01 Apr 1998

It must be hard work on top of Mount Sinai right now. The gods are revising the TV commandments and some poor Moses lookalike is writing them all down on a PC because the stone tablets are unavailable.

And a good job too, because once he's finished, the rules.doc will be much easier to distribute on the Net.

The seas are ready to part (new products to hit stores soon), reports of burning bushes are starting to come in (those marketing guys are attention seekers) and even Charlton Heston is rumoured to be dusting off his Ben-Hur outfit for a comeback (It's rumoured BSkyB has retained him for tactical advice).

Yes, folks this is the year of the brave new world of digital TV (of course in France it began last year and the US has had it for several years now, but only on satellite and cable...).

And If God is a TV junkie, this is what her creative juices might be telling us to do.

Day One....well, Genesis was crammed with a lot of important stuff, much like public service broadcasting. PSB's lush variety (and big libraries) is compelling but now that niche-TV and pay-TV is pulling away viewers, the raison d'etre of TV supported by taxes begins to look like a walled garden. Very pretty but what about life outside? And why should I pay for the garden if I never (hardly) go in? The lesson: Going out of the garden is fine, but leave enough funds to keep it green and growing because it includes wonderful things you might not find elsewhere. Think of Adam and Eve. In their haste they forgot to take the address to get back.

Day Two: You don't need to be Moses to know that gatekeepers aren't cool any more. The digital world changes the TV rules, but the gatekeepers - seduced by the way things were - are lining up regardless. The more enlightened among them are beginning to talk about 'open access' which will allow '1,000 flowers to bloom' and be available to anyone with a digital widget.

However, to the gatekeepers this open new world is scary. It disrupts their traditional economic models. As the TV viewing market fragments, margins are smaller and marketing costs rise. And that could depress the share price. BSkyB owner Rupert Murdoch, among others, will have to be watched carefully. Murdoch may have received an award from the Pope, but in business he tends to go for the winner-takes-all approach.

Day Three: As we are in the creation business, why not create some new legislation to ensure that players like telephone and satellite companies also get a go. In fact an earthly prophet in the UK has already thought of this. As an enlightened regulator, Don Cruickshank of Oftel has put forward the idea of a "general authorisation" system rather than individual broadcast and telecoms licences. This would allow any company to operate as long as it "stays within basic rules" that promote competition and fair pricing.

Day Four: The Old Testament did not have an opinion on set-top boxes, but today's gods believe that all of them should work together. Not only will this prevent TV sets from toppling over under the weight of multiple set-top boxes, but it should encourage box sales. Interoperability - where competing programme packages can be received on the same box be it for satellite, cable or terrestrial services - will end box confusion. The result? Consumers will sign up for digital faster.

Day Five: Biblical parables like the widow's mite tell us that you can't run a happy world with haves and have nots...so as the digital world overtakes us, we have to ensure access to its riches to as many people as possible.

Sure, there will be lots of different devices sold, including web-phones, digital TVs, Internet-enabled PCs, and some will also make the coffee and comb your dog's hair. But in all this techno-wonderland, life lines into the digital Net must be available.

In the telephone business, universal telephone service was maintained after deregulation. Something along these lines should be created to let everyone plug in.

Day Six: How about finishing off the week with something that explains it all? Known by widget heads as electronic programme guides, EPGs are software programmes that are meant to kill off the increasingly unwieldy paper TV listing guides. Now hear this: EPGs will be informative, programmable and easy to use. That's the idea anyway.

Of course commercially-minded service operators see EPGs not just as a ship's compass, but as money maker. An EPG can filter content (moving users towards those the operator owns) thereby increasing the likelihood of someone paying to use it. So EPGs are a powerful key to the digital world that need to be governed by an impartial regulator.

Day Seven: Phew! God had her day of rest so let's not break with tradition.

Time for a Diet Coke, popcorn and a quiet night in front of the old-style telly (No interaction required beyond flicking channels).