Murdoch Jr. whines that regulation stops his daddy introducing FoxNews in Britain

[oldironside]

"James Murdoch hits out at BBC and regulators at Edinburgh TV festival

News Corp chief James Murdoch describes UK TV as 'Addams Family of world media' in hard-hitting MacTaggart lecture


James Murdoch tonight launched a scathing attack on the BBC, describing the corporation's size and ambitions as "chilling" and accusing it of mounting a "land grab" in a beleaguered media market.

News Corporation's chairman and chief executive in Europe and Asia also heavily criticised media industry regulator Ofcom, the European Union and the government, accusing the latter of "dithering" and failing to protect British companies from the threat of online piracy.

Delivering the MacTaggart lecture at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival 20 years after his father Rupert, Murdoch described UK broadcasting as "the Addams Family of world media", comparing it unfavourably with the industries in India and France and complaining about the "astonishing" burden of regulation placed on BSkyB, the pay-TV giant he chairs. "Every year, roughly half a million words are devoted to telling broadcasters what they can and cannot say," he said."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/aug/28/james-murdoch-bbc-mactaggart-edinburgh-tv-festival

Well, Mr Murdoch, if a slimmed down, aggressive, go-getting, free market loving organisation like Sky can't compete with a monolithic Stalinist dinosaur like the Beeb, it must be doing something wrong.

Oh, and his comment about the BBC throttling the market show he has GWB's sense of irony.

[fedsron2us]

1. Rumours are that News Corp has some serious financial problems

since its business model like so many media dinosaurs can not compete with cheap or free online content.
What it really hates about the BBC is not BBC1 or Radio 4 or even the license fee but the IPlayer and all those free view channels which threaten its subscription base. Quite why News Corp should be regarded as a 'British company' is beyond me.

[TheBigotBasher]

2. Murdoch missed the ball on the internet

He could have forgotten Astra and moved away from a satellite model, developing Sky on demand boxes that went through the net. That would have also have enabled him to really say FU to the licence fee as on demand requires no licence.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

3. Well, he would say this wouldn't he?

Dismantling the BBC would mean higher profits for BSkyB. Without the BBC's grant its on-screen, creative and technical talent would be poached by the media groups with the most capital ready for investment, of which BSkyB is one. Taking this labour source out of the public sector to compete with labour in the private sector would surely keep wage rates down thus keeping shareholders happy through higher profits.

Taking out BBC Online: its News service and BBC iPlayer would be great news for commercial providers as it would increase a potential customer market for online news and video-content.

Those on low-incomes would just have to get used to what remains of free television, most likely a toothless PBS-type of system.

[LeftishBrit]

4. He evident;y doesn't like any competition.

As regards the BBC throttling the market - er, we do already have alternative news sources, e.g. ITN and Channel 4 news.

[T_i_B]

5. There's also the quality issue

Only the most rabid of right wingers would ever claim that you get better programmes on Sky then on the BBC. Of course you aren't supposed to mention that one to the anti-BBC brigade but there you go.

[TheBigotBasher]

6. Yeah the BBC is so wonderful.

They really stood up to Alistair Campbell when it really mattered.

[T_i_B]

7. Yes, and News International always stands up to the right wing!

:sarcasm: