Advanced Television

Ofcom

24m UK homes accessing gigabit broadband

Eight in 10 UK homes (80 per cent) are now able to get gigabit-capable broadband, up from 73 per cent the same time last year, according to new data published by comms regulator Ofcom. The figures from Ofcom’s Connected Nations spring update also show that, as of January 2024, 62 per cent of households can […]

April 24, 2024

Is terrestrial TV actually being replaced by streaming?

For the last decade or so, we’ve heard a lot of prominent voices in the entertainment industry claim that the rise of streaming services spells the inevitable death of traditional TV broadcasts. For all these predictions, terrestrial TV platforms are still very much around alongside their streaming counterparts around the world, and the balance is […]

April 22, 2024

Study: Infants receiving increased digital independence

Infant school children are increasingly online and given more digital independence by parents, according to Ofcom’s annual study of children’s relationship with the media and online worlds. Around a quarter of 5-7 year-olds (24 per cent) now own a smartphone, while three-quarters use a tablet  (76 per cent). Compared to a year ago, a higher proportion of […]

April 19, 2024

Study: Adults more likely to trust human content than AI

The way people use, think and feel about different types of media is constantly changing. In Ofcom’s latest media literacy research, the media regulator takes a deep dive into how people across the UK are navigating an increasingly online world. This year’s study explores how adults across the UK feel about issues ranging from artificial […]

April 19, 2024

Ofcom: Virgin Media sees most broadband, pay-TV complaints

Ofcom has published the latest figures for complaints the media regulator has received about the UK’s main broadband, mobile and pay-TV providers. The figures cover the period from October to December 2023. During that period, complaints remained at similar levels to the previous quarter in 2023. Complaints about landline, fixed broadband and pay-TV all fell […]

April 17, 2024

Ofcom outlines mmWave spectrum auction

Ofcom has provided updates on how the media regulator will make spectrum available in the 26 GHz and 40 GHz bands – known as millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum. This spectrum can carry large amounts of data and has the potential to improve mobile speeds in busy areas, such as train stations, football stadiums and concert […]

April 16, 2024

Ofcom: New guidelines to improve VoD access services

Ofcom has announced changes to its Access Services Code and associated best practice guidelines, to improve the accessibility of TV and on-demand programmes for UK audiences. Access services include subtitles, signing and audio description. They help people with access needs, including blind and deaf people and those with sight and hearing loss, to understand and […]

April 15, 2024

Ofcom warns TalkTV over “potentially offensive comments”

TalkTV, the free-to-air television and radio channel owned and operated by News UK, has been warned by media regulator Ofcom “to take extra care to ensure that comments which have high risk of causing serious offence are justified and put into proper context”. This follows an assessment of comments made by Julia Hartley-Brewer during an […]

April 8, 2024

Research: Social media significant news gateway

Online intermediaries, such as social media, search engines and other online aggregators exert a significant influence on the news stories people consume, according to research from UK media regulator Ofcom. Nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of UK adults use online intermediaries to access news, with Meta – the company which owns Facebook and Instagram – […]

March 25, 2024By Colin Mann

Ofcom satellite services spectrum boost

UK comms regulator Ofcom has published three documents which aim to enable more spectrum access for the growing satellite connectivity sector in the UK. Satellite operators offer a range of broadband services in the UK, such as helping better to connect homes and businesses in hard-to-reach rural areas, as well as on trains, in the […]

March 22, 2024By Colin Mann