BBC gives new look to interactive TV, Web

"Our aim is to create a networked Britain where people can get British-made content through new technologies that aren't going to go away," said the BBC representative.

-- tip o' the bearskin to Sarah (my wife) for this one

GM Follows Zero-Percent Financing With a Zero-Tax Sale of DirecTV

Seems GM is playing the ole Tax Law game to get out of paying taxes on the sale of DirecTV to Echostar.

As seen on WashingtonPost.com.

MS Updates I-TV Platform

COMING SOON! Q&A with Ed Graczyk, MSTV's director of marketing and communications, on primetime.

OpenTV Launches Chat and Mobile Phone iTV Messaging Services

This isn't what I would call the killer app iTV has been looking for. Nor do I think there is much consumer demand for this functionality. Messaging "facilitates broadcasters with the ability to send pre-set messages..." Just what we need. Yet another word from our sponsor... As for Chat, the feature will allow "viewers to share to opinions as they watch programs." Frankly, I can do that well enough with my wife sitting next to me on the couch...

"OpenTV encourages cable operators to charge SMS and OpenTV Chat users on a pay-per-usage basis."

And my wife doesn't charge me for speaking to her. Not yet, anyway.

Reminiscent of Napster, Studios File Complaint Against SONICblue's ReplayTV

Today's [itvt] has a good analysis of the lawsuit Dave mentions below. Among the issues discussed: skipping commericals, sending recorded shows, and customers controlling media. With respect to new functionality, ReplayTV has all along been asking studios to get on board, given potential revenue opportunities with PVR-based VOD. Says [itvt]:

[itvt] suspects that the complainants are concerned that they have yet to figure out how to develop those services, and thus want to head off new business ReplayTV could derive before any elaborate licensing deals are established.

With respect to control:

[SONICblue CTO Andy] Wolfe speculated that the companies want to "completely control how consumers interact with media. They don't want consumers to have control of the media. They want limited choice within limited media. They aren't interested in innovative, new, growth-oriented experiences of television."

Is this really about control? What is SONICblue's angle? Do they see themselves as a middleman that can offer both control to the consumer, and new revenue opportunities to studios?