Monday 09 May 2016, AM
Bafta TV awards 2016: Wolf Hall director says BBC is under threat
The government came under unprecedented attack at the Bafta TV awards on Sunday, where the BBC swept the board with double wins for BBC2's Mark Rylance drama Wolf Hall and Peter Kay sitcom Car Share. Winning the prize for his role as Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall capped an extraordinary year for Rylance, who also won an Oscar and a Bafta film award for Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies. - www.theguardian.com
www.theguardian.comSunday 08 May 2016, PM
Channel 4's David Abraham: why wreck a winning formula with privatisation?
David Abraham is chief executive of Channel 4 Television and a former chief executive of UKTV. This is an edited extract from What Price Channel 4 a collection of essays published by Abramis and edited by John Mair, Fiona Chesterton, David Lloyd, Ian Reeves and Richard Tait. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comhttp://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/consultations/700-clearance-cfi/summary/700_MHz_Implementation.pdf
Question 1 Do you agree with our assessment of the number of viewers that will need to retune Question 2 Do you any comments on how viewers will find the retuning process and whether there are particular groups of viewers which will require greater consideration/assistance with the process What help might they need 100,000-160,000 viewers may need to replace their aerials 3.11 Most aerials sold today are 'wideband' aerials. Table 2 Estimated cost of viewer communications scheme Component On-screen pop-ups to tell viewers they need to re-tune Estimated cost 0.5m-1m 0-0.5m website A website explaining what viewers will need to do as a result of development the clearance process costs An advice line for viewers that experience problems 1m-2m Targeted communications to charities that help vulnerable groups of viewers 0.5m-1m Administrative costs 0.5m-1m Total cost 2.5m-5.5m 3.23 14 The scope of the viewer communications campaign for DSO was much greater than what we have allowed for above. - stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk
stakeholders.ofcom.org.ukhttp://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/consultations/maximising-benefits-700-MHz-clearance/summary/maximising-benefit
Maximising the benefits of 700MHz clearance Enabling acceleration of 700MHz clearance and use of the 700MHz centre gap Consultation Publication date 11 March 2016 Closing Date for Responses 20 May 2016 Maximising the benefits of 700MHz clearance About this document In November 2014 we decided to make valuable spectrum in the 700MHz band available for mobile data as soon as practicably possible. Table 1 Benefits of change of use of the 700MHz band in 1st January 2016 NPV 22 Benefit Magnitude Network cost savings Access to the 700MHz band will enable MNOs to meet increases in demand for mobile data at a lower cost than would 480m-770m 22 These figures correspond to the update published on 11-3-2015 16 Maximising the benefits of 700MHz clearance otherwise have been the case. - stakeholders.ofcom.org.ukstakeholders.ofcom.org.ukUKTV Play expands reach with Freeview Play launch
UKTV Play - complete with previews, collections, celeb picks, favourites list, history and resume function - to launch on Freeview Play. UKTV today announced it is further expanding the reach of its award-nominated on demand service, UKTV Play, by making it available on Freeview Play. - www.freeview.co.uk
www.freeview.co.ukThe BBC will be so dull if the Tories get their way
Behind closed doors myself and other creatives within broadcasting have been reassured the opposite that the BBC is loved throughout the land, that its licence fee is safe, that the government is simply not allowed to and has no intention of telling it what programmes to make, and that its editorial independence will be preserved. Frustrated that their plan to cut the corporation to shreds can't happen because it would be deeply unpopular, are those same people looking for subtler ways to administer a quieter, gentler death Otherwise why the stories, coming from No 10, that David Cameron wants the BBC charter to be reviewed every five years instead of 10, that it should have a new ruling body in which at least half its members are appointed by the government of the day, and that this body should have involvement in day-to-day operational decisions, including news coverage - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comSunday 08 May 2016, AM
the BBC's Galápagos tortoise
