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Thursday 10 September 2015, PM

Metaphor » Consumer Features

Showcase is a unique programme recommendations service with a team of telly experts choosing great content for viewers to watch across linear and On Demand. An image-based design makes Showcase stand out and elicits a strong emotional response from viewers. - www.metaphortv.com

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Thursday 10 September 2015, AM

Multichannel doesn't cut it any more

The terminology used to describe non-PSBs must be modernised, says Susanna Dinnage It is more than 26 years since pay-TV launched in the UK, joining the PSBs of the time: the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. Then, the industry struggled to collectively name these new arrivals. ‘Multichannel’ was a clumsy solution to describe a range of independent channels specialising in a variety of genres. They were bucketed together and kept at arm’s length from the PSBs. The world has moved on since then. These non-PSBs now contribute more than £725m to the UK TV production industry across entertainment, kids’ TV, factual, sport and news – a 50% increase in five years. But the commoditised ‘multichannel’ name has stuck. And it still has a dismissive whiff about it. Surely it is time to update our terminology. ‘Multichannel’, ‘terrestrial’, ‘digital’ – these words no longer define channel groupings. Many PSBs are now multichannel networks. When people refer to the terrestrials, they largely mean the PSBs. Every channel is digital now. Let’s move on. To my mind, there are only two ways to categorise the ‘new’ world of broadcasting: ‘PSB’ and ‘non-PSB’, or ‘free-to-air’ and ‘subscription’. - www.broadcastnow.co.uk

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Wednesday 09 September 2015, PM

BBC licence fee replacement gets backing from culture secretary

Whittingdale's comments to MPs on Wednesday came two days after the BBC itself backed the household levy system, outlined in the government's green paper on the future of the BBC, as one way of modernising the current system. The BBC said on Monday the new services will be dependent on increased government funding, due to be discussed in the autumn, although Whittingdale gave no indication as to whether the extra money would be forthcoming or not. - www.theguardian.com

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BBC plans, IPSO, X Factor

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Monday 07 September 2015, PM

BBC backs replacing licence fee with universal levy

The BBC is backing a new system of funding that would see all households pay a levy, replacing the current licence fee which only targets homes that watch live TV. The corporation says that it will make significantly more revenue from the move with TV Licensing, the body tasked with collecting the licence fee and chasing down evaders, costing more than 100m last year. The household levy system, a version of which was introduced in Germany in 2013, would help to solve issues that have arisen with the current licence fee system. - www.theguardian.com

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Monday 07 September 2015, AM

Tony Hall speech at the Science Museum on the future vision of the BBC

Give you a flavour of what to expect from the BBC. And introduce you to the idea of an Open BBC for the internet age - redefining the BBC's relationship with the nation, with our world-class institutions and with its audiences. To deliver a more original BBC. A digital BBC. A universal BBC. A BBC that continues to help Britain be a creative powerhouse, recognised the world over. - www.bbc.co.uk

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Heralding a bolder, more open and more distinctive BBC

Proposals announced today represent the start of a major programme of modernisation to preserve and enhance everything that is best about the BBC and public service broadcasting. Three further announcements before the end of the year will look at, in turn, the BBC's role in the creative economy and especially more on BBC studios and worldwide, secondly, our formal response to the questions the government set out in their Green Paper and, finally, how we will live within our means including how we will address the budget shortfall we have to tackle within this Charter period. - www.bbc.co.uk

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Full line-up for Global's Radio X confirmed

Radio X will have a new multi-million pound national advertising campaign and Chris Moyles will hit the road with some of his favourite bands and artists to bring listeners across the country a series of exclusive live music events. The strapline for the brand new Radio X is 'Get into the Music'. - radiotoday.co.uk

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BBC4 stars express horror at claim station could be axed

Read more BBC's Tony Hall The Tories won't close us downBBC to axe more than 1,000 jobs in drive to cut spendingAccepting cost of over-75 licences marks significant shiftViewers of BBC iPlayer could be charged to offset cuts. Proposals will be published today for a new multimillion-pound collaboration between the BBC and local newspapers, including a network of 100 public service reporters supplying news for local outlets. - www.independent.co.uk

