Great things to read about British TV from March 2008 to today

Whats On BBC Red Button 4th - 17th December

Episode 5 is a special two hander between Miranda and Penny so Red Button viewers will see an exclusive interview with Miranda and her real life mother. Red button audiences are treated to some exclusive extra sketches immediately after the BBC2 programme. From episode 2 onwards fans will be able to watch clips from the show and answer questions put to you by Merlin played by Colin Morgan on his magical medieval world. - bbc.co.uk

Media Talk: Is DAB dead in the water?

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Friday 03 December 2010, AM

Internet and mobile apps to fuel Teletext Holidays relaunch - www.travelweekly.co.uk

www.travelweekly.co.uk

TV ad recovery looks set to continue | Media | guardian.co.uk

The UK's largest free-to-air commercial broadcaster has enjoyed a strong recovery from the recession this year, with advertising revenue is expected to be up as much as a market beating 16. According to a number of media buying agency sources the total UK TV market is tentatively predicted to be up 9 year on year in January. The spread given for ITV1 is between 7 and as high as a 12 increase on January year on year. - guardian.co.uk

News Corp offers EC concessions for Sky bid - Business News, Business - The Independent

In response, the Commission has allowed 10 extra days for the first phase of its inquiry into the planned 12bn deal, extending the deadline from 8 December to 22 December. No details were made public, but it is understood that New Corp, which is seeking to raise its 39.1 per cent stake in Sky to full ownership, has not offered any asset sales. The saga dates back to June, when News Corp first approached Sky's independent directors with a bid valued at 700p per share. - independent.co.uk

stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk

Thursday 02 December 2010, PM

TV viewing rises in UK

Trade body Thinkbox stated the typical individual viewed 27 hours, 34 minutes of live, linear television per week betweenJanuary and September 2010, equivalent to nearly four hours a day. The median total - which only included TV sets - had increased by one hour 50 minutes when measured against the corresponding period last year, posting growth across all age groups. Commercial TV took a 62 share, or just over 17 hours every seven days, marking an annual improvement of 49 minutes, and a surge reaching one hour 22 minutes on the five-year average. - warc.com

www.warc.com

Ofcom | Report to the Secretary of State on the public teletext service

Published 021210 1.1 Under the Communications Act 2003 CA03, Ofcom must do all it can to secure the provision of a public teletext service. 1.2 The public teletext service licence was held from 1993 until January 2010 by Teletext Ltd. However, in December 2009 Teletext Ltd ceased to provide the required service. - stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk

Thursday 02 December 2010, AM

Blinkx eyes YouView as better bet than Google TV and Microsoft | News | Rapid TV News

The Reuters news agency has revealed that the two companies have been in conversation and that Blinkx has been deeply involved in the various technical processes YouView is running before it launches sometime in 2011. Reuters also reported that Blinkx was also willing in the future to charge for content, he said, and that the best candidate platforms for this would be TV and mobile. - rapidtvnews.com

www.rapidtvnews.com

Ofcom | UK consumers revealed as early adopters of new technologies

UK consumers are some of the earliest adopters of new communications technologies, new Ofcom research reveals. They are among the best connected for broadband, mobile and digital TV and the UK has seen the fastest growth in smartphone take-up. UK consumers are also enjoying lower prices for communications services than many consumers across the world. - media.ofcom.org.uk

media.ofcom.org.uk

Britons well ahead of the pack in adopting new technology, says Ofcom | Business | The Guardian

Britain is seeing faster growth in subscribers to high-value smartphones, such as the iPhone, than anywhere else in Europe, Ofcom's latest research has found. The communications regulator said that the UK was near or at the front of almost all the basic categories it studied, including percentage of broadband users, adoption of new TV technologies, use of social networking, smartphone and mobile internet take-up, and use of laptops rather than desktop computers to access the net. Italy has the highest take-up of smartphones among European countries with 26 subscribers for every 100 people, followed by Spain 21 and the UK 18. - guardian.co.uk

