Jan 31 2019
The UK is due to leave the EU at the end of March, and television channels targeting EU countries will require new licenses. Of the 1,039 cable and satellite TV channels licensed by UK-regulator Ofcom, 700 target other countries. According to business information provider IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO), the companies most affected include Discovery, with […]
Dec 20 2018
RT is “extremely disappointed” following British broadcasting regulator Ofcom’s announcement that some content on the RT news network was in breach of impartiality rules. In a bulletin issued December 20, Ofcom stated that a total of seven programmes or segments, including Sputnik, Crosstalk and various items of news coverage were found to be in breach […]
Dec 20 2018
The BBC is in talks with Irish and Dutch authorities to obtain licenses allowing it to continue broadcasting across the European Union in the event of a no-deal Brexit, according to two people familiar with the matter. The U.K. licenses that the taxpayer-funded British Broadcasting Corp. uses to beam hit shows including nature documentary “Blue […]
Jul 27 2018
Ofcom has specific powers and duties in relation to public service broadcasters and their prominence on television guides, sometimes called electronic programme guides (EPGs). This includes a duty to draw up, and from time to time to review and revise, a Code of Practice (Code) for licensed EPG providers that, among other things, ensures such […]
Jun 7 2018
Media regulator Ofcom has proposed scrapping the further roll-out of local TV channels across the UK, citing concerns over “economic viability”. More than 30 local TV stations have already been set up in the UK as part of a plan laid out in 2011 by then culture secretary Jeremy Hunt. But several of the channels […]
Mar 22 2018
Travel channel Travelxp is apparently planning a UK launch in May. The channel which first launched in India, has rapidly expanded around the world, with a European service on-air since 2016. The channel offers a HD and 4K UHD option in some countries. Travelxp now holds Ofcom licences covering all digital TV platforms in the […]
Mar 13 2018
Britain’s media regulator Ofcom says it will “consider the implications for RT’s broadcast licenses” if it’s determined there was “an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the UK” in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal. In a statement, Ofcom said: “As the independent UK broadcasting regulator, Ofcom has an ongoing duty to be […]
Apr 24 2017
UK culture secretary, Karen Bradley, has extended the investigation deadline for 21st Century Fox’s planned £11.7 billion takeover of Sky until after the UK general election. In a statement published Friday, Bradley said she had written to UK broadcast regulator Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), extending the period within which they must […]
Apr 10 2017
The £11.7bn deal “raises no competition concerns”, the European Commission has decided. The European Commission has given its approval for 21st Century Fox to pursue its takeover of Sky plc, the owner of Sky News. Fox already owns a 39% controlling stake in Sky, but is bidding to buy the remainder of the company. The […]
Mar 29 2017
UK comms regulator Ofcom has launched a consultation on detailed proposals for how it will regulate the BBC’s performance under its new Royal Charter, which outlines how it should deliver for audiences. Ofcom becomes the first independent, external regulator of the BBC on April 3rd. Its role is to hold the Corporation to account against […]
Mar 27 2017
BT is to be fined £42 million (€48.5m) for what regulator Ofcom describes as a “serious” breach of its rules, after the company reduced compensation payments to other telecoms providers for late installations. The penalty is a result of an investigation by Ofcom into BT’s infrastructure arm, Openreach. BT has apologised “wholeheartedly” for the mistakes. […]
Oct 24 2019
BBC risking ‘lost generation’ as younger audience tunes out
The BBC may not be sustainable in its current form, if it fails to regain younger audiences who are increasingly tuning out of its services. Ofcom’s annual report on the BBC looks at its performance between April 2018 and March 2019. It found that the BBC is generally serving viewers and listeners well, and people […]
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By Expat • BBC • Tags: Ofcom