Articles about BSkyB

BSB launches this Sunday… let battle commence

How Sky welcomed new analogue viewers in 1996

Aside from those wanting Rupert Murdoch’s influence to be curtailed, the News Corporation phone hacking saga so far hasn’t been bad news for BSkyB either, despite the fact that it’s…

If you wanted excitement, intrigue and unpredictability in the world of media news then this past week simply had the lot, starting off with what seemed like a minor escalation…

Never has a week seemed like such a long time in news. Go back a month and if anyone had said that the News of the World would soon be no more and that News International would be fighting for its reputation and survival, you’d think they were mad and would be preparing to get the doctors with the straight jackets.

Can News Corporation still achieve its dream of taking over BSkyB despite what now appears to be difficult if not insurmountable obstacles that have been placed in its path? Up…

Admit it to yourself, this isn’t a surprise even if you initially thought it was. It seemed obvious that Sky News was going to be the sacrificial lamb in a…

There will no doubt be a lot of people looking at Jeremy Hunt today and drawing a lot of negative conclusions.

I’m no particular fan of this present government. I’m hardly unique in this, but I’m still finding it hard to accept that we appear to have got both the furthest-to-the-right…

Judging by the reaction from some media commentators, the removal of Vince Cable from making the decision as to whether or not News Corp can take over BSkyB (it’s bound…

Major news provision costs money. Of all people, Mark Thompson ought to know a thing or two when it comes to such matters, as well as the roles and responsibilities…

Want something to read that’s simultaneously both amusing and sinister at the same time? Then head over to the Sky website and download the PDF of BSkyB’s submission to Ofcom…

Nearly everyone seems to agree that some form of video-on-demand represents the future of television, so naturally there’s a race on between established UK providers (BSkyB, Virgin Media) and broadcasters/producers…

Whilst the media world awaits Vince Cable’s crucial decision on whether News Corp. should be permitted to further extend its influence with a full takeover of BSkyB, there’s a political…

Well here’s something we didn’t expect to be saying. Just over a month after it was announced that Virgin One would becoming Channel One after Sky bought it and other channels from Virgin Media, and just a few weeks after the station rebrand went ahead and… err… well… Sky decide to close it down completely…

It has taken a year after the infamous (and highly predictable, especially in retrospect) James Murdoch speech at the Edinburgh International Television Festival for the official “right to reply” from…

The question of what Virgin One was going to be rebranded as after BSkyB bought Virgin Media’s TV stations is one which I’m sure has barely been off the lips of the average Transdiffusion reader, just as it has been for many sat around pub tables, pints in hand, fists waving whilst the landlord tries to keep control of the situation…

If you were wondering what Virgin Media’s stance on Project Canvas development was going to be, then wonder no more, but Virgin Media’s objections are in the final analysis both…

The announcement that BSkyB is withdrawing its Sky Sports News channel from Freeview may not be that unexpected but it does raise some interesting unanswered questions in relation to Sky’s…

Virgin Media has finally completed a long-expected deal to sell its TV channels (Bravo, Bravo 2, Challenge, Challenge Jackpot, Living, Livingit, Virgin 1) to BSkyB for £160m, and in exchange…

Yes it’s true: Project Canvas has just been given the go-ahead by the Office of Fair Trading, so in theory this long-awaited means of providing a quick and convenient means…

Ofcom: Delivering consumer benefits in Pay TV Ofcom orders Sky Sports price cut Football, cricket and rugby fans make up the core of BSkyB’s pay-TV business, and their willingness to…

BSkyB agrees to cut ITV stake In recent weeks it has been obvious that the “love affair” between politicians and BSkyB – at least in public – has started to…

Cost of TV sport to tumble as Ofcom turns screw on Sky Some people appear to be rather puzzled as to why the Conservatives in particular seem ambivalent towards Ofcom’s…

Digital Spy: Online England game attracts 500,000 Last Saturday, something truly momentous happened in the world of television that was arguably on a par with the launch of Sky Digital,…

ITV uncertainty could open doors to takeover bid, says analyst If you now have a distinct feeling along the lines that “We’ve been here before”, then you are almost certainly…

Public rejects Murdoch view of BBC, says ICM poll It’s now a week since James Murdoch made his predictably controversial MacTaggart speech that was conceived from the outset to make…

David Elstein: Murdoch “riled” by Ofcom According to David Elstein, formerly of, inter alia, the BBC, Thames and Channel 5, Ofcom’s “devastating” and “unanswerable” report of a couple of months…

BBC News: Murdoch attack on ‘dominant’ BBC So James Murduch, the head of NewsCorp in Europe, says a dominant BBC damages independent journalism in the UK. The hypocrisy of that…

James Murdoch hits out at BBC and regulators at Edinburgh TV festival James Murdoch attacks BBC and regulators in annual MacTaggart lecture speech shocker – who would have thought otherwise?…

Broadcast Now: ITV digital channels may leave Freeview If such a thing had happened merely two years ago it would have been a bigger deal than it is today. That’s…

BSkyB’s Mike Darcey attacks ‘culture of dependency’ in UK television Up to now, BSkyB has enjoyed a near-privileged position as the UK’s dominant pay-TV operator, and this has been tolerated…

Setanta goes into administration with loss of 200 jobs After numerous ups and downs that somewhat mirrored the trials and tribulations of football itself, the Setanta saga finally draws to…

Viewpoint: Canvas will explode UK TV, but BBC must stand back Google creeps into the living room with YouTube XL With today’s announcement of YouTube XL clearly stating Google’s ambitions…

Ah, do you remember the days? Everyone was rushing off pay TV, determined to embrace the world of free to air television. It would be great! Advertising would pay for…

BSkyB tables £160m bid for Virgin Media channels, reports say Whilst many broadcasters are still bitterly complaining about an advertising downturn (ITV’s short term Britain’s Got Talent/football windfall notwithstanding), BSkyB…

BSkyB cries foul over BBC Trust’s Project Canvas consultation When BSkyB gets publicly upset over something it’s usually because there’s a potential risk of its market dominance being curtailed in…

Most solutions to Channel 4’s problems envision a continuation of free to air television. Funnily enough Sky don’t. Who would have thought it?

MPs’ report expected to question BBC and Channel 4 linkup Over recent months, around 90% of the media-related ministerial report ‘leaks’ have been ‘surprisingly’ accurate, so we can assume that…

The distribution of Premier League football rights is a seemingly never ending occurrence, however the latest round now has the potential to have some serious consequences.

BSkyB wins Premier League TV rights package back from Setanta All things considered, this makes a total mockery of the recent Competition Commission decision to disallow Project Kangaroo on the…

How the call for aid to Gaza left the BBC in the thick of battle As the controversy surrounding the BBC’s stubborn refusal to air the DEC Gaza appeal rumbles…

Project Kangaroo punctured by Competition Commission Competition Commission statement (PDF file) Project Kangaroo is (or perhaps was, given the stance that now seems to be all too clear) an attempt…

BSkyB ordered to cut ITV stake Although a decision has now been made in relation to BSkyB and its ITV stake, namely that BSkyB has to sell at least some…

It’s been hanging around for goodness knows how long, but finally BSkyB have done the inevitable, and axed its pay TV proposals for DTT.