ComReg, the Commission for Communications Regulation in Ireland, has published a notice on digital terrestrial television and long-term future of the spectrum used for broadcasting. The purpose of the ComReg information notice is to inform planning and the efficient use of radio spectrum and to assist stakeholder discussions on the future role of digital terrestrial television and free-to-air television broadcasting in Ireland more generally. Questions about the future of digital terrestrial television reflect similar discussions in other countries, including the United Kingdom.
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The proposed acquisition by Sky of ITV Media and Entertainment for £1.6 billion faces scrutiny by Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary. She has said she is minded to intervene in the anticipated merger. Subject to assessments from the communications regulator Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority, she would need to decide whether to refer this for a more detailed investigation by the CMA.
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The BBC News channel has been made available through YouTube for viewers in the United Kingdom and United States. It is a described as a trial and is part of a wider strategy to reach new and younger audiences where they are. Whether they will want to watch the BBC News channel there is another matter.
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A new Apple TV box is expected. It is hard to believe that Apple TV was first announced 20 years go, initially as iTV. It will be the fourth generation of the media player, coming four years after the last update. Meanwhile, an update is also expected to the Google TV Streamer. Will this bring more conversational intelligence to the television experience?
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The leaders of the four public service broadcasters in the United Kingdom appeared on stage at a recent conference in London to set out their vision for the future of television. The heads of the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and 5 were speaking at the London Convention of the Royal Television Society. They talked about collaboration, but their future may be more about separating production and selecting distribution partners.
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Paramount has completed the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery to create a combined company named Skydance. The latest in a long line of media mega mergers aims to build a next-generation global media and entertainment company powered by creativity and technology. The combined company brings together two major film studios, two global streaming services, premier television assets including Paramount, Warner Bros., HBO and HBO Max, Paramount+, Pluto TV, CBS, CNN, CBS Sports, TNT Sports, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, MTV, Food Network, BET, HGTV, and Comedy Central, not to mention Channel 5 in the United Kingdom.
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