Business News
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January 2012
NEWS CORP THREATENS TO SELL BSKYB STAKE
Chase Carey, President/COO & Deputy Chairman of News Corp, said at the UBS Global Media & Communications event that News isn’t happy to remain a minority shareholder in BSkyB, so if takeover is out then selling their stake is real possibility.
He explained that the need to fully own or otherwise monetise such assets would continue to be a focus for News Corp. “We are not getting anything, (not) a fraction of a credit, for that $15 billion [holding].
Refusing to give a time frame, Carey added “But directionally we are going to do that and have to be better at communicating that.”
MURDOCH SUFFERS BSkyB REVOLT
James Murdoch was dealt a heavy blow with over 40% shareholders failing to back his re-election as chairman of BSkyB, venting their anger at him.
Several shareholders said they would vote against the 38-year-old as they wanted a truly independent chairman rather than an executive of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which owns 39% of BSkyB. Murdoch was expected to win re-election, which he did, with the support given by the rest of the board.
CROSS MEDIA IN USA
In the USA, the National Association of Broadcasters(NAB) will ask the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court decision that backs the Federal Communications Commission’s restrictions on cross-media ownership.
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals in July upheld the FCC's 2008 decision not to loosen the TV-Radio cross-media ownership rules.
3D TV IN CHINA
China will broadcast it’s first 3D TV channel on January 1, 2012 and go into full operation during the Lunar New Year Festival in late January, according to government authorities.
“We have officially started preparations for the country’s first experimental 3D TV channel and have issued 2 technical guidelines on the production and airing of 3D TV programmes and 3D TV signal transmission,” Cai Fuchao, head of the State Administration of Radio, Film & TV, said.
According to Cai, the channel will be launched through the joint efforts of six TV stations, including China Central Television.
PAK BLOCKS BBC WORLD NEWS
Pakistani cable TV operators have blocked the BBC's international World News in response to a documentary broadcast by the channel called "Secret Pakistan."
Cable Operators Association spokesman Khalid Arain said that no anti-Pakistan foreign channel would "ever" be broadcast in the country and that BBC World News would only be aired if the corporation assures not to broadcast anything "against Pakistan".
"We condemn any action that threatens our editorial independence and prevents audiences from accessing our impartial international news service," BBC spokesperson said and deeply concerned by the move called for its channel to be reinstated.
The BBC documentary questioned the country's commitment to tackling Taliban militancy. It argued that some in Pakistan were playing a double game, and quoted US intelligence officials saying Pakistan acted as America's ally in public and secretly trained and armed the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Correspondents speculate that the Pakistani government has probably instigated operators to impose the ban although Pakistan has denied this.
UTV MOVIES IN UK
UTV Moview India was launched in the UK on B SkyB DTH on December 12.
The Hindi movie channel will carry English subtitles. The deal between UTV and Sky was brokered by TVMedia3.
Advertising for the channel in the UK will be handled by Sky Media.
Commenting on the expansion in UK, MK Anand, CEO, Broadcasting, UTV said, "With the launch of UTV Movies India in the UK we further expand our international footprint. The UK is a vital market for us as it has a large South Asian diaspora who are avid Bollywood movie lovers. "
BBC TO LAUNCH 'SORRY'
A new digital channel, BBC Sorry, designed to apologise the corporation’s reports will be launched by BBC in 2012.
Mark Thompson, Director-General, BBC, welcomed the new channel and said, "BBC Sorry won’t compliment our other channels, but it will grovel for them. While the rest of the media tells our viewers what they should be offended by, as a public service broadcaster we feel it is our duty to cater for popular demand and provide a dedicated service that nods sagely and agrees with their righteous indignation."
The launch of the channel comes as some of the BBC's most recent apologies have proven more popular than the programmes that caused offence in the first place. "But the beauty of BBC Sorry," added Thompson, "is that instead of sitting through the whole show to watch the bits that have been edited to cause offence, we'll just show you the highlights."
NEW COMCAST CEO
Neil Smit, president of Comcast Cables Communications, has been appointed CEO. He will report to the Chairman and CEO, Brian L. Roberts. Smit was a CEO and director with Charter Communications from 2005-2010.
US ENFORSES BAN ON LOUD ADS
The FCC has cracked down on excessively loud TV commercials. The CALM Act was signed into law in December 2010. FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn said the rule will put an end to the "frightening decibel levels that resulted in considerable alarm, anger and spilt popcorn."
The commission voted unanimously to require TV stations and cable and satellite operators to ensure that the average volume of a commercial does not exceed the average volume of the programming around it.
SKY ITALIA FINED E380K
Italy’s Authority for Competition and Markets has levied 2 fines totalling €380,000 to DHT operator Sky Italia for “unfair business practices”.
According to the Authority’s weekly bulletin, Sky Italia “continued to charge its users, the fees for the use of the service even after they had asked to cancel.” The operator also “delayed the execution of requests for cancellation” and applied a penalty in case of non-payment of the invoices subsequent to the requests.
The Authority also established that Sky Italia imposed the use of a toll number as the only means to contact the customer service to seek clarification on cancellation requests or other administrative issues. n
