Wednesday 14 May 2014, AM
ITV director defends breakfast show after ratings dip to below 400,000 - Media - theguardian.com
Peter Fincham, ITV director, says television viewing habits at breakfast time 'move very slowly'. On Tuesday it had an average of about 600,000 viewers, a 15.5 share of the audience, less than half the 1.4 million 35.1 who watched BBC1's Breakfast. We are all very habit formed at breakfast time. - theguardian.com
www.theguardian.comFrom David Kelly to Jimmy Savile, how does the BBC deal with a crisis? - Media - The Guardian
They made me sign a piece of paper saying that I'm resigning for personal reasons, because they told me if I didn't sign it, it would affect my BBC pension. Why didn't he tell his colleagues' No one said a word. They all talked about where they were going on holiday. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comNewspaper-backed Notts TV prepares to launch - Journalism News from HoldtheFrontPage
A local TV station backed by a regional daily newspaper is preparing to go on air a fortnight today. Notts TV will begin broadcasting on Tuesday 27 May and will be available on Freeview Channel 8. Backed by the Nottingham Post, the channel is part of what the government hopes will become a nationwide network of local TV channels. - holdthefrontpage.co.uk
www.holdthefrontpage.co.ukMonday 12 May 2014, PM
Sky plans European consolidation - informitv
The plans are said to be an early stage and could face regulatory challenges. A single European Sky operation could be better placed to bid for sports and movie rights. BSkyB has a market value of around 14 billion. - informitv.com
informitv.comDTG :: News :: Ericsson announces completion of it's acquisition of Red Bee Media
Ericsson have today confirmed that after announcing interest in acquiring the company in July 2013, Red Bee Media is to become a part of the networking communications giant. The deal has previously come under scrutinisation by the Competition Commission, but was cleared in March after deeming that competition in the playout sector would not be reduced. DTG Staff 12.05.2014 Links open in a new window. - dtg.org.ukdtg.org.ukOfcom poised to block Murdoch pay-TV move - Telegraph
The intervention would come in spite of Mr Murdochs move last year to divide his television and newspaper assets into separately listed holding companies, 21st Century Fox and News Corp, the sources said, since he remains in control of both. Fox currently owns only a 39pc stake in BSkyB but the proposed deal could mean Mr Murdoch taking full control of the combined company. Mr Murdoch abandoned his last attempt to take control of BSkyB in 2011, after Ofcom effectively recommended the Government should block it. - telegraph.co.uk
www.telegraph.co.ukMonday 12 May 2014, AM
Sky Go and Now TV users complain after Premier League outage - Media - theguardian.com
Users of the Sky Go online player also faced difficulties as the football season reached its climax with games including Manchester City against West Ham. Fans who had paid 9.99 for a day pass to watch the action on Now TV faced screens saying that the service was unavailable. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comMedia Talk podcast: What will a Viacom-owned Channel 5 look like?
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Create an account Subscribed through iTunes and need an NYTimes.com account - nytimes.com
www.nytimes.comStatement on potential acquisition
At the same time, the Company continuously explores ways to create further value for shareholders. BSkyB believes at the right value, this combination would have the potential to create a world-class multinational pay TV group. These discussions have not progressed beyond a preliminary stage, no agreement has been reached on terms, value or transaction structure and there is no certainty that a transaction will occur. - corporate.sky.comcorporate.sky.comSunday 11 May 2014, AM
Feeble, bland and rooted in a bygone era: the BBC must find its digital voice - Technology - The Observer
BBC3's Schoolgirl Superstar the management did not realise this was a service for 16- to 34-year-olds, a generation that lives online. There was no YouTube, no Facebook, no Twitter and Yahoo had just tried, unsuccessfully, to buy Google for 3bn. The discussion between the heads of BBC New Media over this proposal was not a long one. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comSaturday 10 May 2014, PM
TV's big takeover: why Freesat is offering up its best tech feature to all - News - TechRadar
Freesat celebrated its sixth birthday this week, and since its inception it has done an admirable job of becoming a viable alternative to Freeview, positioning itself as a free-to-air offering that rejuvenates once-abandoned satellite dishes. It seems, however, that Freesat's ambitions are bigger than resuscitating your old dish. The TV service has so far used 2014 to prove to the world that it can be more than Freeview for satellite users. - techradar.com
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YouView to take on more than 50 new development staff in major expansion - seenit.co.uk
Smart-TV platform YouView has announced a major recruitment drive which will see its technology team expand by more than 50. The service is looking to hire 50 new developers, test engineers and project managers over the next 12 months. More than 1 million homes now use the service which is available subscription-free from retailers as well as part of a broadband and pay-TV bundle from BT and TalkTalk. - seenit.co.uk
www.seenit.co.uk
STV Glasgow is almost here and we have all the details - Feed - Glasgow
We can finally confirm the glamourous line-up for our new programme The Riverside Show and details of the launch schedule for the channel. STV Glasgow will be aired on Monday, June 2 from 12pm - 12pm every day with a mix of news and features, live and interactive formats and shows. - glasgow.stv.tvglasgow.stv.tv
Murdoch Said to Seek $14 Billion Deal to Merge Pay-TV Units - Bloomberg
