One year on from the launch of the latest generation of gaming consoles Microsoft and Sony remain locked in a high stakes struggle for dominance of the gaming industry, and longer term viability of the console category.

Sony’s PS4, which we estimate outsold Microsoft’s Xbox One 3:1 in Q3, looks certain to win this round in a return to form for Sony following the relative disappointment of the PS3. Microsoft, struggling from missteps early in the Xbox One cycle, may have left it too late to catch up.

The wider games market continues to shift to mobile and online gaming, as developers seek to exploit the vast installed base of connected devices. New console gaming experiences from Steam and Amazon may be the primary growth driver for controller-based gameplay.

The General Election in May 2015 looks to be one of the most unpredictable in living memory. A hung parliament seems the most likely outcome, but the likely government after May is still unclear. Whereas in previous elections there were at most three swings that mattered, between the Lib Dems, Labour and the Conservatives, in this one there are arguably 10 or 11. There has been a huge increase in complexity, which, along with the virtually neck-and-neck polls, is what makes the outcome so much harder to predict.

In this report, we describe the context of this election, analyse the prospects for each party, and illustrate three possible outcomes of the election, detailing what would be necessary for each of them to occur, and what sort of government each of them would lead to.

Ofcom released its third review of public service broadcasting on 15 December, focusing on "Public Service Content in a Connected Society". Enders Analysis assessed how online media services contributed to the provision of public service content over the course of the review period (2008-2013). This report represents a summary and key themes of our findings.

Relevant media content is now available over the internet from a huge number of sources. As well as affecting how media content is distributed and consumed, the internet is changing the nature of content available and funding models.

In a few genres, the internet is now ahead of traditional broadcasting, notably those in which interactivity is a major enhancement, such as music and education. In news and current affairs, online services often match television’s output, arguably providing more breadth and depth, though accuracy and impartiality are less assured.

As part of Ofcom’s third review of public service broadcasting, Enders Analysis produced 12 case studies of online media services, examining how they contribute to the public service objectives. The full report and all case studies are available on the Ofcom website.

Here we present three of those case studies: BuzzFeed, Vice, and the phenomenon of YouTube ‘vloggers’ producing content for young people. These represent sources of innovative content unlike that found in traditional media.

The online services we assess attract younger audiences than traditional media, and also have a more flexible approach to monetising those audiences, relying on sponsorship, creative solutions and even events and book deals to capitalise on their brands.

The shift to mobile continues, with the smartphone replacing the laptop as the device with the most users, although the rate of tablet adoption has slowed somewhat.

This shift will change the online revenue mix, with mobile being better suited to content, native and video advertising than traditional display and search. Mobile devices also now account for the majority of visits to retail sites, and more than a third of spend online.

We see large age-based differences across all internet activities, but the split is particularly significant for smartphone adoption and usage, with only a quarter of over-55s using smartphones, and only a third of those reporting downloading apps.

The Sky Deutschland platform, which will fall under BSkyB’s control by mid-November, continues to post strong subscriber growth, thanks to steady gross additions and declining churn

However, average revenue per user remains flat year-on-year, and declined sequentially for the first time in over four years, raising questions about Sky’s capacity to sustain the recent pace of total revenue growth

On current trends, cash flow break-even will not happen before the last quarter of calendar 2016, months before the possible price hike from a new domestic football rights auction. Meanwhile, deployment of Sky’s connected TV services appears to be keeping OTT competitors at bay

In the last few days we have spoken to key authorities in advertising in the US, UK and Europe.

We have been exploring the critical debate: the degree to which TV consumption and TV advertising are shifting and will shift to digital. Recent media coverage has argued traditional TV business models could start to unravel in the medium term. We disagree.

UK consumers have embraced data-hungry services like Facebook and Google, but many also have concerns about privacy online; young people have a more positive view of the trade-off and know how to avoid targeted advertising

Businesses that are conscientious about consumers’ data gain their trust, and the gap between trusted brands and the market as a whole may grow substantially in the future

Despite Edward Snowden’s revelations on ‘Big brother snooping’, the UK Government has secured vast access to communications data without serious challenge to date

In a huge victory for the Union, 55% of Scotland’s voters said ‘No thanks’ to independence

The follow-up to the cross-party pledge on devolution shifts to London and will be dictated by the winner of the General Election on 7 May 2015; the Conservatives are aiming for a wider constitutional settlement for England to resolve the West Lothian question, while Labour will stick with a minimalist approach to preserve Scottish MPs

The 1.6 million votes for independence demonstrate the strength of the separatist movement; we expect the SNP to continue its mission, actively supported by the Scottish Government, and to renew its mandate for independence by winning the May 2016 election with a solid majority

Apple has fulfilled its promise to roll out innovative new products this year, launching Apple Watch into the nascent wearables market and Apple Pay, a new mobile payments service, as well as moving the iPhone into ‘phablet’ territory.

The larger-screened 6 and 6 Plus should revive growth in iPhone sales and ASP, as well as providing another variable to compete in the mid-tier handset segment; Apple Pay further enhances Apple’s lock on its customer base.

Apple Watch’s likely impact is harder to discern; to date sales of smartwatches have been lacklustre but although Apple’s offering is the most commercially viable yet, it still feels like a solution in need of a problem.