Wednesday 05 March 2014, PM
Lord Hall's axeing of BBC3 is the least worst way of saving money - Media - theguardian.com
If the reports of BBC3's demise are correct, and I imagine they are, then it is obviously not a time for rejoicing. Surely no-one believed that that the BBC could go on delivering on all fronts when its budget has been constrained due to the licence fee freeze at a time when it has also been required to take on extra commitments. Of all the cuts that could be made, the axing of BBC3 is unquestionably the most sensible or perhaps the least worst. - theguardian.com
www.theguardian.comBBC3 to be axed under director general's plans - Media - theguardian.com
Tony Hall's plans must be approved by the BBC Trust. His decision also signals a reprieve for its sister channel, the arts and culture specialist BBC4, which has faced calls for it to be axed and merged into BBC2 although it is not clear if the channels will subsequently be renumbered. Critics of the BBC's size had singled it out as a candidate for closure, seizing on what they perceived to be its salacious and celebrity-obsessed content. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comWednesday 05 March 2014, AM
Ariel - No decisions yet over BBC Three future
Bad Education's Whitehall said its 'support of new comedy in particular is vital', while Lucas - whose Little Britain began its tv life on the channel - called the rumours that it may close 'horrible'. They hope a Twitter protest can repeat the success of the celebrity-backed public campaign that overturned the decision to close 6 Music four years ago. Last week, the director general told the Oxford Media Convention that the 'status quo was unlikely to be an option' as the BBC faced a flat licence fee and new obligations, although he did not point the finger at any specific service. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.uk
YouView: "All of our shareholders are pleased" - IP TV News
We also added market-leading accessibility functionality including zoom, high contrast EPG and compatibility with Grid 2 software. Its a strong partnership and all of our shareholders are pleased with the success of YouView in just 18 months. Looking ahead, what do you think YouView will have to do to remain significant in such a rapidly changing ecosystem Its important to remember that UK consumers arent as far ahead with technology adoption as we think, so it always needs to be relevant and compelling to them. - iptv-news.com
www.iptv-news.com
BBC eyes online-only future for BBC3 - News - Broadcast
The BBC is drawing up plans to turn BBC3 into an online-only channel, Broadcast can reveal. The idea is emerging as a favoured proposal that would both prepare the corporation for a revolution in TV viewing and help it find £100m in savings. Several BBC sources indicated that a plan to move the channel onto iPlayer is being discussed at the highest level, although no formal decisions have been taken. One senior industry figure said they were “certain†it is on the corporation’s agenda.- broadcastnow.co.uk
www.broadcastnow.co.ukDon't axe BBC3, stars plead - Media - theguardian.com
Axing BBC3 would save nearly 90m in programming costs, the lion's share of the 100m that Hall has to save. The cuts come on top of the 700m of savings the corporation is already making. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comTuesday 04 March 2014, PM
Ofcom - Assessing the impact of second screen
A report for Ofcom by Technologia There has been a proliferation in the number of second screen applications available for hand held devices such as tablets and smart phones, which facilitate interaction with content viewed on TV. In order to improve our understanding of second screen applications, Ofcom commissioned a report from Technologia. This report explores top level functionality, technologies, and the commercial landscape of second screens, and analyses the significance of second screen applications in providing new access services to consumers, and Rich EPG functionality for TV viewing. - stakeholders.ofcom.org.ukstakeholders.ofcom.org.ukTuesday 04 March 2014, AM
Mary Beard wants viewers to switch off TV shows that do not represent women - Television radio - The Guardian
Classics professor Mary Beard says older male television presenters are still seen as the voice of authority. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comMonday 03 March 2014, PM
Technology vs TV - Comment - Broadcast
If you were to run a survey to find out how people watch television today, you’d learn nothing you haven’t heard before: the majority of TV viewing is linear and beamed to the box in the living room. So there can’t have been the faintest twitch of an eyelid when a recent Thinkbox study confirmed our viewing preferences. So why would the organisation that commissioned stimulating studies such as Screen Life: TV in demand six months ago bother to state the obvious? Fearful of losing the goose that lays the £1 billion advertising egg, ITV, alongside some of its peers, wants to maintain the status quo. To forget conveniently that the take-up of online TV is higher in the UK than in other major TV markets and ignore that the advancement of technology goes hand in hand with changes in the behaviours of society. broadcastnow.co.ukwww.broadcastnow.co.ukOne in four European internet users see content blocking - informitv
Nearly one in four European internet users said they have experienced blocking of content or applications by their service provider, while four out of ten had experienced difficulties due to download capacity. These are among the findings of a survey of 28,000 people across the European Union, which is seeking to establish regulations to ensure an open internet across Europe. The representative survey across 28 member states found that 24 had experienced blocking of online content or applicationswhen using their household internet subscription, while 39 had experienced difficulties accessing online content and applications due to insufficient speed or download capacity, rising to 43 for those using the internet with a mobile device. - informitv.cominformitv.comMonday 03 March 2014, AM