Fox has 55 percent of Sky Deutschland and 100 percent of Sky Italia. By shedding the pay-TV units, Fox would be left with cable and broadcast networks plus movie and TV studios, making it more attractive to investors who want to bet solely on video production -- not distribution. Offer Premium Murdochs Fox had previously sought to take full control of BSkyB in 2010. - bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.comSaturday 10 May 2014, AM
Dave: how the home of witty banter became TV s big success story - Television radio - The Guardian
The only problem is you have to share the winnings with his 27 million other mates. So far today the pair have bought some chocolates and visited a museum where they watched a 40-minute video about bobsled fatalities. With no free hands for ski-poles, he's simply balanced on slats, hurtling at a frictionless 50mph. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comMore Sky agents blow whistle over doorstep selling claims - Money - The Guardian
Sky says it has rigorous training in place to prevent mis-selling. Last week a group of Sky salesmen, who came to the Guardian's offices to be filmed making their claims, said door-to-door agents frequently lie about broadband speeds and download limits, or promise services that are not part of their packages. They said agents then circumvent Sky's sales verification process by faking customer agreements. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comFriday 09 May 2014, PM
TV Networks, Advertisers at Odds Over How to Count Viewers - WSJ.com
ET Television networks and marketers spar every spring over the price of advertising for the coming season, but this year a potentially bigger fight looms over a different issue how many of the networks' viewers should be counted. Facing what is expected to be a lackluster ad market, TV networks hope to boost their revenue by changing the formula for how ad deals are structured so that it includes more viewers who use digital video recorders to watch shows after they air initially. Since 2007, television ad time has been sold based on the audience size for shows and accompanying commercials up to three days from the airdate. - online.wsj.com
online.wsj.comFriday 09 May 2014, AM
Susanna Reid and Charlotte Hawkins on Good Morning Britain are losing viewers just as fast as Christine Bleakley and Adr
Good Morning Britain, the latest saviour of breakfast television on ITV is flopping just as fast as its predecessor, Daybreak, according to overnight viewing figures. - radiotimes.comwww.radiotimes.comThursday 08 May 2014, PM
Scripps Networks 1Q profit rises 19 pct - Wire Business News - The Sacramento Bee
For the quarter ended March 31, Scripps earned 128.3 million, or 87 cents per share, compared with 107.8 million, or 72 cents per share, in the same quarter of 2013. Operating revenue rose 8 percent to 643.7 million from 594.4 million. Analysts, on average, expected earnings of 82 cents per share on 645.5 million in revenue, according to FactSet. - sacbee.comwww.sacbee.comSky News Launches Catch Up TV Service
It will allow customers to get up to speed with the very best of Sky News content by choosing the stories they want to watch when it suits them. Content will include key bulletins, specially commissioned programmes in the form of documentaries and the pick of Sky News archive. John Ryley, Head of Sky News, commented Sky News is committed to developing the ways in which customers can watch its content. - corporate.sky.comcorporate.sky.com
BBC News - BT confident about broadband and broadcast growth
BT has reported its first rise in consumer revenues for a decade after strong demand for fibre optic broadband and on demand TV. - bbc.co.uk
www.bbc.co.ukThursday 08 May 2014, AM
Freesat claims momentum despite just 18,000 new users - seenit.co.uk
Free-to-air satellite service Freesat continues to hover below the 2m user mark more than six years after launch. In an update issued on Tuesday, the service announced the addition of 18,000 new homes in the three months to March 2014, taking total claimed users to 1.84m. In addition, Sky attracted 74,000 new homes to its TV services in the most recent quarter, many of which signed up to its low-cost, contract-free Now TV streaming service. - seenit.co.ukwww.seenit.co.ukWednesday 07 May 2014, PM
New PVR tops Which? tests - May - 2014 - Which? News
You can access a wide variety of shows on the free channels - including some in high-definition - with a free-TV box that uses the Freesat or Freeview TV service. You only need to pay a one-off fee for these PVRs as there are no subscription costs. If you're looking for a bigger selection of channels and can't wait to watch all the latest releases, you may prefer a pay-TV box. - which.co.uk
www.which.co.ukITV Agrees to Buy Leftfield Entertainment for $360 Million - Bloomberg
The acquisition, which will add to earnings immediately, has gained regulatory approval, ITV said. ITV shares rose 1.5 percent to 188.6 pence as of 902 a.m. in London trading, giving the company a market value of 7.6 billion pounds 12.9 billion. ITV has an option to buy the remaining 20 percent of Leftfield after three years and the maximum consideration for the entire company is 800 million, including the initial payment. - bloomberg.comwww.bloomberg.com
Gideon Spanier: ITV is sitting pretty, but problems lurk - Media - Business - London Evening Standard
ITV has been on a golden run since the ex-Royal Mail boss joined in 2010 with a five-year transformation plan, after Michael Grades exit in the recession. Annual profits have nearly doubled to 435 million during Croziers tenure. The dividend has been restored and keeps rising. - standard.co.uk
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BBC News - BBC Cymru Wales chiefs concern over S4Cs peak-time figures
S4C said focusing on one performance measure created an incomplete picture. Mr Davies raised his concerns at a regular meeting of the Audience Council Wales in March, the minutes of which have just been published. However, S4C retains its operational and editorial independence as part of the funding arrangement. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukMedia: Patten; Paxman; Channel 5 sold; Sunday Herald.
