[LINK] Newspapers online

stephen at melbpc.org.au stephen at melbpc.org.au
Tue Mar 30 12:00:28 AEDT 2010


Ivan writes,

> As an aside, it would be interesting to discover who not only which
> billionaires control which media markets in the world.. to discover
> what 'influence' they have ..


And perhaps predictably, lots of influence, aparently ..

'BBC bows to newspaper concerns, delays mobile apps'   

Mar 29, 2010 http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62S3XQ20100329?
type=technologyNews?feedType=nl&feedName=ustechnology


LONDON (Reuters) - British state broadcaster BBC has delayed launching 
mobile applications delivering its news and sport free to devices like 
Apple's iPhone after newspapers expressed concern about direct 
competition.

The Newspaper Publishers Association had asked the BBC's governing body, 
the BBC Trust, to examine proposals it feared could harm efforts by 
commercial rivals to succeed with their own offerings.

"It is vital that these proposals are scrutinized properly to avoid any 
adverse impact on commercial media organizations," the NPA's director, 
David Newell, said on Monday. 

"We are pleased that the BBC Trust has listened to the industry's 
concerns and acted to delay the planned April launch."

The BBC Trust will now examine the proposals. It did not give any 
timetable, but the earliest it was likely to discuss the matter is at a 
meeting late next month.

The BBC, which receives a guaranteed 3.6 billion pounds each year ($5.4 
billion) in license fees paid by householders, has come under fierce 
attack from broadcaster BSkyB and other commercial rivals exposed to a 
severe advertising slump.

James Murdoch, seen as the heir to his father Rupert Murdoch's News Corp 
media empire, has described the broadcaster's scale and ambitions 
as "chilling."

The amount of free content the BBC already makes available online has 
discouraged many newspapers from attempting to charge readers for content 
on the Web.

Earlier this month, the BBC signaled a retreat from some commercial 
operations to focus on core services, bowing to pressure from rivals and 
ahead of a general election almost certain to result in public spending 
cuts.  (Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Dan Lalor)

--

Cheers,
Stephen



More information about the Link mailing list