Discovery and Viacom bid for C5 - News - Broadcast
Discovery, MTV-owner Viacom and UKTV-backer Scripps Network are among the companies battling to acquire Channel 5. Saban Capital, the investment company run by multi-billionaire Power Rangers owner Haim Saban, has also submitted a bid for the Northern & Shell-owned broadcaster. . - broadcastnow.co.ukwww.broadcastnow.co.ukSunday 02 March 2014, PM
ITV confirms major shake-up of Daybreak - Advertising news - Campaign
Crozier said another area of the business perceived to be underperforming was ITV's men's channel ITV4. Chiles and Bleakley left the show in November 2011, with viewing figures plummeting as low as 500,000. This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk comments powered by ' else if google_ads.length gt 1 / For text ads, append each ad to the string. - campaignlive.co.ukwww.campaignlive.co.uk
BT YouView box (2014 model) review - seenit.co.uk
Its partly for this reason that YouView and Humax last year updated the retail version, adding a fashionable Silver/White fascia to give it a more modern look. But, beyond the new exterior, the revamped DTR-1010 was identical to its predecessor with the same specs and performance. BTs new box, though still made by Humax, is a radical departure from earlier models, being around 1/3 narrower, dropping the front scrolling LCD display and introducing a brand-new look. - seenit.co.ukwww.seenit.co.ukIs news ruining our lives? - Snowblog - Snowblog
I thought you might be interested in my answer What is news We are amid the greatest revolution human life has ever known the liberation of communication in the hands of the many as well as that dangerous few. Yes, of course the danger is there the danger that what we call news maybe hijacked, distorted, lied about, propogandised. - blogs.channel4.comblogs.channel4.comSunday 02 March 2014, AM
a516digital: BBC local radio spotted testing on Freeview in West Midlands
The test is hidden from most Freeview receivers. The BBC's plans regarding local radio in England are currently unknown. - a516digital.comwww.a516digital.comFriday 28 February 2014, PM
Feedback: The Exorcist: 28 Feb 14
downloads.bbc.co.ukBBC and BSkyB reach agreement over retransmission payments - Media - theguardian.com
BBC director general Tony Hall made ther issue of retransmission fees a priority. They have also agreed a new long-term carriage deal for BBC services and the iPlayer on-demand service on Sky's satellite platform. The BBC raised the stakes last year, threatening to charge Sky for its content, following a call by culture minister Ed Vaizey for the satellite broadcaster to scrap the charges earlier in 2013. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.com
Ariel - Sky retransmission fees dropped
28 February 2014 Last updated at 1428 The BBC no longer has to pay Sky to transmit on the company's platforms. Sky currently charges the corporation 4.5 million a year, but both organisations have reached an agreement where the payment has been dropped completely. Friday's agreement follows pressure from the government and PSBs on Sky to stop charging the fees. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.uk
Cat and Bird's Duet Will Restore Your Faith in CGI-Enhanced Animals
Freeview, a UK-based free-to-air digital terrestrial service, is making a name for itself outside of its home region with this little ad. - mashable.commashable.com
Sky drops BBC retransmission fees - 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.ukwww.broadcastnow.co.ukThursday 27 February 2014, PM
Ariel - Trust approves plans for online store
People will be able to use the iPlayer to search for shows, buy them through links to BBC Store and watch them via the catch-up service. Suzanna Taverne, lead trustee on the assessment, said 'The BBC needs to respond to significant changes in the way audiences now buy programmes. In a letter to the trust, the regulator said the service was likely to 'provide an attractive consumer proposition over time' that would increase consumer choice. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.uk
Ariel - Where would we be without the BBC?
27 February 2014 Last updated at 1010 Charter renewal negotiations may have to wait until after next year's general election, but that doesn't mean the debate isn't ramping up already. 'The last charter renewal went on for far too long,' the culture secretary told the gathering of media workers and academics. It also discovered that total TV industry revenue was likely to drop, by anything between 10-25, if the licence fee was taken away. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukDTG :: News :: ZTE launches 4K p60 Ultra HD STB
H.265 is the next generation super HD code transmission specification, which delivers encoded video using half the bandwidth of the previous generation H.264, with the same quality. TheH.265 standard will gradually replace H.264 to become the mainstream standard of the next generation of video transmission. DTG Staff 27.02.2014 Links open in a new window. - dtg.org.ukdtg.org.uk
BBC charter renewal talks set for 2015 - News - Broadcast
27 February, 2014 By Kate Bulkley, Jake Kanter Formal charter renewal negotiations are unlikely to begin in earnest until after the general election in 2015, it has emerged. BBC director general Tony Hall used his Oxford Media Convention address to mount a passionate defence of the licence fee and demonstrate how savings, organisational changes and digital projects will position the corporation to meet future audience needs. - broadcastnow.co.ukwww.broadcastnow.co.ukMedia Talk podcast: No BBC for an independent Scotland?
