BBC tech chief wants to charge for iPlayer - 21/05/2009

This week in Entrepreneur Country:

iPlayer loophole should be closed

The debate over charging for online media content takes the stage again after comments by BBC technology chief Erik Huggers that some viewers were getting 'a free ride' by watching BBC's shows on the internet-based iPlayer rather than on television, thus exploiting a loophole in the TV licensing laws.
Speaking at a Broadcasting Press Guild lunch in London, Huggers said: "My view is that if you are using the iPlayer you have to be a television licence fee payer. I don't believe in a free ride." At present, a TV licence is only required to watch programmes when they are broadcast, meaning the iPlayer 'catch-up' service is outwith the regulations.
A spokesman for the BBC was quick to state that Mr Huggers' quotes "represented his personal opinion" and were "not the corporation's official position".
However, the BBC's independent regulator, the BBC Trust, suggested recently that changes in the way audiences are consuming publicly funded television content may require a review of the TV licence.
In a report published last month the Trust said: "Legislative change is likely to be required in order to reflect technology changes in the licence fee regulations."
This comes on the back of Rupert Murdoch revealing plans to charge users for access to News Corporation-owned newspaper websites within a year. He said that the recent experience of the Wall Street Journal proved that charging for content could be made to work, with 360,000 people downloading an iPhone WSJ application in three weeks. Users would soon be made to pay "handsomely" for accessing WSJ content, he added.

Palm stages comeback with Pre

Palm's answer to the iPhone, the long-awaited Pre, is due for release on 6 June in the US. Exclusive to mobile network operator Sprint Nextel, the smartphone will cost $199 (after a $100 cash back offer) on a two year contract, matching the cost of Apple's 3G iPhone.
The new handset, featuring a touchscreen, slide-out keyboard and a new operating system, could be critical to Palm's survival after the massive slump in the PDA market caused by the arrival of smartphones. It will also be important to Sprint Nextel, which desperately needs a desirable smartphone to compete with the exclusive deals AT&T and Verizon have with the iPhone and the Blackberry Storm respectively.
In a somewhat risky move, the release date is but two days before Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference begins on 8 June, and at which many are expecting the announcement of a new cheaper iPhone.
Palm says the Pre will be the phone that covers both the enterprise and consumer markets, providing all the necessary business capabilities as well as the personal entertainment features.
“The argument that you need one phone for work and another phone for play, or that you have to make compromises between business and lifestyle productivity, is over,” said Dan Hesse , president and CEO of Sprint. “With Pre, compromises of the past are history.”

Tobii Technology raises €16m VC investment

Stockholm-based eye-tracking systems company Tobii Technology has closed a €16m Series B funding round, led by Amadeus Capital Partners and Northzone Ventures.
Founded in 2001, Tobii's eye-tracking devices and software are now being used for scientific and market research and as assistive computer interaction tools for people with communication disabilities. The company has grown rapidly, currently employing some 200 people and turning a profit last year of €19m.
The technology enables researchers to evaluate how consumers respond to marketing visuals, from product packaging to media advertising to online interaction, and is backed up by analysis and testing systems. The assistive communications systems enable people to type, speak and activate devices simply through movements of the eye.
"Excellent technology and proven ability to grow rapidly puts Tobii in a unique position to capitalise on the huge opportunities of eye tracking. We look forward to working with this company in their continued growth and success", said Hans Otterling of Northzone Ventures.

Women contribute £130 billion annually UK economy

A recent study by the Women's Enterprise Task Force (WETF) estimates that businesses run by women contribute £130 billion per annum to the UK economy. This is despite the fact that women are over-represented in sectors that are most vulnerable in recession and significantly under-represented in business ownership full stop.
The research found that many growth-oriented women-owned enterprises were optimistic about their sustainability in a difficult economic environment and their ability to attract new business, due to low debt and controlled overheads. It also revealed that, where women entrepreneurs are growing their businesses, they have invested as much as their male counterparts to start them up and produced similar growth in terms of turnover and employees.
However, women are only half as likely to set up businesses in the first place, and by the time they are beyond the first two years and set on a growth path, just 13.6% of entrepreneurs are women. Similarly, although 16% of all UK companies are owned by women, just 3% of all corporate and public sector contracts are awarded to women-owned businesses.
For a copy of the research go to
www.womensenterprisetaskforce.co.uk/wetf_recession_research.html

New look and profit for Digital Stores

Ecommerce vendor Digital Stores has posted a profit for the 2008/09 financial year off the back of a 68 percent increase in revenue, bringing total sales to £5.6 million. The company runs websites for big music brands like Oasis, The Beatles and Placebo where fans can buy music, merchandise, tickets and other paraphernalia. Other big name customers using the Digital Stores platform to manage their online retail include EMI, Mute and ITV.com.
Emerging in good shape from a year which saw key competitor Trinity Streets fold, Digital Stores followed up its stronger than expected financial performance with the unveiling of a new-look corporate website. Check it out at www.digitalstores.co.uk