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Sunday 06 September 2015, AM

Nick Sutton on Twitter: "Sunday Telegraph reporting "BBC Four may be shut down" #tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers http://

- twitter.com

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Pure expand digital and internet radio range

The new line-up includes the Evoke F3 digital and internet radio with Bluetooth and Spotify Connect the third generation of the world's best-selling digital radio family, One Mini, Midi and Maxi a new bedside radio, Siesta Rise, and the Evoke C series, a range of all-in-one home audio systems. Digital radio coverage is increasing in Italy and, in France, the regulator is beginning a consultation on the second wave of cities to adopt digital radio, after Paris, Nice and Marseille. - media.info

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Saturday 05 September 2015, PM

BBC plans daily news broadcasts into North Korea

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cde8b060-5312-11e5-b029-b9d50a74fd14.html#ixzz3ksENFont The BBC plans to broadcast a daily news bulletin into North Korea, as part of a renewed strategy of countering state propaganda worldwide. Britain’s public broadcaster has said it is increasingly worried by restrictions on the media in certain countries and by the rise of state-backed rivals such as Qatar’s Al Jazeera, China’s CCTV and Russia’s RT. - www.ft.com

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Saturday 05 September 2015, AM

Digital dreams and open skies: universal service and the BBC

The United Nations' educational and cultural body, UNESCO, suggested in 2005 that public service broadcasting might have 'an important role to play in providing access and participation in public life' it would serve 'the interests of people as citizens rather than as consumers' it would assist in 'strengthening civil society' and it would be 'a unique service providing universal access to information and knowledge'. The pressures for mobile growth are now suggesting to policy-makers, commercial interests and broadcasters alike that there may come a time when broadcasting will no longer be 'broad' - but banished from the airwaves as the age of plenitude and of 'free-to-air' transmission comes to an end. - www.opendemocracy.net

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Friday 04 September 2015, PM

Freeview Play to launch in October

Freeview's next-generation smart TV platform will launch in October with upgrades to Panasonic TVs and further products from Panasonic, Humax, Manhattan TV and Vestel. The ongoing cooperation between Freeview, the DTG and Digital UK builds on the success and experience of Freeview HD, developing the technical framework and managing conformance of products entering the retail market, which has seen it become the UK's most-watched high definition TV platform. - dtg.org.uk

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Local TV Creates Hurdle to Streaming

Networks need the affiliates because, beyond the stations they own, the affiliates are the ones that actually negotiate with traditional cable and satellite providers for carriage fees, after securing exclusive access to their network's programming in their market. One network, CBS, has had great success getting its affiliates to put their feeds on CBS All Access, its 6-a-month service that combines live streams of local CBS stations with a Hulu-like library of on-demand CBS content. - www.wsj.com

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Friday 04 September 2015, AM

Culture secretary warned BBC over EU coverage

Whittingdale, who sent the letters in June but only made them public on Thursday night, said that the BBC and Ofcom should act on complaints about EU referendum coverage within 24 hours. The BBC Trust said that there will be an ability to fast-track complaints about BBC coverage during the referendum period. - www.theguardian.com

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Nat Geo owner to launch UK free-to-air channel

Fox International Channels (FIC) is on the brink of launching a free-to-air channel with a raft of National Geographic factual content, as the battle for the free-to-air market heats up. Broadcast understands that the pay-TV network is launching Your TV to in October to target a female focused audience. It will air series including Corrupt Crimes, US legal drama Shark and repeats of Don’t Tell The Bride. The channel will be one of the most significant moves made by FIC managing director Jeff Ford since he joined in May. Sources have indicated that it is likely to air a mix of existing Nat Geo content, as well as additional entertainment formats, which are likely to be acquired.- www.broadcastnow.co.uk

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Wednesday 02 September 2015, PM

Rebekah Brooks returns, Call for controls on BBC website, Turkish media, Chair of Atvod

