Freeview New Zealand is to launch Freeview NextGen, which is on track to be the first nationwide free-to-air television platform built on the global DVB-I standard. Freeview NextGen will deliver services over the internet while maintaining the familiar experience of television channels.

The Freeview NextGen service is expected to launch in the third quarter of 2026, placing New Zealand ahead of other markets where the DVB-I standard is being trialled.

Freeview NextGen will be exclusively available through televisions from launch partners TCL and Hisense, but it is expected to become more widely available as more brands adopt the DVB-I standard.

Integrated as part of the native television interface and installation process, it will allow viewers to access Freeview channels over Wi-Fi or a fixed internet connection, without the need for a dedicated application, a satellite dish, or an aerial connection.

Freeview NextGen will work in harmony with traditional television setups. For viewers who choose to connect both an antenna and broadband, Freeview NextGen will intelligently combine both signals into a single consolidated television guide.

The introduction of Freeview NextGen will ensure free-to-air channels remain easy to find and universally available as television designs and setups evolve, while preserving the simple, comforting, quintessentially local television experience audiences value.

Leon Mead, the general manager of Freeview New Zealand, says that meeting consumer expectations for free-to-air access is at the heart of Freeview NextGen, with its development driven by diversifying viewer habits and television interface designs as well as enhancements in technology.

“Freeview NextGen represents momentum in futureproofing free-to-air television for all New Zealanders. There is no doubt we love streaming live TV, and Freeview NextGen makes this simpler than ever. While the trusty aerial and satellite will be around for a while, this is the future for TV.”

freeviewnz.tv

Sky and ITV are coming close to a deal that would see the Comcast-owned company acquire the leading commercial television broadcaster in the United Kingdom. ITV has confirmed that it is still in active discussions with Sky. ITV News carried an exclusive saying that sources suggest an agreement could be reached within weeks.

The proposed acquisition was first announced in November. It would see ITV split in two, with the television channels and its ITVX streaming service sold to Sky for a reported £1.6 billion, while ITV shareholders retain the studios business, which produces programmes for ITV and other broadcasters and online video platforms.

The coverage on the ITV web site cited sources familiar with the negotiations, on both sides of the transaction. It suggested that there is growing confidence that key elements of the deal are falling into place, although no agreement has yet been finalised and discussions remain ongoing. It said the contracts are currently being scrutinised by Comcast lawyers in the United States.

In a trading update, ITV said the company remains in “active discussions” with Sky regarding a possible sale of the media and entertainment business. It said it would update the market in due course.

First quarter revenue for the media and entertainment side of the business was down £12 million to £477 million compared to the same period the previous year.

So-called digital revenue, from online services, was up 12% to £149 million for the quarter, with online video hours up 13% to 692 million.

ITV had a 31.8% share of commercial television viewing, down 2% on the previous year. That is expected to improve in the second quarter through advertising around the football World Cup.

Comcast, with annual revenues of £90 billion, is a giant compared to ITV, which has revenues of around £2 billion. It acquired Sky in 2018 for £31 billion but is perceived to have overpaid and has written off around a quarter of the purchase price.

As part of that deal, Comcast committed to guarantee the budget for Sky News, indexed to inflation, for 10 years.

Sky News loses about £100 million a year but is influential and contributes to the brand value of the Sky proposition.

ITV has a 40% stake in ITN, the news organisation that provides news for ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5.

Sky is reported to be prepared to commit to honouring the terms of the ITV public service broadcasting licence, which runs until the end of 2034. This requires it to provide national and regional news, current affairs, and a specific quota of programmes produced in the United Kingdom.

Any deal would need to be approved by the Competition and Markets Authority and Ofcom, with the final decision resting with the Secretary of State.

www.sky.com
www.itv.com

Larger online video services in the United Kingdom will for the first time be held to content and accessibility standards that are similar to those for broadcast television. The communications regulator Ofcom has published a new draft code that will bring Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ under its oversight for the first time.

The Media Act of 2024 granted Ofcom new powers to create and enforce a new content standards Code for video-on-demand services. All on-demand services in the United Kingdom must already follow on-demand programme service rules.

A draft Ofcom code includes a range of new rules governing major streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+. These platforms will, for the first time, be held to content standards similar to those already in place for traditional broadcasters. That includes rules around harmful and offensive content, fairness and privacy, and due impartiality and due accuracy in news. Ofcom is also consulting on new accessibility requirements for subtitling, audio description, and signing.

The proposed new content standards code will apply to ‘Tier 1’ streaming services that have more than half a million users in the United Kingdom. This will include services from ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5. The BBC iPlayer is already regulated under the broadcasting code but the new requirements will apply to other relevant services from the BBC in the United Kindgom.

The requirements broadly mirror existing broadcasting rules, but reflect the differences between traditional, scheduled broadcast television and on-demand programming.

Services will be required to comply with existing obligations to protect young audiences from material which may be harmful to them. The proposed new code also includes enhanced protections focused on preserving the welfare and legal rights of under-18s who appear in programmes.

There will be a requirement to provide adequate protection to viewers from potential harm, and offence to be justified by context, with emphasis on enabling informed viewing choices through clear content information and warnings. Exceptional editorial justification will be required for including explicit detail about novel or unusual suicide methods.

Rules will supplement the existing requirements on incitement to crime or disorder, abusive treatment and portrayals of criminal techniques and proceedings.

News coverage rules for due impartiality and accuracy will largely carry over from the broadcasting code. For non-news programming, including current affairs programmes, there will be flexibility to maintain due impartiality across multiple programmes.

There will be the same level of protection of individuals or organisations against unfair treatment or unwarranted infringement of privacy as for broadcast programmes.

A draft accessibility code will cover major online video services, requiring them to subtitle at least 80% of their catalogue, audio describe 10%, and provide signing for 5%.

Following a consultation period until August, Ofcom expects to publish the final codes later in 2026.

The draft Tier 1 Standards Code and Tier 1 Accessibility Code are available from the Ofcom web site.

www.ofcom.org.uk