Digital Britain promises universally slow broadband
The future of Digital Britain has been revealed. The bad news is that the country will continue to fall behind if there is not significant investment in next generation networks. The government outlined its plans in an interim report that promises universal access to broadband—with speeds of at least 2Mbps by the time London hosts the 2012 Olympics. Scream if you want to go faster.
Sky high definition increases profits despite downturn
BSkyB has reported strong figures for the last six months, despite the economic downturn, seeing growth in high-definition, broadband and telephone services. It is cutting the cost of Sky+ HD boxes and creating 1,000 jobs in customer service and installation to deal with the anticipated demand. Half of its satellite subscribers now have a digital video recorder, with 8% having high definition. Over 7 million British homes have HD Ready screens, but this is expected to double by the end of the decade.
Channel Four and BBC discuss future of UKTV channels
Channel Four is understood to be in talks with the BBC about the possibility of acquiring the 50% stake in the UKTV television channels business owned by Virgin Media. Quite how Channel 4 would contribute cash is currently unclear. The commercial public service broadcaster has been pleading poverty and the need for special assistance. Instead, the communications regulator Ofcom has suggested that it should seek support through partnerships.
CNN claims record for largest live online video event
CNN served a record 1.3 million concurrent live video streams in the moments leading up to the inaugural address of American President Barack Obama. That may be partly down to using peer-assisted distribution, or not. The consensus was that CBS provided the best quality experience. The BBC was among a number of other broadcaster sites that failed to meet demand for live streams.
Deutsche Telekom Interactive TV Award winners
The winner of the Deutsche Telekom Interactive TV Award has been announced. The competition offered a total of one million euro in prize money for developers to come up with a concept for a compelling internet protocol television application. Over a hundred teams entered the awards. The winning entry was a variation of an old interactive television favourite.