 14th October

Power to the Pixel: Cross-Media work becomes more business, less fad
Multi-platform work won’t just be a novelty in the digital age, according to speakers at yesterday’s Power to the Pixel, Cross-Media Forum, which ran in association with the BFI London Film Festival.  Factors such as internet-enabled TV, video-on-demand rollout, games consoles as entertainment hubs, and mobile platform growth could help to advance cross-media not just as marketing tools but as a key part of business models. One speaker said this could be the year “when people start signing big cheques. ”The Forum heard about recent successes such as Paramount’s The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD) and Submarine’s work on Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly.

Source: screendaily.com

Thu, 14th October

Music industry dismayed by failure in Irish filesharing case
The Guardian reports the music industry’s reaction to the failed attempt to enforce 'three strikes' rule against illegal filesharers 'a setback for Irish music business' - but judge backs tracking method.  

Source: guardian.co.uk

Wed, 13th October

Irish court rules in favour of ISPs in piracy case
The BBC has reported that an attempt to legally enforce the “three strikes” rule in Ireland by four of the world’s largest record companies has failed.
 
Warner Music, Universal Music Group, Sony BMG and EMI on Monday lost an Irish high court bid to establish a legal precedent that would force internet service providers to temporarily cut off illegal filesharers' internet connections.

Source: bbc.co.uk

Mon, 11th October

UK Film Council chief to go digital
The head of the UK Film Council is to join a European venture capital company, Arts Alliance, to build a network of independent cinemas that will convert to digital film distribution. Mr Woodward will also oversee current investments such as Blinkbox and LOVEFiLM.

Source: ft.com

Mon, 11th October

Blockbuster UK increases profit
James Thompson reports that Blockbuster UK has posted an increase in annual profits but admitted its US parent company's decision to apply for bankruptcy protection last month could lead to a change in ownership.

Source: independent.co.uk

Mon, 11th October

What is Google TV?
The soon to be launched Google TV integrates applications and the internet directly into your television.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Mon, 11th October

Highly Difficult: How millions have bought a high definition TV... but don't have a clue how to make it work
Sara Nathan reports that millions of Britons think they are watching high definition even though they aren’t using the right equipment, according to a study by the British Video Association.

Source: mailonsunday.co.uk

Fri, 8th October

BT ordered to share fibre-optic network with rivals
BT will be required to allow competing broadband providers fuller access to its infrastructure, in a move aiming to speed up the rollout of superfast broadband services across the UK. As a result of Ofcom's new regulatory regime, published today, competing internet service providers such as TalkTalk and BSkyB will now be able to use BT infrastructure – including underground ducts and telegraph poles as well as its fibre-optic network – to channel high-speed broadband to customers. Ofcom called the announcement a “milestone” in the government’s target of creating the best broadband infrastructure in Europe.

Story was taken up by many of the broadsheets, including:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/ofcom-orders-bt-to-offer-superfast-access-to-rivals-2100982.html

Fri, 8th October

MGM studio prepares for pre-packaged bankruptcy
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. said Thursday that it has begun seeking its creditors' approval on a pre-packaged bankruptcy plan in which they will exchange more than $4 billion in debt for equity in a new company that has rights to the James Bond franchise and the upcoming two-part movie series "The Hobbit."

Because MGM's creditors had given it a waiver on debt and interest payments since last October, the company has been able to preserve some cash. But it is unclear if it has enough to help pay for the big-budget "Hobbit" movies, or if it will need to clear the bankruptcy process first before raising new funds.

Fri, 8th October

The Tunnel gets listed on IMDB after Internet Petition
The film “The Tunnel”, funded by Australian film fans, was initially rejected by IMDB, because, according to Executive Producer Enzo Tedeschi, it will be released on illegal downloading site BitTorrent.

Tedeschi said, “The internet was meant to be a tool to connect us. Now we have an entire generation labelled criminals for using that tool.”

After relentless pressure from internet geeks, Amazon owned IMDB backed down and gave the Tunnel its own entry.

Fri, 8th October

iPad launch boosts eBook copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is spreading from the TV, Film and Music industry into ebooks. While it's not quite on the scale of music or film downloads, there is notable demand for book piracy. Attributor believes there's between 1.5 million and three million people searching for pirated eBooks each day around the world, which it said was probably a "conservative estimate". The numbers suggest a 50% increase over the past year, and Attributor noticed a 20% jump directly after the launch of the iPad

Thu, 7th October

Top Gadgets
Apple TV is featured among this week's Daily Star top gadgets. The article references its online TV offering including HD film rental.

Daily Star also reports Toshiba is rumoured to be about to launch a 3D TV that doesn't require glasses. Called the REGZA GL1, the unit may use image processing technology to create a 3D view without the need for 3D glasses.  Japanese stores should be stocking the product before Christmas

Thu, 7th October

TV’s Future Has Arrived (Almost)
The International Herald Tribune discusses the future of TV and the rise of on-demand set-top boxes from companies such as Apple and Roku. The author notes that that some shows from companies such as ABC/Disney, BBC and Fox are available.