Suddenly, with his archaic belief in both the value of public broadcasting and the inherent worth of the un-monetisable natural world, the venerable polymath himself is as rare a creature as the Galpagos tortoise, whose environment he strove to save, and one equally doomed to extinction. Whittingdale has been unashamedly ridiculous since at least last summer, and yet, like that old condom stuck to the roof of the bus shelter by the mosque and visible only from the top deck of the 141, he shows no signs of being removed by higher powers any time soon, perhaps because they are scared of his knowledge of torture techniques. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comSenior Conservative MPs and peers in fight to halt radical BBC reform
A Conservative rift has emerged over a radical plan to reform the BBC, limit its autonomy and divide the licence fee with other broadcasters. Whittingdale is to argue for greater public scrutiny of all the corporation's spending and to urge that the BBC Trust should be abolished, with future regulation shared by a powerful new board of trustees and Ofcom, the media watchdog. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comSaturday 07 May 2016, PM
John Whittingdale to force BBC to reveal stars' pay
The BBC currently publishes a limited amount of information about how much it pays its stars, disclosing only how many performers sit within a variety of financial bands, ranging from 50,000 up to 5 million. The new government proposals will apply to all BBC employees and freelancers above the 150,000 threshold. - www.telegraph.co.uk
www.telegraph.co.ukSaturday 07 May 2016, AM
BBC follows Netflix in using online viewing data to help it pick new shows
The BBC is following Netflix in using online viewing data to help it decide which programmes to make. News teams were already using data more extensively to work out what stories should feature on TV, with interest in online coverage of Greece's relationship with the European Union helping staff decide whether to feature the story in the evening bulletin. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comWednesday 04 May 2016, PM
Tuesday 03 May 2016, PM
Govenment threats to make BBC move Strictly are 'ridiculous', says Lord Patten
Conservative party grandee Lord Patten has sharply criticised culture secretary John Whittingdale and accused the government of listening more to the BBC's commercial rivals than the public. In his first public comments on the BBC since standing down as chairman almost two years ago due to ill health, Patten used his Reuters Institute Lecture to call for an independent body to advise the government on the level of the licence fee and the corporation's governance. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comTuesday 03 May 2016, AM
Threats to shift Strictly are just part of the plan to sabotage the BBC
Most serious to the BBC's reputation is the plan drawn up for Whittingdale by David Clementi, a former chairman of Virgin Money and Prudential, to create a single board running the BBC, dominated by political appointees. The question is how loudly fans of The Archers, Radio 3, Strictly, Bake Off, War and Peace or Match of the Day will defend this soundscape of the nation - this rare social glue in a fissiparous society - and show they are all goggling together, as bonded to the BBC as they are to the NHS.. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.com
Channel 5 HD encryption to be lifted on 3rd May
Once the encryption is lifted, Channel 5 HD will no longer be part of the range of channels covered by Sky's entertainment pack and will be available to all HD viewers, even without a current viewing card. Timeline Channel 5 HD on FreeviewHow did we get here Why did it take so long for Channel 5 HD to go free-to-air - www.a516digital.comwww.a516digital.comMonday 02 May 2016, AM
DAB Update: D2 station migration completes
Kiss Fresh available in more areasMaking use of some of the freed-up capacity on local DAB multiplexes, Bauer Media's Kiss Fresh station has replaced Kisstory in areas where it controls the local DAB service - notably across northern England and central Scotland. Coverage boostsWith just a few months until the completion of the current DAB coverage expansion programme, DAB digital radio has been boosted during the past week in parts of East Anglia, with the addition of the Essex local DAB multiplex from transmitters at Braintree and Manningtree. - www.a516digital.comwww.a516digital.comSunday 01 May 2016, PM
BBC scheduling: government denies it is seeking to take over
The government has denied reports that it will seek to determine BBC scheduling following reports that it will bar the broadcaster from showing popular programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing at peak viewing times. The BBC has voiced concerns at moves it says will undermine its independence, particularly about plans for the government to directly appoint most members of a new body to run the corporation instead of the BBC Trust. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comBBC Studios: a win for talent or an own goal?