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Wednesday 02 September 2015, AM

Labour's Jeremy Corbyn vows to reverse BBC cuts

Labour leadership frontrunner Jeremy Corbyn has vowed to protect the licence fee and reverse BBC funding cuts in a policy document on the arts. The MP for North Islington said the corporation is “under threat” from the Conservative government and Labour must lead a campaign to keep it strong. “The BBC is a unique asset that defines our country,” Corbyn’s document said. “Government must support a strong, independent and properly funded BBC so it can carry out its duties as a public service broadcaster.” It added that the corporation was “severely wounded” by the 2010 licence fee freeze and a well-funded news operation should remain at the heart of its offering to audiences both in the UK and overseas through the World Service.- www.broadcastnow.co.uk

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Global's radio stations now link DAB/FM together

The new technology will allow drivers radios to automatically switch between different local radio stations that are part of the same network. The technology has been developed and implemented by Global and Arqiva so that both digital radio receivers and FM receivers automatically transition between different Heart, Capital and Smooth local stations, picking up the best DAB or FM signal available and automatically switching over to the next transmission area as a driver passes from one area to the next. - radiotoday.co.uk

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Tuesday 01 September 2015, AM

Netflix Losing Flicks: Why It's Actually Smart to Shed ‘Hunger Games,' Other Epix Movies

Netflix calls itself an Internet TV subscription service and compares itself to HBO and so, by extension, it's also really a competitor to Epix. Netflix decided a while ago it doesn't want sloppy seconds to pay TV. Yes, non-exclusive library content is important to buttress the proposition that there will always be something to watch in your Netflix queue, including TV and movie favorites. - variety.com

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Monday 31 August 2015, PM

TV Networks Confront Ad Blockers Erasing Commercials Online

CBS.com began blocking the blockers in 2013, preventing visitors using the software from streaming episodes of shows. CBS Interactive sites fall in line with industry estimates for ad blocking more broadly, Mr. Morris said, with anywhere from 5 to 40 of users arriving with ad blocking software. - adage.com

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Monday 31 August 2015, AM

Media Monkey: Martin Freeman, Armando Iannucci, and Frankie Boyle

Monkey's awkward moment of the festival when culture secretary John Whittingdale looked around and realised that all around him were getting to their feet to give a standing ovation to Armando Iannucci's MacTaggart speech in which he accused ministers of effectively trying to kill off the BBC. Ever politically astute, Whittingdale also stood up. Things got a bit heated during the Is the BBC Under Siege session, when Hat Trick co-founder Jimmy Mulville challenged BBC director of strategy James Purnell about the decision to make BBC3 online only. - www.theguardian.com

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Manchester small-scale DAB service launched

Chris Country, Gaydio, The Steve Penk Wind-Up Channel, Revolution 962 and Unity Radio are now broadcasting across the city, whilst Manchester Business Radio is running a pre-launch promotional sequence ahead of its full launch on 21st September. MAX - a new format devised by former BBC Radio Manchester boss John Ryan is scheduled to launch on Tuesday followed by London Greek Radio on Wednesday and Panjab Radio on Thursday. - radiotoday.co.uk

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Saturday 29 August 2015, PM

Chris Bryant says passing cost of free licences to BBC is 'spiteful' attack

Labour's Chris Bryant has challenged the culture secretary's claim that passing the cost of TV licences for over-75s to the BBC was purely driven by the need to reduce the national deficit, arguing that the government has pledged to clear it before the corporation even takes on the full 750m burden. Osborne said Whittingdale's letter stating the terms of the deal shows the government will support the BBC with 468m toward the 750m cost in 2018/19, then 247m in 2019/2020, before the corporation takes on the full burden in 2020/2021. - www.theguardian.com

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BBC3 should follow Radio 1 in focusing on social media, says Google boss

BBC 3 is scheduled to go online only at the start of 2016, but the decision to take the youth-oriented channel off the airwaves has been criticised at a time when the BBC is trying to work out how to engage younger audiences. The strategy has involved creating a dedicated space on iPlayer for visual content from Radio 1, and posting to YouTube and other social media. - www.theguardian.com