Source: nytimes.com

Thu, 7th October

Reid urges Irish government to act on piracy
Music Week reports that Warner Music Europe CEO John Reid has urged the Irish government to extend the country’s “three strikes” rule on filesharing to other ISPs, after Eircom introduced the system earlier this year. Singer Sharon Corr commented “A Digital Economy Act needs to be brought in to Ireland,” she added, according to Irish magazine Hot Press which organised the conference. “Legislation needs to be put through and implemented.”

Source: musicweek.com

Wed, 6th October

Google TV inks deals with HBO, Amazon and NBC
Google’s plans for living room domination are well under way, with its first Google TV products due out this month from Sony and Logitech, and new deals signed with a number of content providers. The service will launch in the US this month, but the UK release has not yet decided

Source: greenitdepartment.itweek.co.uk

Tue, 5th October

BT wins breathing space in piracy case
BT won a stay of execution yesterday in its bid to protect its broadband customers from a law firm tracking down web pirates. PlusNet, which is owned by the communications giant, won a High Court adjournment in its case against Gallant Macmillan until January. The law firm wants a court order to obtain the details of a ‘large number’ of people suspected of illegally downloading music from its client, The Ministry of Sound.

Source: metro.co.uk

Tue, 5th October

Google TV Signs Up Media, Web Firms
Google Inc. on Monday unveiled several new partnerships with media and Web companies, including NBC Universal Inc. and Amazon Inc., to provide content for Google TV, a service designed to expand the Internet giant's franchise into the living room.

Source: wsj.com

Tue, 5th October

World's first 3D TV without glasses unveiled - but it's only 20 inches wide
The world's first 3D television that doesn't require glasses has hit the market.
Toshiba unveiled the high-definition liquid crystal display 3D television that does not require the special glasses - one of the biggest consumer complaints about the technology.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Mon, 4th October

Studios to fast-forward video on demand
Alexandra Frean reports that a plan by Hollywood film studios to offer video-on-demand in a fraction of the time it takes for films to go on general release threatens to spark a battle. The studios are planning a premium service that would allow customers to watch new movies at home in 45 to 60 days after their cinema release, instead of the usual 120 days.

Source: thetimes.co.uk

Mon, 4th October

Copyright infringers ready to cross swords with ACS: Law
Haden Smith reports that ACS:Law is facing a massive backlash over its anti-copyright-infringement efforts.

Source: metro.co.uk

Mon, 4th October

Get the full story in our next webisode
Simon Kurs reports that TV shows are offering standalone clips and alternative endings to be seen only online and some are even interactive. ITV last week announced plans to put alternative endings online for Coronation Street.

Source: thesundaytimes.co.uk

Mon, 4th October

Digital film is the future, the issue is timing
Tim Bradshaw reports on the performance of online DVD rental firm LOVEFiLM.

Source: ft.com

Mon, 4th October

3D TV: a dimension we'll all enter
3D technology is rapidly become a standard feature of televisions.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Mon, 4th October

BBC iPlayer: 'best catch up TV service in the UK'
BBC iPlayer is “the best catch-up TV service in the UK”, according to a new piece of research carried out by Webcredible, a user experience consultancy.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Mon, 4th October

Virgin Media 'to produce its own 3D TV content'
Emma Barnett reports that Virgin Media is planning on producing its own 3D TV content, around such live events as the V Festival, to populate its new 3D on demand service.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Fri, 1st October

Lawyers to continue copyright infringement fight
Daniel Emery reports that a London law firm, Gallant Macmillan, has pledged to continue to target file sharers, despite the current controversy surrounding the acquisition and care of users’ data.

Source: bbc.co.uk

Fri, 1st October

Digital Economy Act could raise DDoS threat
Rosalie Marshall reports that the recent distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on law firm ACS:Law was perpetrated by online activists who wanted to punish the firm for its actions against illegal file sharers. The activists, linked to the 4chan message board, had already attacked a number of high-profile trade organisations involved in promoting action against illegal file sharers, including the Motion Picture Association Of America, the Recording Industry Association of America and the British Phonographic Institute.

Source: pcw.co.uk

Fri, 1st October

Digital Economy Act “will work”
Information World Review reports that the software industry body, FAST (Federation Against Software Theft), has called on opponents of the Digital Economy Act to give the legislation time to “bed in and demonstrate it can work” following research which indicated that 70% of file-sharers would cease their activities if they received a warning letter about their illegality.

Source: iwr.co.uk

Fri, 1st October

BT and Sky ISPs drawn into ACS: Law data breach
Ian Grant reports that leading internet service providers BT and Sky have been drawn into association with the storm surrounding a data breach at ACS: Law, a law firm that sent letters to thousands of alleged illegal file-sharers. According to reports, the personal details of at least 8,000 Sky and 500 BT customers appeared on the Pirate Bay file sharing site.

Source: computerweekly.com

Fri, 1st October

TalkTalk exec assures customers their details are safe
Broadband Choice reports that a TalkTalk executive has moved to reassure customers that they will not have been affected by the data protection breach at ACS: Law.

Source: broadbandchoice.co.uk

Fri, 1st October

Time to put on your glasses as 3D TV debuts at the Ryder Cup
Mark Prigg reports that there are hopes that the launch of Britain’s first 3D TV channel today, Sky 3D, will boost TV sales and renew interest in Hollywood blockbusters after the success of 3D at the cinema.

Source: thisislondon.co.uk