download.guardian.co.ukThursday 27 February 2014, AM
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism / Study reveals how cutting BBC licence fee would reduce choice
Total investment in programmes would be 5-25 lower with investment in new UK programmes likely to be 25-50 lower, which would be a severe blow to UK production companies as well as to viewers. The report says that these projections are conservative, if anything, since they assume that the BBC crowds out some of the investment in programming that would otherwise be made by commercial broadcasters. On balance, the evidence suggests that, on the contrary, the BBC probably forces commercial channels to spend more on programmes in order to attract viewers. - reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.ukreutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.ukITV can play on the world stage, Adam Crozier has shown - Business - The Guardian
Adam Crozier has strategic problems other CEO's would envy. It may be churlish of investors to ask the question of ITV's chief executive, Adam Crozier, but that's what happens when a share price doubles in little more than a year. These are nice strategic problems to have, of course, and Crozier has a further 12 months to draw up his second five-year plan. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.com
Ariel - Tony Hall says BBC must make tough choices
He also pointed out that, in 2006, the corporation employed 635 people in the core finance team but, by 2016, that figure would fall to around 280. Licence fee Hall also used his platform to champion the licence fee ahead of Charter Renewal in 2017, saying that public support for it stands at 53. He spoke of shrinking margins, explaining that the BBC receives about 25 of broadcasting revenues. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukBBC could axe frontline channel or service as it seeks extra £100m in cuts - Media - theguardian.com
So, we are in the final stages of a budget process to find an extra 100m of savings. 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.comWednesday 26 February 2014, PM
Media: Licence fee; Lord Hunt on IPSO; Paul Foot award
downloads.bbc.co.ukBBC faces 'tough choices' over cost cutting, says Tony Hall - Media - theguardian.com
Tony Hall will say that the BBC should be run more like John Lewis. He will say the BBC, much criticised for its multimillion-pound payoffs to former senior staff, should be run more like John Lewis, which is owned by its 85,000 partners, than a big bank or financial institution. The BBC is an essential part of that. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.com
BBC - Blogs - About the BBC - Director-General Tony Hall speaks at the Oxford Media Convention 2013
I dont want anyone to think that my confidence in the case for the BBC leads me to ignore this. It is part of my mandate to reflect upon these mistakes and to deal with them. A central part of my argument is that the BBC is just one part of one of the strongest media sectors in the world. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukITV's pre-tax profits soar 30% as it rules out Channel 5 bid - Media - theguardian.com
ITV Studios, which makes shows including Mr Selfridge , reported a 20 increase in profits. Bids for Channel 5 are due by Thursday morning. ITV reported adjusted profits up 27 to 581m while overall revenues were up 8 to 2.7bn in the 12 months to 31 December 2013. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.comMaria Miller says independent Scotland would lose the BBC - Media - theguardian.com
Maria Miller has said that if Scotland voted for independence, it would mean the country losing the BBC. The Scottish government has argued that in 2016 the BBC will raise 320m through the licence fee in Scotland, but it will spend only 175m on services for Scottish viewers and listeners. Asked about proposals put forward by former BBC chairman Lord Grade and others that the licence fee should be further top-sliced for other public service broadcasters, Miller said the corporation was part of the nation's crown jewels. - theguardian.comwww.theguardian.com
BBC News - Are most new technology products just fashion items?
