Blogs, podcasts and camera phones fill the airwaves

Ofcom yesterday heralded a new era for the media industry as technology begins to allow the creation of content from home or from the scene of major news events.

Ed Richards, the regulator's senior partner in competition and strategy, said a phenomenon was emerging as consumers created their own television schedules, music compilations or news footage.

Mr Richards added that the increase in use of iPods and personal video recorders, which allow viewers to skip through TV ads, was tipping the balance of power in favour of consumers.

"What's going on ... is a gradual transfer of power from broadcaster, distributor and supplier, to viewer, listener and consumer."

Speaking afterwards, Mr Richards said that user-generated and distributed content, such as internet blogging or radio broadcasts created through "podcasting", was a very important part of the "overall liberation" of media consumers.

"The self-creation of content and the self-distribution of that content ... is a really important and significant long-term development which we have hardly scratched the surface of," he said.

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