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BBC Trust scandals may scare off new chair candidates, MP warns - London - News - London Evening Standard
Im sure there are lots of people who will say they would love to do it, but finding someone with all the necessary skills to do a job that puts him or her right into the firing line with be difficult. Lord Patten stepped down on doctors advice yesterday after heart surgery. Culture Secretary Sajid Javid will recommend the appointment, in consultation with Number 10. He said It need someone with experience of getting to grips with a very large organisation. - standard.co.ukwww.standard.co.ukWednesday 07 May 2014, AM
Chris Patten leaves behind a question for Trust at the BBC - Media - The Guardian
Patten had probably got the BBC through the worst of its recent problems, not least by appointing Tony Hall as Entwistle's successor. He had been due to go in April 2015, shortly before the general election now there will be a scrabble to find a replacement, an uncomfortable fact so shortly before charter renewal which must happen before January 2017. All the while, a debate about the governance of the BBC rumbles on. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comOn average, Americans get 189 cable TV channels and only watch 17 - Ars Technica
In a blog post on Tuesday, Nielsen reported that on average, US homes receive 189.1 TVchannels, but viewers only watch 17.5 of those channels. Nielsen's blog post today showed that the number of cable channels in an average US household has grown dramatically over the last five years, but the number of channels that viewers actually watch has hardlychanged at all. In 2008, US households received an average of 129.3 channels but only actually viewed 17.3 channels. - arstechnica.comarstechnica.comTuesday 06 May 2014, PM
Ariel - Lord Patten steps down after heart surgery
In a statement, he said he had experienced 'serious chest pains' on April 27 and had undergone bypass surgery the following day at a London hospital. 'These procedures have been successful and have ensured no permanent damage to my heart,' said Lord Patten, who was previously treated for a heart condition seven years ago. This is a position that requires and has received from me 100 per cent commitment, and has been my priority at all times,' stated Lord Patten, who has written to Secretary of State Sajid Javid to tender his resignation. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.uk
Lord Patten steps down after undergoing heart surgery - News - Broadcast
BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten is to stand down with immediate effect after undergoing heart surgery. The decision marks the end of a turbulent tenure for the former Hong Kong governor, who presided over the BBC’s Jimmy Savile and payoffs scandals after joining the governing body in May 2011. - broadcastnow.co.uk
www.broadcastnow.co.ukSunday 04 May 2014, PM
Court case on streaming TV threatens to cloud our online equality - Media - The Guardian
The American broadcasting industry is ferociously interested in its outcome, not least because it might change television forever. The lumbering case of American Broadcasting Services v Aereo is currently with the Supreme Court. For the low fee of 8 a month Aereo will stream broadcast television to your computer or tablet or phone. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comFriday 02 May 2014, PM
Freesat to expand Freetime presence on smart TVs Digital TV Europe
Freetime is being rolled out across Panasonics current range of smart TVs, including its nine models with Freeview tuners only as well as those with tuners for both satellite and digital-terrestrial reception. Huntington said that the work done on the Panasonic integration was fully portable and that Vestel, which manufactures brands including Toshiba for the UK market, would add Freetime to its range in the near future. Previously only Panasonic and Samsung have provided TVs for the UK market with satellite tuners built in. - digitaltveurope.netwww.digitaltveurope.netFriday 02 May 2014, AM
Here's Exactly How Much Time You've Spent Binge Watching Your Fave Shows
S We are, all of us, unrepentant, instant-gratification-obsessed binge TV-watchers. I think I've honest-to-god dedicated a significant portion of my adult life to 30 Rock. - gizmodo.com
gizmodo.comViacom to increase Channel 5 budget - Media - theguardian.com
In the US and elsewhere as we increase overall spending, we are also shifting the mix gradually to make more original programming. Viacom owns Nickelodeon, which airs some programming on Channel 5, while Channel 5 has the successful kids' strand Milkshake Many staff are understood to be concerned about job cuts and relocation to Viacom's offices. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comThursday 01 May 2014, PM
Jamaica Inn: BBC strategy chief apologises, but blames varying TV types - Media - theguardian.com
