The convergence wars

As they will become known. The Guardian reports

The media watchdog yesterday raised the pressure on BSkyB, the pay-TV giant chaired by Rupert Murdoch, with a wide-ranging review of the sector after rivals claimed it unfairly distorts the market.

The decision follows weeks of sparring between Sir Richard Branson, the largest shareholder in Virgin Media, and BSkyB chief executive James Murdoch, who remained bullish despite the regulatory threats.

Ofcom said the review followed complaints from Sky’s rivals about its influence on the market, made before the recent public row, and representations from consumer groups over Sky’s decision to pull its basic channels, featuring hit shows such as Lost and The Simpsons, from Virgin after a dispute over pricing.

And Virgin customers still trapped in NT-hell?

Google joins Apple in race to launch mobiles in Europe

Recent speculation has centred on Samsung and Google developing an operating system to work on mobile phones. A Google phone with an operating system optimised for the internet would allow the California-based company to further experiment with the opportunities created by mobile advertising and search. Google would not comment on its plans.

This week its rival Yahoo! announced OneSearch, designed specifically for mobile phones. When a search term is entered, instead of producing a list of web links for the user to trawl through, it generates actual pages using the information found on the internet – such a search for a band bringing information including forthcoming concerts, popular ringtones and recent news. The service is being launched in the US. In Britain, the company has a deal with Orange, though this could be up for renegotiation.

Its gonna get messy

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Posted in: Convergence, Economics, Media, News

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