IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 22 December
22-12-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
Eircom CFO set to depart | News Corp wins EU approval for BSkyB deal
The Irish Times reports that Eircom CFO Peter Cross is to leave the company. A spokesman for Eircom declined to comment on the departure. He said Chief Executive Paul Donovan had assumed responsibility for finance as an interim measure. Cross could not be reached for comment, but sources indicated that there had been differences between Cross and Donovan in recent times. It is understood Cross does not have another position lined up as yet. Separately, Eircom has agreed a deal that will allow it to resell Digiweb's satellite broadband service around the country.
The Irish Independent says that News Corp has won EU approval to take full control of pay-TV broadcaster BSkyB, leaving the UK to rule on whether the deal gives Rupert Murdoch too much power over Britain's media. The takeover of BSkyB by News Corp won't "significantly impede effective competition", the European Commission said. UK media regulator Ofcom is carrying out a separate probe into whether the takeover would give too much media control to News Corp.
The Irish Examiner notes that girls are more likely to pick up a book or chat about a recent read to their pals, while boys are more likely to use the internet to find news or look up information, according to a study by the Educational Research Centre (ERC) at St Patrick's College in Dublin. The internet is most popular among girls for chatting or exchanging e-mails, and they pick up and read magazines far more frequently than male readers. Boys are more likely to read news on the internet than pick up a factual book or comic. According to the ERC, there is a moderate to strong link between how much Irish teens enjoy reading and their performance in tests.
The Financial Times says that early sales from top tech firms suggest that smartphones, tablets and internet-connected televisions will be among the year's most popular Christmas gifts. Apple has revealed that by the end of the week it would sell 1 million units of Apple TV, its USD99 device that consolidates a user's video and movie content, and allows streaming from Netflix and other services. Microsoft said it had shipped more than 1.5 million phones running the new Windows Phone 7 software. Google TV, however, has come up short. After meeting poor reviews, it has asked partners that were planning to unveil new Google TV sets next month to delay their launches in order to give Google an opportunity to improve the software.
The paper also reports that the UK communications regulator has accused BT of potentially abusing its dominant position in the wholesale telecoms market. BT, which denies any wrongdoing, has until January to respond to Ofcom's "statement of objections". Ofcom has been investigating the former monopoly's alleged "margin squeeze" for two years, after complaints by two rivals. "BT refutes, in the strongest terms, any allegation that we applied incorrect pricing to our wholesale calls product between July 2008 and April 2009," BT said.
According to the Wall Street Journal, former HP chief Mark Hurd is fighting to keep private the letter that led to his resignation and triggered an investigation by US federal regulators. The eight-page letter, in which former HP contractor Jodie Fisher accused Hurd of sexual harassment, is currently under seal in Delaware's Court of Chancery as part of a shareholder suit filed against HP over the executive's exit. The law firm for the plaintiff in the lawsuit said in November it intended to make the letter public. Earlier this month, Hurd's lawyers filed a motion to keep the letter under wraps.
The paper also notes that Activision Blizzard is seeking to add rival Electronic Arts as a defendant in a lawsuit against two star videogame makers who created Activision's 'Call of Duty' franchise. In documents filed in California superior court, Activision asked a judge for permission to add EA to a lawsuit Activision filed earlier this year against Jason West and Vince Zampella, the co-founders of Activision's Infinity Ward, one of two studios that produce the top-selling 'Call of Duty' combat game series. The filing seeks USD400 million in damages from EA for allegedly interfering with the employment contracts West and Zampella had with Activision.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 