Philip Hunter

European standards for connected TV are still fragmented, but outside the UK at least public broadcasters are rallying around HbbTV for hybrid services.

Microwave technology vendor Bluwan is lobbying European regulators and operators to look at virgin 40 GHz spectrum to meet exploding demand for mobile backhaul fuelled by video.

The UK government is considering closing a loophole that lets people evade the licence fee by watching only in catch-up mode.

Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards argues that there should be a radical single frequency network re-plan of Digital Terrestrial Television across Europe.

The European Broadcasting Union agrees with the Amaury Sport Organization that major cycling events will be shown on free-to-air analog channels until at least 2015.

The Norwegian Web-browser vendor Opera Software will demonstrate TVs and set-top boxes enabled with HTML5 and HbbTV at IPTV World Forum in London, March 22-23.

The European Broadcast Union and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe met in Vienna to plan joint activities on media independence.

How to monetize multiplatform services is one of the big issues at London’s IPTV World Forum this week.

Terrestrial broadcasting will only be replaced by a wireless broadband system if and when people can get universal access to free content by other means, according to the EBU.

YouTube has announced plans to stream live Olympic Games coverage to users in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

The UK pay-TV operator is developing a new EPG integrating linear and on demand content.

There were mixed feelings for BSkyB and Telco BT, the two winners of the bidding for English Premier League TV football rights, as they paid way more than they had budgeted for.

Germany’s cable operators have opened two fronts, against broadcasters over carriage rights, and with the regulator over mergers, consolidation and broadband unbundling.

The EBU has secured European Union funding to promote media freedom among countries queuing up to join the EU.

TV usage is rising sharply in all leading nations surveyed by NPD.

The UK’s hybrid TV platform YouView is launching this week, two years later than originally planned after a series of delays.

The European Commission says that broadcasters will have to hand over another 200MHz of spectrum to mobile broadband.

The DVB’s version of digital terrestrial used in Europe is gaining ground in Asia Pacific following adoption in Singapore.

Philips and LG have teamed up to form Smart TV alliance and invited their competitors to join.

HbbTV is poised for adoption by a number of countries outside Europe after successful trials.

The Eurovision Song Contest staged every year by the European Broadcast Union (EBU) has run into controversy over the choice of Azerbaijan as host country because of its human rights record.

European broadcasters are taking more satellite capacity to cope with high demand for sports in Olympic year and to expand remote news gathering operations.

The number of HD channels in Europe increased by 198 during 2011 despite the economic crisis.