BSkyB offers prospect of ad-free viewing

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Brian Randell <Brian.Randell () newcastle ac uk>
Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2005 17:10:37 +0000
To: <dave () farber net>
Subject: BSkyB offers prospect of ad-free viewing

Hi Dave:

Happy New Year!

Here is an article from today's (UK) Guardian newspaper:

> BSkyB offers prospect of ad-free viewing
>
> Jane Martinson, media business editor
> Monday January 3, 2005
> The Guardian
>
> The satellite group BSkyB has patented new technology that allows
> television viewers to record favourite programmes without any ad
> breaks. . . News that the pay-television company controlled by
> Rupert Murdoch could allow viewers to eliminate commercials will
> alarm rival broadcasters such as ITV, Channel 4 and Five which
> derive most of their revenues from ads, as well as the advertising
> industry itself. . . Unlike its main commercial rivals, Sky earns
> only 10% of its revenues from advertising. The use of the new
> technology, likely to attract viewers of channels supported by
> advertisements, could increase Sky's dominance of the pay-television
> market. . . However, the company has repeatedly said it is committed
> to advertising and is working with the industry to develop ways of
> grabbing consumers' attention through sponsorship deals, for
> example.. . . A Sky spokesman said it had no plans to deploy the new
> technology. "If other people want to use [the property], they can
> license it from us."

Full story at:

http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1382423,00.html

Cheers

Brian

-- 
School of Computing Science, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE1 7RU, UK
EMAIL = Brian.Randell () ncl ac uk   PHONE = +44 191 222 7923
FAX = +44 191 222 8232  URL = http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/~brian.randell/

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