Coming hot on the heels of the exit of the director of BBC Studios Peter Salmon and Wendy Darke, who was due to be head of natural history, the departures have left some of the 2,000 or so staff who officially transferred into BBC Studios on Friday feeling nervous. To compound matters there are reports that the forthcoming white paper on the BBC proposes allowing independent producers to tender for more or all BBC shows, raising the prospect that even in-house hits created by the corporation, such as Top Gear or EastEnders, could one day be made by outside companies. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comTony Hall's grand reorganisation of the BBC 'is playing with fire'
Truth be told the BBC privately believes the white paper and, critically, the funding arrangements behind it - only an 800m cut as the BBC is forced to take up the cost of over 75s' licence fees - is essentially a done deal. Who will do that and with what lines of accountability Secondly, given that all the mainstream TV channels and most of the radio stations run content that might be thought of as coming from all three of the new directorates, where does the overview function currently exercised by the channels and their controllers overseen by the TV and Radio directorates sit And thirdly where does the audience fit into all this, given that consumption of BBC content is still overwhelmingly via traditional channels The potential failure to grasp the importance of channel controllers to the BBC's communication with the viewing/listening public is completely wrong-headed. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comThe only thing Channel 4 needs to be saved from is privatisation
In Paris, the selfsame doctrine holds as 70 editors and production people who sustained the International New York Times lose their jobs. The spoils of news competition go increasingly not to news providers, but to the aggregators and platforms of social media. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comFriday 29 April 2016, PM
Friday 29 April 2016, AM
Government could ask BBC to trial pay service as it closes 'iPlayer loophole'
The government could ask the BBC to trial a new paid-for service on the iPlayer as it cracks down on viewers without TV licences watching online for free. As well as telling the BBC to put password controls on the iPlayer, he will ask it to investigate a new offering in which people would pay for shows outside its traditional catch-up window, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comWednesday 27 April 2016, PM
The reporting of Hillsborough, 'Constructive' journalism, BBC Chinese service move
open.live.bbc.co.uk
Freeview: death of linear TV ‘overstated' » Digital TV Europe
The death of linear TV is not something that Freeview is experiencing, with the vast majority of people in the UK still tuning in live, according to Freeview managing director Guy North. Also speaking on the panel, Damien Read, director of product marketing for Now TV, stressed that Sky's standalone over-the-top service is not cannibalising its core pay TV offering. - www.digitaltveurope.netwww.digitaltveurope.netTuesday 26 April 2016, PM
BBC needs to be braver online
s the BBC becoming ‘old media’, just as it tries to embrace the globalised future, asks Tony Garnett In the 1990s, John Birt forced the BBC’s arts mandarins to embrace the digital revolution. But the early adopter energy seems to have morphed into a sluggish reluctance. BBC3 goes online, but mainly to save money. Websites merely support broadcast programmes. An early CBBC online drama initiative seems isolated: if other work is in progress, the gestation is interminable. I spent my life in drama, struggling to embrace and use each new technology. It was an exhilarating ride, sometimes uncomfortable but always embracing. It was a perennial fight for the right to innovate. www.broadcastnow.co.uk
www.broadcastnow.co.ukTuesday 26 April 2016, AM
Record numbers of new cars with digital radio
In the year 2015 almost 1.9 million new cars were registered with digital radio as standard and it is projected that in 2016 over 2.2 million cars will be sold with digital radio as standard. The Q1 2016 new car data confirms the level of support digital radio has from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and vehicle manufacturers. - radiotoday.co.uk
radiotoday.co.ukMoyles encourages everyone to back DAB radio
Chris Moyles took a quarter of an hour of his show today to explain the benefits of digital radio and future of Radio X. He was encouraging his listeners to spread the word about DAB and thanked his loyal fans for buying new radio sets just to be able to listen to him on Radio X via DAB. He talked about Manchester being a level playing field for the station because it's on FM, and that there are people in radio in Manchester who are worried about Radio X. Chris compared the future of radio to how television has switched off analogue radio and everything is now digital, saying some people don't realise all TV is now digital, and he wants the same for radio. - radiotoday.co.ukradiotoday.co.ukMonday 25 April 2016, PM
This white paper threatens the BBC's independence. It must be opposed
Even before any serious debate had started, we saw George Osborne take away a sizable chunk of the BBC's income with his demand that the BBC fund the licence fee for the over 75s. In return the BBC thought it had extracted a commitment from the government that the licence fee from 2017 would rise in line with inflation. There would be just a single board running the BBC. On that board there would be a non-executive chairman and deputy chairman, three executives from the BBC and then four more non-executive members representing the four nations of the UK. The public interest would be safeguarded by the chairman, the deputy and the other non-executives. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comFriday 22 April 2016, AM