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Tony Hall a 'coward' for not challenging John Whittingdale, says Chris Bryant

- www.theguardian.com

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Lord Burns said to be examining options for Channel 4 sale

Lord Burns, the chair of Channel 4, is understood to be looking at options for a partial or full sell-off of the broadcaster as the government considers the sale of state assets to help reduce its budget deficit. Rumours about the possible privatisation of Channel 4 have re-emerged since the Shareholder Executive, which manages the government's ownership of the broadcaster as well as the Royal Mint, nuclear fuel company Urenco and other assets, was moved from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to the Treasury. - www.theguardian.com

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Tycoon takeover puts Euronews funding in focus – POLITICO

Euronews is the European Union's biggest media commitment, having received 240 million from Brussels since it launched in 1992 - with 25.5 million pouring into its coffers in 2014, a third of the network's budget. In recent years, Euronews suffered funding constraints as the public broadcasters scaled back their commitment, making it more reliant on European taxpayers. - www.politico.eu

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UTV reports pre-tax profits of 1m: Results down from 10m a year earlier

UTV Ireland had revenue of 4.9m - more than wiped out by an operating loss of 7.5m - while revenue for the Northern Ireland TV operation was 4.2m. And the company's chairman said the budget deadlock in Northern Ireland was likely to have an impact on TV advertising revenues in its Belfast-based channel over the next few months. Overall revenue at the plc - one of just three listed companies in Northern Ireland - was 58.3m. Operating profit was 2.5m, down from 11.1m a year earlier. - www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

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Caribbean TV for Freeview |

Arqiva has announced the launch of a new hybrid IPTV channel on the Freeview platform. ABN TV, the African-Caribbean family entertainment channel, will provide content 24 hours a day to audiences with internet-enabled Freeview devices. - advanced-television.com

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Friday 28 August 2015, PM

#35 - Guardian Edinburgh International TV Festival 2015 - The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

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Thursday 27 August 2015, PM

BBC boss: Whittingdale has 'laid to rest' charter renewal concerns

BBC head of strategy and digital James Purnell has stood by the corporation’s defensive response to the government’s green paper - but admitted that the culture secretary’s latest remarks had “changed the mood of the debate”. In July, the corporation said the government’s document on charter renewal would herald a “much diminished, less popular” BBC, which Purnell said was an appropriate response to what appeared to be a threat to its future. During a panel debate on the future of the BBC at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, Purnell said: “If you look at all the context of the green paper there was a legitimate question around the intentions of the government, John has now laid that to rest”. - www.broadcastnow.co.uk

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Episode 30 – Phone hacking payouts, RAJARs, falling ITV audience – The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

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#29 - Election 2015 SPECIAL - The Media Podcast with OIly Mann

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#28 - BBC3 move postponed, Adblock Plus - The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

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#27 - Seiken’s legacy, Periscope up... Snapchat down - The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

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#26 - What is Top Gear’s future? - The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

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#25B - Radio Days Europe 2015 - The Media Podcast with Paul Robinson

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#25 - Clarkson’s third strike, British Press Awards - The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

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#24B - John Waite on presenting - The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

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#24 - Oborne vs The Telegraph, Radio Academy changes and Guardian hustings - The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

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#23B - BBC World Service's Owain Rich on Drones - Media Podcast with Olly Mann

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#23 - Premier League rights, ITV ratings, radio listening figures - The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

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#22B - Do We Get The Press We Deserve? Matt Kelly - The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

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#22 - The Future of News, Radio Academy woes, Page 3 - The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

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#21 - Charlie Hebdo coverage, TV Debates, UTV sales - The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

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#20 - Predictions 2015 - The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

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#19 - Sony’s PR Disaster, Serial breaks records - The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

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#18 EXTRA - Women in Film and Television Awards 2014 - The Media Podcast with Helen Zaltzman

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