Digest: No fourth TV network; Telstra’s set-top box; The SMH redesign; Mediacom faces David Jones pitch; short-lived TV
It’s nice to see that The Australian’s new boss for its Media section is leading from the front for his first edition in charge.
Geoff Elliott, who was announced as the new editor of Media on Saturday, seizes the lead with a decent tale. He reports that media minister Stephen Conroy has privately told free TV bosses that they’re off the hook, and he won’t be allowing a fourth commercial channel which would have competed with them for revenue.
This is particularly significant, because there’s been speculation that Conroy was using that threat as a bargaining point to make sure the networks supported the digital switchover to free up spectrum. So don’t be too surprised if Seven finally launches its digital offering as a result.
Another significant move for the TV industry comes with The Oz’s revelation that Telstra is to roll out its own set-top box, called the T-box, aimed at delivering content to its BigPond online customers. This will be a move that will potentially make the telco – which already has a 50% stake in Foxtel – an even bigger media player than before. Mind you, speaking purely as a punter, while the technology may be superior, personally I’d rather drink my own bathwater than ever conduct a phone conversation with BigPond’s “customer services” again.