BBC Plans Subscription-Only U.S. iPlayer On iPad| paidContent:UK

The significance of the move is clear it means the BBC will operate a subscription worldwide media channel that, in time, could become one of its biggest. However I can announce here that were going to be adopting a pure paid subscription model for the global iPlayer for launch in part to get audiences used to using the service, but more importantly so we can generate additional value from the service in terms of the user data that it gives us. Launched three years ago, its now the UKs most popular broadcaster-operated VOD service, clocking 139 million requests in October. - paidcontent.co.uk

paidcontent.co.uk

Fake sales and price tricks targeted in crackdown - December - 2010 - Which? News

02 December 2010 Companies which dupe people into buying items through tricks such as hidden extras must make prices clearer or face enforcement action, the trade watchdog warned today. It singled out practices such as 'drip pricing' - where extras such as taxes and card charges are added as you go through the buying process - time-limited offers - such as those that 'end today' - and baiting sales, where a deal is advertised to get customers through the door but few items are available at the sale price. We've reported several companies to trading standards officers and the OFT because of our concerns that consumers were being misled. - which.co.uk

www.which.co.uk

UK lags on broadband and mobile

In its annual International Communications Market report, the regulator said more needed to be done on fixed and mobile broadband. Less than 1 of UK homes have super-fast broadband, compared to over a third of Japanese consumers. Next-generation mobile services have yet to roll out in the UK. - bbc.co.uk

Wednesday 01 December 2010, PM

Blinkx eyes place on UKs YouView platform| Reuters

Blinkx has indexed more than 35 million hours of audio, video, viral and TV content using patented search technology. It generates ad revenue at the search stage and then also within the playback if the video is shown on its own site or on one of its partners' sites. - reuters.com

www.reuters.com

Jana Bennetts reign as BBC head of television to end | Media | guardian.co.uk

The outgoing director of BBC Vision, Jana Bennett. The person appointed is likely to be considered a potential successor to Mark Thompson as director general. Other rising BBC stars have been discreetly ruled out. - guardian.co.uk

Media: Michael Grade, WikiLeaks, Neil Berkett. 1 Dec 10

downloads.bbc.co.uk

Humax: Freeview HD receiver sales have been disappointing | News | TechRadar UK

Humax is at the forefront of Freeview HD in the UK. Price of the product has been a little high. - techradar.com

www.techradar.com

That UKRD spat in numbers - James Cridland

They damage radios standing in the eyes of advertisers and listeners. The radio industry is best served by making brilliant programming that people want to listen to on whatever platform. The radio industry is not best served by subjecting UKRDs 898,000 weekly listeners to a negative propaganda exercise. - james.cridland.net

james.cridland.net

BBC strike threat averted as pensions reform agreed | News | Broadcast

It takes just 2 minutes and offers full, instant access to the Broadcast website along with a copy of the magazine delivered every week. - broadcastnow.co.uk

Thousands of Sky customers sold fake insurance | This is Money

Insurance scam Three firms convinced customers to take out monthly premiums A probe by the City regulator found three firms were raking in millions of pounds in profit by selling Sky insurance without authorisation. It meant that customers who had a problem with the insurance had no protection from the Financial Services Authority as a result, they could not complain to the ombudsman. Money Mail has repeatedly warned readers about satellite insurance scams. - thisismoney.co.uk

www.thisismoney.co.uk

Sly Bailey: Murdoch will want pound of flesh from Sky - Press Gazette

www.pressgazette.co.uk

Wednesday 01 December 2010, AM

DAB radio switchover to proceed as planned - November - 2010 - Which? News

30 November 2010 Listening on DAB or internet contributes towards digital listening figures. The response suggests no change will be made to the criteria that will trigger the switch from FMto DAB, which may disappoint those less than enamoured with digital radio at present. In particular, it was concerned that it could lead to FM listeners feeling bullied into buying into DAB for fear of losing the ability to listen to radio. - which.co.uk