Life-Stage Analysis of Millennials Highlights Major Threat to Traditional TV
L.E.K. Consulting launches first in-depth analysis of U.K. millennials' media habits by life stage, from living with their parents to starting their own families Preferences broadly consistent across life stages and spreading to older generations Media participants need to adapt more rapidly to the new reality. Forty-five percent of millennials pre-family and 56 of millennials with children currently have a pay TV subscription, and 45 of them either have or expect to have an OTT subscription in the next year, with two-thirds of those planning to cancel or reduce their pay TV spend. - www.lek.com
www.lek.comBBC funding: only half of young people know about licence fee
Only half of 16 to 24-year-olds know that the BBC is funded by the licence fee, while over a third of adults are unaware how the corporation's website is funded. A new Ofcom report, adults' media use and attitudes, found that just 52 of 16 to 24-year-olds knew that the BBC TV programmes are funded from the 145.50 annual TV licence fee charged to all UK households that watch live TV. The media regulator's annual report also found that 37 of adults did not know that the BBC's website is also funded by the licence fee. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comThursday 21 April 2016, AM
Inside Search: Building the future of TV, with you
So now when you're looking for The Big Bang Theory, we'll not only show you the apps and sites where you can find the latest episode, but also show which channel you can turn your tv to later in the evening or week to catch it live. We put this technology to the test with two of the highest rated TV events in the last year the Rugby World Cup Finals on TF1, the leading network in France, and the Republican Presidential Debates on Fox News, a leading news network in the US. Politics and sports are pretty personal topics, so it's only appropriate that TF1 and Fox News created a fully addressable viewing experience for the millions of viewers that tuned in using Dynamic Ad Insertion. - search.googleblog.com
search.googleblog.comWednesday 20 April 2016, PM
Wednesday 20 April 2016, AM
BBC Radio 1 to ditch overseas acts for more homegrown talent
The BBC will look to retune its national music stations Radio 1 and Radio 2 to focus on emerging homegrown talent in a bid to counter government criticism that they are not distinctive enough. The BBC said it would have more new homegrown talent on Radio 1 and Radio 2 as part of a robust defence of the distinctiveness of the two stations published on Tuesday, saying around 90 of their music output was not played on any other station. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comTuesday 19 April 2016, PM
UK phones only get 4G '53% of the time' study finds
Of the four UK networks, EE was found to have the best 4G connectivity, while Three had the worst. The State of the Mobile Network report also noted that O2 had the highest 3G and 4G latency - that's the amount of time data takes to travel along a network, measured in milliseconds. - www.bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukBBC News creates controller role for mobile and online as overhaul begins
BBC News is creating a controller of mobile and online in the first stage of division director James Harding's cost-cutting Future of News plans. Staff were also given an update on the BBC's streaming news service Newstream, which has had an internal launch of 'Ten to Watch', an on-demand bulletin within the BBC News app which some BBC News employees are testing. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comJohn Whittingdale is 'bullying' BBC over Europe, says shadow culture secretary
Eagle also criticised the government over reports earlier this week that it is considering forcing the BBC to sell off its stake in UKTV, the commercial broadcaster it jointly owns with US network Scripps through its commercial arm BBC Worldwide. Eagle also queried whether Ofcom would be ready to take on the regulatory duties of the BBC when the new royal charter begins on 1 January 2017.The government-commissioned Clementi report, published last month, recommended that the BBC Trust should be abolished and its regulatory role taken over by Ofcom. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.com
a way to make television more real?
High Definition TVs are now being replaced by 4K TVs in our homes - offering four times the definition of HD. Manufacturers have now started adding High Dynamic Range on their latest models giving a greater range of brightness, luminosity, depth and detail to the picture. Will it bring a real improvement in picture quality - www.bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukMonday 18 April 2016, PM
America now has nearly 5 PR people for every reporter, double the rate from a decade ago
For every one job result for a reporter, photojournalist or TV producer, you'll get 10 results for jobs available to people with journalism backgrounds or degrees to switch careers toward marketing, advertising and - most of all - public relations. That means over a career of 20 years, the average PR person will make about 300,000 more than the typical reporter, and as anyone in either industry knows, the benefits will be much more lucrative at a public relations firm. - muckrack.commuckrack.com
Strained Streaming: Why is streaming catch up video in Australia so painful?
