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

Friday 13 June 2014, AM

Independence for Scots may close off BBC, says Gordon Brown - UK news - The Guardian

The former prime minister said Scottish households were able to share in the BBC television shows, radio and news services that cost nearly 4bn to produce each year, while paying little more than 300m in licence fees. The Voice talent show cost 22m a year to produce, EastEnders 30m and Strictly Come Dancing 10m figures derived from official reports and the media. Brown's aides estimated the cost of the top six shows was equivalent to only 7 a year for all 25m British households. - theguardian.com

ITV Player problems hit World Cup opening match coverage - Media - theguardian.com

ITVs online viewing service has been hit by problems during the opening match of the World Cup. Responding to a barrage of criticism on Twitter, the service said on its feed Were seeing unprecedented numbers of users during the game. It wasnt planned and we know it came at a crucial time during the match. - theguardian.com

Sky News: rolling news, the backbone for a digital future - Media - theguardian.com

The world is undergoing a period of rapid technological change which has prompted some Jeremiahs to suggest that in the digital age specialist news channels have had their day. Sky News is not only a rolling news channel, just as the Guardian is not only a newspaper. As more and more devices get connected to faster broadband, there are limitless opportunities for people to consume the latest content when, where and on the platform they want it. - theguardian.com

Sky News chief hits out at Alain de Botton’s criticism of news media - Media - theguardian.com

The head of Sky News has dismissed author Alain de Bottons criticism of news media as part of a staunch defence of rolling news channels, arguing that they play a critical role in the digital era. Ryley also hit back at critics who have recently argued that TV news channels have had their day and will be superseded by online video news, saying Sky News is live and on demand 24/7. He suggests that this quasi-religious aspect of news in the 21st century has a very specific consequence. - theguardian.com

Objectivity and impartiality in digital news coverage - Media - theguardian.com

Are the traditional journalistic disciplines of objectivity and impartiality relevant or wanted in a digital news environment Broadcasters in many countries have been regulated to deliver impartial news. Print journalism has never been regulated in the same way, but the professional codes, standards, and norms of journalism, which developed in the early 20th century, delivered similar standards in the news pages for many decades. - theguardian.com

Sky's 'supplement for not having Sky TV' is the limit - Money - The Observer

Sky says it can't see a problem with charging customer for not taking up its TV service. If this is legal, when I next go to the supermarket, for example, I could be charged for not buying strawberries. It is beyond belief that I have to pay Sky for something I have not requested, nor purchased, and don't have. - theguardian.com

Thursday 12 June 2014, PM

'Freeview Connected will see consumers reappraise the Freeview brand' - News - Marketing Week

Freeview hopes Freeview Connected smart TV offering will make consumers reassess the brand as more modern. A timeframe has yet to be set on when the service will launch, but it is unlikely, given TV product development cycles, that it will roll out until at least 2014. Guy North, Freeview managing director, told Marketing Week We have an ambition to take the nation from the digital world we are in now into a connected world, in the same way Freeview took people from analogue to digital. - marketingweek.co.uk

www.marketingweek.co.uk

Sky News boss criticises press influence on television newsrooms - Media - theguardian.com

The head of Sky News has criticised TV broadcasters reliance on newspapers such as the Daily Mail for setting the news agenda. I have always been shocked from the very first time I started in TV news at the reliance on newspapers, he said. I am really keen we do not pursue newspaper stories that perhaps happened in the past. - gu.com

gu.com

Media: BBC Radio cuts; Richard Ingrams; Sun special row.

downloads.bbc.co.uk

Wednesday 11 June 2014, PM

Media: BBC Radio cuts; Richard Ingram; Sun special row.

downloads.bbc.co.uk

Ariel - Radio to shed 65 more posts in second phase of DQF

10 June 2014 Last updated at 1255 Radio is to shed 65 more staff by next April, as it looks to find 6m of savings. Jobs will bear the brunt as radio stations are spared the axe in the second phase of Delivering Quality First. More than 30 production roles will go, while a divisional restructure will make savings by bringing the management and running of certain stations together. - bbc.co.uk

