What now for endless Heartbeat repeats? Eh?

Sky and Ofcom look like they could be on collision course after the regulator proposed that Sky should make its premium film and sport content available to other broadcasting platforms such as BT Vision and Virgin Media. Naturally the satellite giant has rejected this out of hand and says it will use all legal avenues to stop it from going ahead.

Ofcom claim that forcing Sky to share its goodies will be a “most appropriate way of ensuring fair and effective competition” and that the content will be shared at regulated prices.

The news was welcomed with undisguised glee by BT Vision. The chief executive of BT Retail, Gavin Patterson possibly almost wet himself with excitement when he bleated: “The proposal to force Sky to wholesale its content is welcome, but we now need Ofcom to step up the pace and to enforce this rigorously,” like someone who had just found a golden turd in his garden.

What do y’all think? If Sky’s premium stuff could be viewed elsewhere, would you walk away from Murdochland? Is it even a fair proposal in the first place or is Ofcom turning into some kind of communist bully-boy organisation? Will we still be able to watch repeats of Heartbeat if it all comes off? Tell us what you think.

It’s Japan Day here on Bitterwallet, which means we’ve got this story and possibly another one later on that heralds from the alien world of Pachinko, the original Hole In The Wall (minus Dale Winton) and vending machines filled with schoolgirl knickers.

Here are a couple of ads for Space Shower TV, Japan’s largest cable/satellite music channel. The first one is utterly, utterly, UTTERLY off the map and as we can’t describe it, we’re not even going to bother trying. Just watch it.

Meanwhile, the second ad is just your typical tale of war and peace among inanimate objects in an everyday kitchen. Watch it also. Then watch the first one again. But not in the three hours that immediately precede your bedtime. That might not be so good for you.