Jamaica Inn BBC strategy chief James Purnell has apologised over sound problems. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comFreeview faces threat from mobile companies, warns Digital UK boss - Media - theguardian.com
Freeview faces a threat from mobile phone companies, warned Digital UK's Caroline Thomson. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.com
Roy Greenslade: Richard Desmond’s done well at Channel 5 but it’s not worth £700m - Media - Business - London Evening St
Underlying those questions, however, is a much more important one is it really worth the 700 million he is said to want for it There cannot be any doubt that Desmond turned the broadcaster around after his company, Northern Shell, bought it in July 2010 and relaunched it in February the next year. He injected a spark into Channel5 that had previously been lacking, not least through his gift for promotion and a willingness to ignore orthodoxy. - standard.co.ukwww.standard.co.ukThursday 01 May 2014, AM
5 charts showing the rapidly changing face of UK content consumption
Weve picked out some of the key points relevant from the 2014 edition, which demonstrate how consumers are accessing content in new ways, via new formats and new devices. The report covers attitudes and understanding among UK adults aged 16 and covers TV, radio, mobile, games and the internet, with an emphasis on the latter. Ofcom's methodology involves quanititative surveys with between 1,000 and 2,000 adults in-home, and statistical significance testing to within the 95 percent confidence limits. - themediabriefing.comwww.themediabriefing.comWednesday 30 April 2014, PM
BBC News - Live TV subtitling is too slow, Ofcom says
The average delay between speech being heard and the corresponding subtitles appearing on screen is 5.6 seconds, according to an Ofcom report. Ofcom also raised concerns that some pre-recorded programmes did not have subtitles added in advance, resulting in the same delays. The three further reports will be published over the course of the next two years. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukRichard Desmond to announce sale of Channel 5 to US broadcaster Viacom - Media - theguardian.com
Richard Desmond, owner of the Daily Express and Daily Star, is selling Channel 5. The deal is short of the typically aggressive 700m-plus target originally set by Desmond, the owner of the Daily Express and Daily Star. It is not clear what Viacom will do with Channel 5's 350m-a-year TV ad sales business. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comMedia: BBC Trust's review of News; Lachlan Murdoch
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Subtitles still need the human touch - Comment - Broadcast
- broadcastnow.co.ukwww.broadcastnow.co.ukBSkyB faces fall in subscribers as competition from BT and Netflix grows - Media - theguardian.com
BSkyB has added satellite pay-TV subscribers with such reliability every quarter since the late 1990s that former chief executive James Murdoch successfully predicted in 2004 that it would hit 10 million customers by the end of the decade. Since then growth has sunk from about 100,000 a quarter to anaemic levels, as Sky has tapped out most of the households willing to pay for relatively expensive TV packages. Analysts put BSkyB's total TV customer growth in positive territory for the three months to the end of March, with total net additions between 40,000 and 60,000. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.com
Ariel - BBC to bring in consultants about radio and TV archive
It's estimated that the archive - the largest of its kind in the country - has 11m items, which include radio and TV programmes, press cuttings, sheet music and photographs. The consultation will speak to staff who use the archive, finding out about their requirements and asking for ideas about how to go about the process of digitisation. The proposals will be used to decide on how the archive might be managed in future. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukDTG :: News :: Ofcom publish blueprint for next decade of spectrum
Ofcom has today published its Spectrum Management Strategy, setting out their strategic approach and priorities for managing radio spectrum. Six priorities for spectrum management Ofcom has identified six priority areas for future spectrum use. Future mobile data demands Ofcom will consider the potential impact these demands have on other users of spectrum. - dtg.org.ukdtg.org.ukBBC3 closure 'not a foregone conclusion', warns trustee - Media - theguardian.com
Looking at how to move Newsbeat as not just news provider on Radio 1 but something that works digitally and visually too. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comMedia Talk podcast: Marketing and advertising to children - a necessary evil?
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