Ariel - Trust seeks views on BBCs businesses

British programmes, and the corporation's commercial aspects, such as Worldwide's export of shows, after publishing a draft remit on Wednesday. The Trust will review the BBC's compliance with the finalised framework every five years. Business plans are the responsibility of the BBC executive board, who will report quarterly to the Trust. - bbc.co.uk

Tuesday 10 June 2014, PM

'It's like the anti-Women's Hour' – Why Oh Why? podcast review – audio

Tuesday 10 June 2014, AM

Sky Sports launches new channel dedicated to European football

Sky today announces good news for millions of its customers ahead of the new football season with confirmation that Sky Sports is to launch the first ever television channel dedicated to European football. To take up the offer customers should go online to Sky.com/2yearsfree or call Sky from 12 June onwards. The channel is included as part of the Sky Sports subscription. - corporate.sky.com

corporate.sky.com

Monday 09 June 2014, PM

Big Brother a target for ITV - Media - theguardian.com

ITV executives have weighed the merits of snatching Big Brother from Channel 5 the broadcasters latest two-year deal expires at the end of the year to boost programming across its expanding portfolio of channels. Big Brother, and its celebrity stablemate, could be used to give newcomer ITVBe a major boost against rival channels. It is thought that discussions at ITV are unlikely to progress to a bid for Big Brother, because the rights remain at a level of about 20m per year. - theguardian.com

Ariel - BBC Two gets Russell Howards Good News

The comedian's mix of topical comments and sketches is one of BBC Three's best-known shows and is regularly among the most popular programmes on iPlayer. If approved, the channel will be solely broadcast on iPlayer from autumn 2015. - bbc.co.uk

BBC News - Smart TVs subverted by radio attack

9 June 2014 Last updated at 1155 Millions of smart TVs can be hijacked by burying attack code in signals broadcast to the net-connected devices, security experts warn. The attack exploits loopholes in widely used technology that helps smart TVs receive tailored adverts. Once hijacked, the TVs could be made to send messages on behalf of attackers, find other vulnerable devices in a home or launch other attacks across the net. - bbc.co.uk

Sheffield Doc/Fest 2014: The Calling

Sheffield Doc/Fest 2014: Love and Radio - audio

Monday 09 June 2014, AM

Sheffield Doc/Fest 2014: The Calling

Sunday 08 June 2014, PM

Why all broadcasters should buy into Freeview Connected - Media - The Guardian

At last the free digital TV platform currently in 11m homes 20m if you count second sets in Sky and Virgin households is set to get the internet on-demand functionality it needs to stand any chance of competing with rival commercial platforms. But, well-intentioned and necessary though it undoubtedly is, this refocusing on Freeview raises awkward questions about why it has taken so long to happen. Broadcast TV would decline relatively rapidly to be replaced by on-demand services enhanced by new social media and other applications. - theguardian.com

www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk

Saturday 07 June 2014, AM

Exeter residents hit by Freeview signal problems - Exeter Express and Echo

Television viewers and radio listening in Exeter are understood to be experiencing signal problems. Comments1 Television viewers and radio listeners in Exeter are understood to be experiencing signal problems. City residents have reported that their Freeview sets and digital radios suddenly went blank at the same time every evening so far this week. - exeterexpressandecho.co.uk

British TV should reflect the country it s made in, says Happy Valley writer - Television radio - The Guardian

Responding to critics of the violence in Happy Valley, Wainwright said it had been responsibly done because it showed the reality of violence. - theguardian.com

Sheffield Doc/Fest 2014: Love and Radio - audio

Friday 06 June 2014, PM

BBC and Channel 4 battle to keep younger viewers - TV Radio - Media - The Independent

The reduction is greater than that suffered by any of the other major British broadcasters and well above the market average decline of around seven per cent. ITVs portfolio saw a fall of three per cent among 25-34 television viewers. In the younger 16-24-year-old demographic, Channel 4 was hardest hit, losing 19 per cent of television viewers, while Sky lost 18 per cent. - independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

Robert Peston’s speech warns of threat to journalism from native ads – full text - Media - theguardian.com

