Weekly news round-up: BBC bids for UKTV & IBM urged to reject Trump

BBC bids for UKTV

The BBC is set to pay £500 million for full control of UKTV, purchasing the remaining half of the company from joint venture partner Scripps. According to The Daily Telegraph, sources revealed the corporation’s commercial division, BBC Worldwide, is looking to borrow the money from private investors in an opportunity made possible by Discovery’s potential takeover of Scripps. 

IBM petitioned to renounce Trump partnership 

A coalition of rights groups have launched an online petition against IBM Corp urging the company to abandon its proposal to use technology to identify people for visa denial and deportation from the US under the Trump administration. Reuters reported the chip maker has been targetted after its attendance at a hosted immigration enforcement informational session, which discussed the use of its technology for vetting immigrants. 

C4 to invest in European Broadcaster Exchange 

The European Broadcaster Exchange, established earlier this year by ProSiebenSat.1, TF1 and Mediaset Italy and Spain is a digital sales venture that Channel 4 plans to invest in. The UK broadcaster will become an equal partner in the pan-European video campaigns. Broadband TV News reported it is a bid to ensure that UK TV will get a cut of online advertising otherwise occupied by Facebook and Google.  

UK cyber Chief accuses Russia of hacking 

Russia has been accused of “cyber-espionage and disruption” by Prime Minister Theresa May, backed by the UK’s cyber-defence chief, who has made claims that Britain’s media, telecommunications and energy sectors have been infiltrated. According to the BBC, Russia used Twitter to help influence the 2016 Brexit referendum with more than 156,000 Russian based accounts mentioning “#Brexit” in orignal tweets. 

Netflix to remain digitally native 

Linear TV is not in Netflix’s pipeline, according to Broadband TV News, who heard from the company’s Vice President of Business Development EMEA, Maria Ferreras. Netflix has an EMEA evolution plan but not through the linear TV channel. The UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy have been classified as critical pillars of strength. This comes as Netflix has announced its spend on original content will rise to $8 billion for 2018.   

Olympics 8K trial

US hardware manufacturer SiTune Corporation has successfully tested its tuners for 8K UHD satellite TV approved by ISDB-S3 standard, in preparation for the Olympic Games. Broadband TV News reported, Japanese public broadcaster NHK aims to roll out 8K transmissions by 2018, with plans to cover the winter Olympic Games in South Korea. 

Facebook to change Watch funding

Three months after launching its Watch video tab, Facebook is rethinking its partnerships with media companies to attract new content onto its platform. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the move to stop the partial funding of content from publisher and producer partnerships will refocus on buying projects outright. It is expected to create greater funding opportunities and reduce the number of one-hit-wonder viral hits.    

Apple to rival Netflix 

Analysts at CCS Insight have predicted Apple as being ”well placed” to launch a video subscription offering next year, entering the SVOD market to rival Netflix. With a strong hardware offering and increasing competition for audiences, Apple has become a strong competitor, reported CNBC. Analysts also have predicted Netflix will refresh their pricing plans while Facebook is likely to push further into the content game.   

Fox accused of bribing for FIFA rights

Fox Sports, Globo and Grupo Televisa were named as companies who have paid bribes to win lucrative, multilayer rights for sports tournaments, a former sports-executive told a US jury, The Independent reported.