My encounter with Glass was not a showcase event, but real life. You put on the glasses, adjust them a bit - which is fiddly because you can't quite see what you're doing - and then marvel at the clarity of the tiny screen picture in front of you. The Apple Newton palmtop computer was a miserable bust 20 years ago, but it turns out to have been a very significant advance in the way people use computers, long before the smartphone, which it kind of heralded. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukA look behind the curtain: how Netflix redesigned and rebuilt its television experience Tech News and Analysis
The Onion joked recently that Netflix was going to introduce a new Browse Endlessly plan. For 5, it would offer consumers a way to scroll through its entire library without ever deciding on a single title. Like every good joke, it was funny because there was some truth to it At one point or another, many Netflix subscribers have found themselves overwhelmed by the 50,000 or so movies and TV show episodes available on the service. - gigaom.com
gigaom.comIt s official: TiVo s co-founders start selling $49 Qplay TV streamer Tech News and Analysis
The duo unveiled their new Qplay device and service Tuesday, and launched an early adopter program during which the Qplay device is available for 49. Ramsay told me during an interview Monday that the company has ambitious plans to eventually unite video clips from sites like YouTube, premium videos from services like Netflix and Hulu Plus and even live television, but that it decided to start with a more modest offering. Qplay is a video streaming device that is about the size of an external hard drive. - gigaom.comgigaom.comWednesday 26 February 2014, AM
BT launches next generation YouView set top box - seenit.co.uk
Broadband-to-TV giant BT has unveiled a new next generation version of its YouView set top box. Built by Humax, the updated box boasts a new processor to deliver better performance and will be supplied to all new BT TV customers signing up to the service from today. At just 24cm wide the box is two-thirds the size of the original model and is approximately the same width as BTs latest HomeHub routers which its styled to match. - seenit.co.ukwww.seenit.co.ukWhen can I get BBC Four, BBC News, or CBeebies HD in my area? - BBC - FAQs - Home
We hope to expand this to 70 by June 2014. However, all of these channels are available on Cable, Freesat and Sky. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukLondon s future 4G is as stupidly fast as Korea s (Wired UK)
The fastest consumer broadband in the UK hovers around the 120Mbps mark for downloads. This is significant because the technology Qualcomm is showing off will be built into an update of the company's Snapdragon 805 processor, slated to be used in the next generation of high-end Android tablets. However, real-world speeds from a connection theoretically peaking at 300Mbps would offer a huge increase over current maximums -- presently 4G speeds in the UK peak at around 60Mbps, theoretically. - wired.co.ukwww.wired.co.ukTuesday 25 February 2014, PM
Ofcom set for third major PSB review - 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.ukwww.broadcastnow.co.uk
BBC News - Rural broadband: How the money will be spent
The money will be divided between local councils and each will have a month to work out how they will spend it to ensure superfast broadband is available to the majority of homes. Critics have urged councils to consider providers other than BT, which has so far won all rural broadband contracts. The government has been criticised for how it has handled the rollout so far. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukDTG :: News :: Vodafone Germany delivers Europe's first live trial of LTE Broadcast
The trial took place at Borussia Mnchengladbach's stadium on Saturday 22 February, when they played 1899 Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga. LTE Broadcast will soon be delivering unlimited TV or video content to people in device dense places such as stadiums, public viewing areas or shopping centers. DTG Staff 25.02.2014 Links open in a new window. - dtg.org.ukdtg.org.uk
Thompson nearly resigned over 2010 licence fee deal - 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.ukwww.broadcastnow.co.ukTuesday 25 February 2014, AM
Ariel - The BBC’s bestselling shows abroad
The company recently exported more than 670 hours of British drama. Alongside Top Gear, Luther and natural history documentary Polar Bear, they have each been watched in more than 200 territories. A memorable giraffe battle has also led to natural history series Africa gripping audiences in approximately 200 territories. - bbc.co.ukwww.bbc.co.ukGive staff who make hit shows a bonus round, says BBC boss - TV Radio - Media - The Independent
Mr Cohens comments come as the BBC, which is preparing its case for the renewal of its Royal Charter and licence fee funding, needs to show it can make shows which are not provided by the commercial television sector. Lord Hall is due to make a speech tomorrow at the Oxford Media Convention in which he will defend the licence fee model. I think we need to keep looking at how we incentivise people, and how we use Worldwide the BBCs commercial arm. - independent.co.ukwww.independent.co.ukBBC head defends licence fee as critical for quality - Reuters
Hall, who took over as director general at the BBC last April, will use a speech in Oxford on Wednesday to dismiss calls by some critics for the 3.7 billion pound 6 billion a year licence fee to be shared with other broadcasters. Every UK household with a television pays 145.50 pounds a year to the BBC but this agreement ends late in 2016 and the government has to negotiate a new 10-year deal with the corporation in a climate of austerity as Britain seeks to rein in its budget deficit. With the BBC's reputation battered over the past 18 months, critics including some ex-senior BBC executives have suggested alternative funding, such as sharing the licence fee with other broadcasters, advertising, or outsourcing to the private sector. - reuters.comwww.reuters.comMonday 24 February 2014, PM
Radio: Who needs pictures in a digital world? The medium is still remarkably resilient - Features - TV Radio - The
Somehow, even though this is a generation that has always had radio, its climbing popularity feels counterintuitive we exist in an age in which new technology is fiercely competing, and consistently evolving, to allow individuals to be as powerful in their personal listening habits as possible. That translates as 48.38 million people 36.22 million of whom are listening to the BBC a corporation founded in 1922, in an era when radio itself was still considered somewhat magical. We have had radio for so long that it has implanted itself in our consciousness. - independent.co.ukwww.independent.co.ukA new era for local broadcasting on its way as Norfolk’s Mustard TV set for take-off - News - Eastern Daily Press
Mustard facts Mustard TV was awarded a local TV licence in September 2012. Its dedicated web TV station was launched in January 2013. The antenna, which is more than 100 metres high, was put up at Tacolneston in August 2013. - edp24.co.ukwww.edp24.co.ukMonday 24 February 2014, AM
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