www.which.co.uk

Tuesday 30 November 2010, PM

In Online TV Re-Streaming, UK s TVCatchup Dealt A Legal Blow| paidContent:UK

The website started re-streaming live TV channels on the web two years ago, after it earlier shut a kind of web-based PVR it operated. TVCatchup argued that its re-streams are not broadcasts since they are one-to-one, not one-to-many. The channels concede, on this point, that TVCatchups streams themselves dont constitute broadcasting. - paidcontent.co.uk

paidcontent.co.uk

Digital switchover to be delayed | News | Broadcast

30 November, 2010 The switchover to digital radio could be delayed until 2017 at the earliest, sources at Westminster have said. It takes just 2 minutes and offers full, instant access to the Broadcast website along with a copy of the magazine delivered every week. - broadcastnow.co.uk

Monday 29 November 2010, PM

Media comment and updates - Media UK

... more Changes to our email alerts James Cridland August 25, 2012 We've changed our email alerts to be more comprehensive and better. James Cridland May 22, 2012 Chrome is apparently now the number one browser. ... more 24 hours in media Thu 3 May James Cridland May 3, 2012 A trial. - mediauk.com

www.mediauk.com

Monday 29 November 2010, AM

London gets Noughties on DAB

radiotoday.co.uk

Video on demand: will there actually be a demand? | Media | The Guardian

Deluded, because he believes, supported by the data, the extent of change in viewing habits is much less, and will be much less than the hype suggests, over the next decade. Barwise bases his case on the fact that 80 of viewing is of live TV, and the rest is largely catchup in one form or another. Of the remainder, VoD accounts for only 1-2 of viewing for young adults, he said. - guardian.co.uk

Has BBC World Service become a sacrificial victim? | Media | The Guardian

The FCO funds the World Service via an annual grant that has already been reduced from 272m to 261m this year. Osborne said in October it would be subject to a further 16 cut in its budget by 2014. That is simply too big a cut not to have a devastating effect on services, some of which will be shut down completely. - guardian.co.uk

China broadcasters strike gold with foreign formats

The success of the show, which found its own unlikely star in winner Liu Wei - an armless pianist who plays with his toes - also marks a shift in China's television industry from copying to buying foreign copyrights. Viewers responded by making it SMG's highest-rated show ever, with the October 12 finale capturing 5.7 percent of the nationwide audience and a 34.9 percent share in Shanghai. Disney saw it as part of a long-term China investment, he added. - independent.co.uk

Absolute Radio tries Full HD

radiotoday.co.uk

Sunday 28 November 2010, PM

BBC firms up Television Centre sale | Media | The Guardian

In the summer the BBC unveiled plans to redevelop the Television Centre site into a 'creative quarter'. The Guardian has learned that plans about the next stage of the redevelopment has been drawn up and will be put before the BBC's finance committee next month. All news staff are being housed together in Broadcasting House after a 1bn revamp, which has now been completed. - guardian.co.uk

Friday 26 November 2010, PM

New BBC Red Button Connected Homepage

As many of you know, if you have both broadband and a Freesat HD set top box, you can connect your box to the Internet with an Ethernet cable. This allows your Freesat box to receive content both via broadcast, and the internet BBC iPlayer for example, is streamed to Freesat IP-enabled devices so you can pick and choose which video to watch, whenever you want it to start playing. - bbc.co.uk

Tim Davie on DABs ambitious target

Editor's note Tim Davie was interviewed on today's Feedback, Radio 4's weekly accountability programme - SB. BBC TV and Radio is running its own companion advertisments but some commercial radio stations are holding off. Fifteen per cent of listening is currently on DAB radio and that figure rises to nearly 25 per cent for listening on all digital platforms - online etc. Many of us have lots of analogue radios which we have no desire to see become redundant. - bbc.co.uk