It is a thrill and a privilege for me to be with you tonight, for two reasons. Not for Charles Wheeler the siren call of the public relations world, or spurious but well-paid consultancy of various sorts which too few of my own peers have been able to resist. He didnt quite do a Tommy Cooper, by passing away on stage. - theguardian.com

Friday 06 June 2014, AM

RadioToday - Mercedes C-Class gets DAB as standard

Mercedes now has 60 of models with DAB digital radio as standard and is working towards including it across its range. 21.4 of all radio listening takes place in car. - radiotoday.co.uk

radiotoday.co.uk

Thursday 05 June 2014, PM

You can t break copyright by looking at something online, Europe s top court rules Tech News and A

Meltwater is a Norway-founded media monitoring service that sent out daily digests including the headlines and ledes the first bit of the article of the newspaper stories, together with links to the full online articles. In the U.S., the suit was filed by the Associated Press, which effectively saw Meltwater as a freeloading rival to its own newswire services. In 2013, a federal court decided in APs favor, kicking out Meltwaters claim that what it was doing counted as fair use. - gigaom.com

gigaom.com

BBC under fire for lack of staff diversity - TV Radio - Media - The Independent

The former RTS head complained that Today presenter James Naughtie had dismissed the lack of diversity on the flagship show by saying the programme was not a sociological laboratory. The actor and comedian Lenny Henry is leading a campaign to force action on the issue and has warned that viewers might withhold payment of the licence fee if change is not forthcoming. It does seem odd to me is that while people get very exercised about what someone like Jeremy Clarkson said off-air two years ago, no one at the BBC seems much bothered when one of Radio 4s ubiquitous presenters says something like this - on the record - now. - independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

RadioToday - Nine presenters depart Radio 1 1Xtra

Phil Taggart will be on air Thursday nights from 9 10pm with a new music show. On Saturday afternoon, female rapper A.Dot joins 1Xtra with a new show from 4 7pm. In other changes, Skream joins Radio 1s Residency, which moves to a new three-hour slot at 10pm Thursday. - radiotoday.co.uk

radiotoday.co.uk

Ariel - Harding points to significant job cuts

5 June 2014 Last updated at 1205 James Harding has admitted that 'a significant number of redundancies' are likely to be made in News. In an email to his staff, the director of news and current affairs reiterated that the division had to make savings of 'tens of millions of pounds' as part of DQF. 'I am afraid that there is no escaping the fact that there are likely to be a significant number of redundancies - most of our costs are tied up in people so there is limited scope for other big savings elsewhere,' he said. - bbc.co.uk

Ariel - Freeview to launch connected TV service

5 June 2014 Last updated at 1241 The BBC is backing a Freeview-branded connected television service that will be developed over the next five years. The aim is for manufacturers to eventually launch a new range of connected Freeview HD televisions and boxes that consumers will be able to buy in-store. People will be able to watch the service via their TV aerial and current broadband provider without being tied to a contract. - bbc.co.uk

BBC News - BBC to stream World Cup matches in 4K ultra HD

The format, also known as 4K, offers four times the resolution of 1080p high definition video. The matches - including the quarter final and the final - mark one of the first times a live event has been streamed over the air in UHD in the UK. They will only be made available to a limited number of TVs at BBC sites. - bbc.co.uk

BBC, Channel 4 and ITV agree £100m-plus Freeview Connect deal - Media - theguardian.com

They are launching Freeview Connect after scaling back their investment in YouView, although they remain shareholders in the rival internet-connected TV service. The 100m-plus five year investment in Freeview Connect is a clear fightback against YouView, which recently announced an identical level of backing in a new shareholder agreement. To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email mediatheguardian.com or phone 020 3353 3857. - gu.com

gu.com

Thursday 05 June 2014, AM

STV Glasgow launches - FeaturesExec Media Bulletin

The launch of the channel, which began broadcasting Monday night, has coincided with a universal refresh of STV's logo and redesign of news programming studio sets. - featuresexec.com

www.featuresexec.com

London Live and Russia Today hobble Freeview recorders with dodgy EPG data - Recombu

