Liberty backed Flemish cable operator Telenet has won its court case against Interkabel regarding exclusive access to the four cable operators’ networks for its VOD and iTV services, besides the Voice and Internet services it already operates on these networks. Interkabel is now barred from launching additional interactive services including VOD, interactivity and enhanced televsion [...]
Espial listed
June 8, 2007 20.57 Europe/London By
Canadian IPTV middleware vendor Espial Group Inc has announced the completion of its initial public offering of 3,571,000 common shares at a price of $7 per share, for gross proceeds of approximately $25 million. It is now listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, GMP Securities L.P. and Genuity Capital Markets having acted as co-lead underwriters for [...]
Ingenious takes control of Two Way TV
May 29, 2007 09.49 Europe/London By
Ingenious Media Active Capital has taken a controlling stake in the interactive TV services company Two Way TV. The funding, described in a statement as being ‘up to £5.34 million’ comes just a week after Two Way sold its Ark Technology to the cable operator Virgin Media, signalling a change of direction for the company [...]
Clover’s Week: ICSTIS rings the changes
April 5, 2007 13.55 Europe/London By
The premium telephony regulator has introduced new rules designed to restore confidence in the sector. Julian Clover reports It’s been a bad few months for the participation TV sector. January’s criticisms from MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee were followed by a series of scandals that enveloped the big 5 channels. Edward [...]
ICSTIS beefs up quiz TV rules
April 5, 2007 11.27 Europe/London By
Britain’s premium rate services regulator ICSTIS has published a new set of rules designed to boost public confidence in TV quiz services. The rules, which will come into force in four weeks time, are designed to give viewers a better understanding of their chances of getting through to the programmes and give them clear information [...]
4Fun extends coverage
March 22, 2007 07.32 Europe/London By
According to local reports, 4Fun Media, the owner of the Polish participation channel 4Fun TV, has signed an agreement with Vingo TV, a UK-based company owned by Timeshift Media. It will see the channel extend its coverage via Eutelsat’s Hot Bird 4 to such markets as the UK and Ireland, which have large Polish communities. [...]
ITV Play replaced by ITV2 timeshift
March 14, 2007 10.07 Europe/London By
ITV Play, the controversial participation TV channel, will not return to the air following recent criticisms of the genre. The channel’s DTT capacity will be taken by a +1 hour version of the female skewing ITV2, which is already available to Sky Digital viewers, ahead of a possible new channel launch. ITV Play will also [...]
ITV Play suspends broadcasts
March 6, 2007 10.27 Europe/London By
ITV Play has been taken off the air as the broadcaster suspended premium interactive services. ITV has appointed Deloitte to conduct an audit of all of the interactive services after the premium rate phone line regulator launched an inquiry into Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. It is alleged that the programme encouraged viewers to [...]
Quiz Call leaves Sky EPG
January 4, 2007 09.40 Europe/London By
Quiz Call has left the Sky Guide EPG, two months after Channel 4 sold its Ostrich Media subsidiary to premium rate telephony provider iTouch. The broadcaster began to distance itself from the participation TV genre after media regulator Ofcom and the premium rate regulatory body ICSTIS began investigating a series of complaints into the increasing [...]
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Digital TV Eastern Europe NEW REPORT by Simon Murray of Digital TV Research. 2012 is a watershed year for Eastern Europe as the number of digital homes for 15 forecast countries will exceed the analogue total for the first time. This electronically-delivered,150-page report comes in three parts, a PDF file and two Excel workbooks. Countries covered include Russia and Ukraine.