The site is easy to navigate, the content is uploaded quickly, and the quality is at a high bitrate, although the end result wavers somewhere between high-end SD and low-end 720p. It doesn't require a login either. In 2016, when the likes of Netflix and Stan, stream content in both 1080P and 4K, there is really no excuse for not being able to supply it. - www.pcauthority.com.au
www.pcauthority.com.auMonday 18 April 2016, AM
BBC facing cash raid from DCMS
The BBC faces an anxious wait for the white paper on charter renewal amid conflicting reports over the weekend about government plans to raid the corporation’s finances. The Sunday Times reported that culture secretary John Whittingdale will force BBC Worldwide to relinquish its £500m stake in UKTV, with half the proceeds going to the Treasury, under proposals to be outlined next month. The newspaper also claimed that Whittingdale wants to hand £100m of licence fee funding to third parties to create children’s and news content that the BBC will be required to carry across its airwaves. But The Sunday Times report was contradicted by Sam Coates, the deputy political editor at The Times, who said on Sunday that 10 Downing would apply a handbrake to Whittingdale’s ambitions. - www.broadcastnow.co.ukwww.broadcastnow.co.ukDate set for Planet Rock and Absolute 80s move
Digital One has requested to remove Absolute 80s and Planet Rock from its multiplex from April 30th. At the moment, the two Bauer services are available on two national DAB services, following the launch of Sound Digital Limited. Bauer's heat and Kisstory services will be removed from local multiplexes by the 30th April 2016 now they are also available on SDL. Digital One, owned by one of the three SDL investors, Arqiva, says it will continue to seek additional customers for vacant capacity on the multiplex following the removal of Absolute 80s and Planet Rock. - radiotoday.co.ukradiotoday.co.ukSunday 17 April 2016, PM
Reuters Institute for the study of Journalism
Traditional television viewing is falling, and the rapid rise of online video viewing continues. If television news providers fail to respond to these profound shifts in how people use media, they risk eventually becoming irrelevant, a new report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford warns. - reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.ukSaturday 16 April 2016, AM
Obama Presses for Open Market for Cable Set-Top Boxes
Photo WASHINGTON - President Obama on Friday announced his support for opening the market for cable set-top boxes, singling out the devices in millions of homes as a clunky and outdated symbol of corporate power over consumers, as he introduced a broad federal effort to increase competition. In an unusual step, Mr. Obama weighed in personally on a pending proposal at the Federal Communications Commission, having his administration file comments that applauded the effort to loosen cable companies' grip on the boxes. - www.nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com
Digital Radio Retune for Merseyside: what you need to know
Listeners to DAB digital radio in the Merseyside area will need to retune on Wednesday 20th April following a frequency change that will affect local radio stations. The new frequency will go live from 6am on Wednesday 20th April, after which listeners will need to rescan their DAB radios in order to continue listening. - www.a516digital.comwww.a516digital.comFriday 15 April 2016, PM
#49 - Allegations, injunctions and innuendo
feedproxy.google.com
BBC white paper to be published in May
The government’s white paper on BBC charter renewal will be published in May, culture minister Ed Vaizey has confirmed for the first time. The Department for Culture Media & Sport (DCMS) has previously only gone as far as to say that the document will be released in “spring” – a target it will just about meet if published next month. In a debate about diversity at the BBC in parliament on Thursday, Vaizey said he had seen an early draft of the report. “We are going to publish it in May,” he said. Vaizey added that boosting diversity will be a prominent part of the government’s plans for the BBC. The DCMS was swamped by 190,000 responses to its consultation on the BBC’s future and this is said to have contributed to the release date being pushed back. Another factor in the delay has been the EU referendum, in which culture secretary John Whittingdale is playing a prominent role as part of the Vote Leave campaign. - www.broadcastnow.co.ukwww.broadcastnow.co.ukFriday 15 April 2016, AM
Copyright fight club – POLITICO
Coming into office in 2014, the European Commission laid out an ambitious agenda to overhaul the entire digital copyright system in the EU. It's moving on various fronts, investigating contracts between Hollywood studios and TV stations while preparing new legislation that could change everything from watching movies and sports to publishing videos on YouTube. The Commission's review of copyright laws is wide-ranging, affecting a broad range of businesses in industries including tech, retail, telecoms and media. - www.politico.eu
www.politico.euThursday 14 April 2016, AM
Wednesday 13 April 2016, AM
Cabinet minister John Whittingdale had relationship with sex worker
The culture secretary, John Whittingdale, has faced calls to withdraw from the regulation of the press following the disclosure that he had a relationship with a prostitute. Whittingdale, who is divorced, was forced to explain on Tuesday night how he had a six-month relationship with a woman whom he did not realise worked in a brothel. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comTuesday 12 April 2016, PM
What is Alternative Audio Commentary?
The alternative audio is selected using the Red Button, and you will usually be prompted by a presenter when an alternative audio stream is available. If this button is selected, when there is no current alternative audio commentary available, you may hear an odd sound effect. - www.bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukBBC's iPlayer Kids app puts children's TV at 'front and centre' of plans
His comments come after speculation last year that cBeebies and CBBC could face an online-only future as part of cost-cutting ahead of charter renewal at the end of this year. The new iPlayer Kids app will only show age-appropriate content free from adverts, but the BBC faced questioning over its decision not to cut off content after a notional bedtime. - www.theguardian.comwww.theguardian.compick a page