LG updates online service with iPlayer and Twitter

The new online applications are available to current owners of LG NetCast TVs via an update. Were committed to offering our customers a fully connected home and these new applications will further enhance our current offering. - dtg.org.uk

www.dtg.org.uk

Media Talk: Katie Price, Richard Desmond, and Murdoch's 'iNewspaper'

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PCTV Systems PCTV NanoStick T2 review | Expert Reviews

At that time, we were expecting PC tuners supporting the standard to follow on quickly. Weeks stretched to months, TV manufacturers launched HD compatible sets, but there was still no sign of PC tuners. This makes the potential market for such a tuner rather small. - expertreviews.co.uk

www.expertreviews.co.uk

Friday 26 November 2010, AM

Can sky-high broadband take off?

The spacecraft, called Hylas 1 Highly Adaptable Satellite, was scheduled to launch at the end of last year but will now go into orbit on 26 November. The UK government may see the launch as an answer to its prayers as it races to provide all homes with a minimum 2Mbps broadband connection by 2015. He said the service would provide an answer to rural communities which had been quoted thousands of pounds from firms such as BT to roll out broadband services. - bbc.co.uk

Sonichi SB-50 DAB first look - Audio - Which? Technology

If that sounds complicated, don't worry - it's very similar to other in-car CD/radios, except it adds a DAB tuner and other features. It's rare to find brand-new cars with a DAB radio, let alone older ones, so this is one way of upgrading your car. There are a few other manufacturers offering a DAB in-car radio, but these are often significantly more expensive than the Sonichi unit. - which.co.uk

www.which.co.uk

Thursday 25 November 2010, PM

Labour calls for Jeremy Hunt to sort out S4C mess of his own making | Media | guardian.co.uk

It may already be too late for that. S4C has been in crisis since last month when Hunt negotiated a deal with the BBC for the corporation to take over responsibility for its governance and most of its funding in 2013, without consulting the Welsh-language broadcaster. S4C is also facing a 24.4 budget cut in real terms as part of the government's comprehensive spending review. - guardian.co.uk

BBC News Channel audience figures

This year has seen many major news stories, including the UK general election, the Haiti earthquake, the Pakistan floods, the shootings in Cumbria and the Chilean miners. During events like these, some traumatic and some complex, many people turn to the BBC. In the year so far, 9.6 million people have watched the channel each week a 24 increase on 2009, when the average was 7.7 million. - bbc.co.uk

Tracking ratings for BBC programmes

World Service to get funding boost in 2014 | News | Broadcast

It takes just 2 minutes and offers full, instant access to the Broadcast website along with a copy of the magazine delivered every week. - broadcastnow.co.uk

S4C chairman resigns | News | Broadcast

It takes just 2 minutes and offers full, instant access to the Broadcast website along with a copy of the magazine delivered every week. - broadcastnow.co.uk

OFT May Pass on Review of News Corp. s BSkyB Bid, Lawyers Say - BusinessWeek

www.businessweek.com

Thursday 25 November 2010, AM

BT could bundle YouView boxes with broadband packages

BT is reportedly considering bundling its broadband packages with YouView set-top boxes when the internet protocol TV service hits the market next year. - cable.co.uk

www.cable.co.uk

Coalition tried to force BBC to run government adverts - TV Radio, Media - The Independent

The director general of the BBC claimed yesterday he had been placed under pressure to broadcast government advertising, threatening the independence of the BBC. Mr Thompson also claimed the deal struck with the Government had actually made the organisation larger rather than smaller. - independent.co.uk

DAB radio ads fuel row over digital switchover - Business News, Business - The Independent

The analogue radio signal is set to be turned off in 2015. Mr Rogers attacks DAB for its lack of national coverage, claiming that even where the signal does exist it is of variable quality, and pointing out that not all stations will fit on to the new system. Other groups, including Global Radio and GMG, are also holding off from the Christmas ads. - independent.co.uk