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Dear Industry Executive
Paul Skeldon | |||||||||||
Lord’s slam EU’s proposals to regulate new media service providers “like broadcasters”A
report published this week by the House of Lords European Union
Committee criticises the EU’s plans to see ‘television-like’ new media
services come under the same European regulatory framework as
traditional broadcasting. The European Commission argued that these
‘new’ broadcasters are competing for audiences and advertising revenue
with traditional broadcasters and so should be subject to the same
rules.The Lords Committee are firm in rejecting this position. They argue that is not the role of regulation to protect established broadcasters from new competition operating under different business models. The Committee suggest it would be preferable to liberalise the provisions on advertising for established broadcasters rather than seek to extend existing provisions to new media services. As it now stands, the Directive would introduce a number of additional quantitative advertising restrictions on news and children’s programming. The Committee argue that these restrictions may have severely adverse consequences for the quality of “free to air” programming available, particularly children’s programming. They point out that enforcement of the proposed Directive will be fraught with difficulties particularly as the range of new media continues to develop and expand, and the definition of the services covered may not offer sufficient legal certainty. The Committee are particularly concerned that the EU’s proposals could force new media broadcasters to move their base of operations away from Europe and broadcast into the EU from a non-European base where they would be exempt from the Directive. This would be particularly damaging to the UK that has a thriving new media industry. Commenting at the publication of the report Lord Freeman, Chairman of the Committee, said: “As a committee we were very concerned about the Commission’s original Audiovisual Media Services Directive, which sought to bring a host of non-traditional media operators under the same controls as traditional television broadcasters. We believe that this attempt was seriously misguided, and any future efforts to do the same would be a grave error.” Read More: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldeucom.htm | |||||||||||
Ericsson and Turner Broadcasting partner to develop international mobile services
Turner Broadcasting, owner of
international news service CNN, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, is
working with Ericsson to develop its internet, broadcast news and
entertainment content for mobile multimedia environments. Read More: http://www.timewarner.com/corp/newsroom | |||||||||||
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MIG to launch Payforit-backed click & buy solution with ITV mobileUK mobile TV interactivity provider Mobile Interactive Group (MIG), is to launch its own secure Payforit-based content billing system to allow simple ‘click and buy’ services for mobile users to purchase content and services through UK commercial broadcaster ITV’s mobile services.Called MIGPay, the system is supported on all UK operator networks under the Payforit scheme and will allow ITV mobile to benefit from a much easier consumer experience when buying content as ITV seeks to establish ITV mobile as a major mobile portal in the UK. Melissa Goodwin, Head of ITV Mobile says that: “MIGPay will allow us to offer visitors to ITV Mobile a better experience and represents an opportunity for ITV to use this service to provide highly targeted and personalised content going forward. This is key to building a great experience for visitors to our portal.” MIG is one of only a few UK based mobile companies who have successfully been accredited with Payforit and have achieved this status by demonstrating the ability to meet the strict payment scheme guidelines, as laid out by all UK Operators. The Payforit scheme will protect consumers by ensuring that trusted billing intermediaries, like MIG, handle the billing prior to the content being transferred to the consumer by the content provider. This will ensure that consumers remain protected throughout the process, helping to increase confidence in the premium mobile content market. Additionally, ITV Mobile is working with MIG’s sister company, 4th Screen Advertising to build advertising opportunities and generate greater consumer awareness and visitors to their portal. Read More: http://www.migcan.com/news.html | |||||||||||
Ad-funded SMS on the way through Anam and Amobee partnershipAnam Mobile, a provider of messaging infrastructure technologies, has joined forces with ad-funded content specialist Amobee Media Systems to deliver a solution for ad-funding subscriber originated SMS messages.The solution, available now for deployment in both GSM and CDMA networks, will deliver operators the ability to increase revenues through opt-in advertising. End-users will be able to benefit from subscribing to new ad-funded tariffs, lowering the cost of their SMS package. “This signals the beginning of a new era in ad-funded mobile services,” says Zohar Levkovitz, CEO of Amobee Media Systems. “Mobile is the last remaining medium in which the user bears the full weight of payment — a situation that will ultimately stifle growth. Ad-funding SMS has the potential to create new revenue streams for operators, deliver a new measurable advertising channel for brands and provide mobile users the ability to communicate more for less.” The combined platform incorporates Anam’s patent-pending Smart Services Technology and Amobee’s Mobile Media System, a purpose-built unified mobile ad-serving and campaign management solution which can ad-fund SMS, browsing, video, music and games. Read More: http://amobee.com/templates/news.htm | |||||||||||
Digital entertainment firm Buongiorno buys Pete Tong’s mobile video production companyDigital entertainment company Buongiorno, through its UK arm, has boosted its mobile-TV format content generation through the acquisition of legendary DJ Pete Tong’s Inventa mobile video production agency for £1million.Last year Inventa produced 2300 minutes of original video clips for interactive music, lifestyle and entertainment TV style mobile shows, featuring personalities such as Jamie Oliver, Roger Sanchez, the Ministry of Sound and Mr Tong himself. “Buongiorno’s ability to create special TV formats designed for videophones is now optimized by Inventa’s creative and production abilities,” says Luca Pagano, managing director of Buongiorno UK. “The UK is one of the most advanced markets in the world for new media and this acquisition confirms Buongiorno’s drive to innovate and its commitment to play a leading role in the booming market for mobile video and TV.” There are approximately 15million UK mobile entertainment consumers and more than 20per cent of them will watch videos on mobile this year, according to research company MMetrics. The mobile videos’ market is growing quickly from the $1.2 billion it was estimated to be worth at the end of 2006. Read More: http://www.buongiorno.com/press_room/press_room_1.html?2071361454
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STOP PRESS MIG wins contract to power mobile interaction at ‘The O2’ domeAs ContentFutures went to press, Mobile Interactive Group (MIG), had just inked a three year contract with O2 to power mobile services at ‘The O2’ — the venue formerly known as The Dome — in London, dubbed the world’s first fully integrated mobile interactive entertainment venue which opens this summer.The O2 will feature a range of pioneering mobile services developed by MIG, which bring together innovative text, mobile video and music technologies. From free standing wireless installations to exciting services direct to the handset, MIG will work closely with O2 to ensure that the venue offers an unforgettable experience for all visitors. The O2, formerly the Millennium Dome, features a 23,000 capacity music and sports arena, an entertainment district comprising an 11-screen cinema complex, exhibition and theatre spaces, a live music club and restaurants, cafés and bars all along a one kilometre strip. Amanda Jennings, Head of Sponsorship, O2 UK, says: “We put our customers at the heart of everything we do, therefore we want to ensure we create great experiences for them when they visit The O2. These customer experiences will begin when they call to book their tickets via their handset to long after they leave the venue. We look forward to working with Mobile Interactive Group closely over the next three years to create new services which keep The O2 at the forefront of mobile innovation.” Read More: http://www.migcan.com/news.html | |||||||||||
Upcoming Events | |||||||||||
Global Distribution and Delivery of Digital Entertainment C5, 26th-27th March 2007, C5’s
Global Distribution and Delivery of Digital Entertainment will cover
vital current topics including convergence, new technologies and
developments in P2P file sharing. Experts will examine how technology
defines and redefines the rules of distribution whilst addressing the
legal and business implications of digital entertainment distribution. For more information please contact: Tom Holbourn t.holbourn@C5-Online.com | |||||||||||
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