More bad news for Sky

Following Sky’s disclosure that it could face a £20m reduction in profits as a result of the failure to reach agreement with Virgin Media (was NTL) comes the news that the BBC trust has approved the long awaited satellite version of Freeview. This is undoubtedly bad news for the folks out at Osterley but many observers consider an alternative platform as long overdue, C4 is expected to be part of the offering but will a 17.9% Sky owned ITV also be there?

BBC reacts quickly to premium phone hysteria by Chugger* Holmes.

News that while the larger than life Eamon Holmes was simulcasting across BBC Radio and TV he was also cadging money for BBC charities was met with horror, in their favour the BBC have now decreed that such phone-ins will henceforth be live. Me I think it’s not for the BBC to be an arbiter of the charities and consider such commercial concepts should be removed from the public broadcaster. (Eamon, the hardest working man in Showbiz also available on Sky News)

(Charity Mugger)

Ericsson swoops on Tandberg tv

Convergence takes a further twist with the news that the company that enables many of the DVB (digital TV) services in the UK and the rest of the world Tandberg TV) is being stalked by mobile phone giant Ericsson it certainly shows that further consolidation fuelled by the predicted growth in IPTV is going to be the only show in town (for a while).