- recombu.com

recombu.com

BBC Trust resumes Comux payments - News - Broadcast

The BBC Trust has restarted payments to Comux, the organisation responsible for building the infrastructure for local TV, following concerns over its handling of £25m of licence fee money. The Trust confirmed that the funding – which is used to roll out local television services across the UK – has resumed despite having not yet concluded its investigation into Comux’s financial affairs. The precise details of the allegations are unclear, but they are understood to stem from a dispute between Comux chief executive Ed Hall and Alan Judd, the owner of Canis Media Group, which manages Comux’s transmission network. Hall stepped down as the boss of Canis earlier this year. Hall has defended Comux’s handling of licence fee money, arguing that he personally signed off on all use of BBC funding. "We’re delighted the BBC Trust has resumed payments,” he said. “We will work to reassure the Trust that the financial systems at Comux are robust and fit for purpose." A BBC Trust spokeswoman said:"We have made a payment to Comux, subject to appropriate controls, pending completion of our audit.". - broadcastnow.co.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Film streaming and downloads to overtake box office in 2017 - Film - theguardian.com

Netflix's HQ the streaming service is eating into DVD sales. The study says that revenue from electronic home video ie streaming and downloading films will outstrip physical media in 2016, and that the market for physical media will drop from 12.2bn now to 8.7bn in 2018. They also predict that in 2017 electronic home video will overtake the traditional cinema as the biggest contributor to total film revenue in the US, reaching a total of 17bn the following year double the 8.5bn the sector currently generates. - theguardian.com

Wednesday 04 June 2014, PM

Media: Google requests; FIFA; Newsweek; Peter Greste

downloads.bbc.co.uk

TV Apps Are Soaring in Popularity, Report Says

When it comes to online video, people may not want to cut the cord. Instead, they want to take the cord with them. People are streaming broadcast television on their smartphones in record numbers, according to Adobe’s state-of-the-industry report on digital video viewing

bits.blogs.nytimes.com

BBC News - Harman calls for licence fee review

She told Total Politics magazine that the licence fee was a means to an end, not an end in itself. Her comments came a day after comedy producer Armando Iannucci advocated a subscription-based BBC. It was frozen at that figure in the last deal it made with the government in 2010, but the agreement runs out in 2016. - bbc.co.uk

Tuesday 03 June 2014, PM

BBC News Division To Cut 500 Jobs - Forbes

I can exclusively report today that the BBC News is preparing to announce 500 more job losses, as part of its ongoing cost-cutting programme, and that industrial action could well follow. Including new cuts to BBC Radio, the corporation is facing a total of between 550 and 600 redundancies. Next month, the corporation is set to announce that it will cut between 475 and 500 jobs from its News division, with a further 75 to 85 going from its radio operation in the UK as opposed to the World Service, which broadcasts globally. - forbes.com

www.forbes.com

Ariel - Digital radio coverage will reach extra 2m

The corporation said an additional 162 transmitters will boost DAB's potential reach from 93 to 97 of the UK population. It added that this would bring 16,000 homes into the BBC's national coverage area, and improve reception for a further 42,000 households. They can be heard via DAB sets, digital televisions and online. - bbc.co.uk

Monday 02 June 2014, PM

Ariel - Boost BBC Russian radio, say critics

- bbc.co.uk

BT launches multi-room service for YouView-based BT TV - seenit.co.uk

BT has today launched a multi-room option for its YouView-powered TV service, allowing subscribers to add a second box to their account. The BT TV service offers a bouquet of pay-TV channels delivered over broadband alongside traditional aerial channels and on-demand and pay-per-view video apps. By paying an upfront fee of 99 for the box, and a 5pm subscription, customers can now watch and record all of their additional pay channels in a second room. - seenit.co.uk

www.seenit.co.uk

BBC News - STV Glasgow TV station ready to go on air

STV won the licence for a station focussed on the Glasgow area in January 2013. The new station will be broadcast across Freeview, Sky and cable. STV says local TV represents a 1 million investment for the company and expects the stations to be breaking even within a year. - bbc.co.uk