Related news roundup - 05 July

After a period of quiet from us, below is some news from the world of VOD, PVRs, and more:

• BrandRepublic: Ofcom released the latest stage of its report into the subscription TV mrket, with its recommendation being a load of sports should be added to an anti-syphoning list. Understandably, this has upset BSkyB, who are entertaining legal challenges.
• The Guardian: Freeview confirmed its goal of getting 50% of households onto Freeview HD by next summer (in time for the football World Cup. The first regions for Freeview HD broadcasts will come online by the end of this year.
• PaidContentUK: Joost’s CEO Mike Volpi is leaving his post (but remaining chairman), as the company admits its portal ambitions are going nowhere. It will become a “white label video provider”.
• The Telegraph & BroadcastNow: ITV is funding some of the Digital Britain research into viability and success of micro-payments for content, and is considering introducing them in the future, both as a part of its VOD offering and a part of its Canvas offering.
• PaidContentUK has a summary of Hulu-related news / non-news, including the possibility of UK broadcasters getting an equity stake in the venture.
• LATimes: Cablevision in the US has had the legal obstacles to its offering of a cloud-based PVR removed. Users wouldn’t be limited to just the physical storage space available on the set top box in their home.