The prognosis for satellite television in the UK
Abstract The likely impact of satellite television in the UK has been much exaggerated. The impact is, and will continue to be, conditional on the nature of competitive services of which terrestrially broadcast television is overwhelmingly the most important. If the UK terrestrial services remain unchanged a limited impact of satellite television is envisaged. Television satellites offer a technical potential to deliver additional services in national markets or to deliver a transnational, European, service. But the difficulties of profitably establishing either are considerable. Linguistic and cultural differences in Europe inhibit development of a transnational audience and as yet there are insufficient transnational ‘European’ brands to finance services through advertising. Finance of satellite services by subscription entails significant transaction costs.
How Much Does UK Television Cost
The cost of watching off-air TV programmes (BBC or ITV) for the average UK viewer is about 2p per viewing hour.
Integrated land degradation monitoring and assessment: Horizontal knowledge management at the national and international levels
The need for improved horizontal knowledge management at the national and international levels is essential for monitoring and assessment of land degradation and desertification. At the national level, governments utilise scientific, socio‐economic and technical data and information for strategic planning, priority setting and national environment and development planning. However, challenges including the lack of capacity and lack of collaboration and sharing of information across governments affect responses to and the effectiveness of monitoring and knowledge exchange, along with the ability to effectively implement treaties. At the international level, a number of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) share cross‐sectoral themes related to research and monitoring, information exchange, technology transfer, capacity building and financial resources. The need for increased synergies stems from the similarities between the issues they address. Challenges for improving knowledge management at the international level include insufficient interaction between the scientific bodies of the various MEAs; duplication of reporting, monitoring and assessment efforts; limited knowledge management between the various assessments addressing ecosystems and biological diversity during the past decade; and insufficient collaboration between the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the UN system and the international non‐governmental organisation (NGO) community. This paper examines these challenges and offers recommendations on how monitoring and assessment knowledge can be better managed at the national and international levels. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.