Government drops plans to reduce television powers of media regulator Ofcom - Media - News - The Independent

The Government has decided to withdraw the current draft order that amends the functions and obligations of Ofcom, a DCMS spokesperson said. We consulted on the proposed changes and have listened to the concerns that have continued to be raised. The order was designed to improve the efficiency of Ofcom and the DCMS said it would now look at other ways of reforming the regulator. We believe the order can be improved and we will continue to speak to interested parties about the proposed changes. - independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

BBC - Media Centre - Radio 4 Extra presents The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy Game

Both will launch on Saturday 8 March 2014, 36 years to the day since Hitchhikers first-ever radio broadcast and 30 years since the invention of the award-winning game. The global multi-media success story that is Hitchhiker's started life as a BBC Radio 4 series in March 1978. The original scripts by the late Douglas Adams went on to spawn a series of novels, a feature film, at least three stage shows, a TV series, a collection of comic books and various towels. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

BBCs Director General to respond to license fee criticism - TV Radio - Media - The Independent

Lord Hall will argue that the idea of contestable licence fee funding would be destabilising and damaging to the British television industry as a whole. But, most importantly, the fragmentation of the licence fee risks de-stabilising a broadcasting model that works. A model that is based on competition for quality but not funding between public and private broadcasters. In his speech, Lord Hall will note that his battle to protect the BBCs licence fee funding beyond 2016 is no longer simply threatened by critics who argue it should be scrapped. - independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

BBC takes issue with study criticising its Scottish independence coverage - Media - theguardian.com

The research, which dealt with referendum campaign reporting in the period from September 2012 to September 2013, was headed by John Robertson of the West of Scotland university. It is our view that the report consistently fails to support its contentions with factually accurate evidence for example there are several substantive factual inaccuracies within the references it makes to Reporting Scotland news output. We are also concerned, for example, with the inclusion of a number of non-referendum stories within the data outlined in the report. - theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

Discovery and BSkyB may make joint bid for Richard Desmond's Channel 5 - Media - theguardian.com

And, according to the Financial Times, Discovery is in talks with BSkyB to join in the bid. However, bids for the channel, which are due next Thursday, may not meet Desmond's 700m valuation. To Murdoch's chagrin, Malone built up an 18 holding in News Corp in 2006. - theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

Richard Desmond sets deadline for Channel 5 bids - Media - theguardian.com

CSI Crime Scene Investigation questions remain over Channel 5's deals for key franchises. BT and one other potential bidder are understood to have held private discussions with Desmond last year, with a public sale process pursued after talks petered out. The document, which runs to well over 100 pages, has left some recipients with more questions than answers. - theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

BBC2 gets boost from Winter Olympics but faces testing times ahead - Media - The Guardian

The outgoing controller also commissioned the show that no other broadcaster wanted, The Great British Bake Off, which became the biggest breakout hit of the decade. Such was the show's success, finishing last year with more than 8 million viewers, that the next series will be broadcast on BBC1. The next controller - the BBC's current commissioning editor for science and natural history, Kim Shillinglaw, is making the early running - had better get their thesaurus out. - theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

TV antenna maker Mohu targets cord cutters with new Channels device Tech News and Analysis

Mohu, best known for its Mohu Leaf TV antenna, is introducing a new device that combines over-the-air TV with online video services. The company will launch a Kickstarter campaign for its new Mohu Channels product early next week, offering early adopters a chance to get the device for as little as 79. It has 802.11 a/b/g/n Wifi on board, but also features an Ethernet port a good thing for folks that dont have good Wi-Fi reception near their TV. - gigaom.com

gigaom.com

Discovery in talks with BSkyB over possible Channel 5 bid - FT - Reuters

Channel 5, which broadcasts Big Brother, was bought by British media baron Richard Desmond in 2010 for 103.5 million pounds. Media reports last month said Desmond had hired Barclays to look for buyers for the television network and was expecting to raise about 700 million pounds through the sale. The Financial Times report said it was unclear if bidders would meet the valuation for the broadcaster. - uk.reuters.com

uk.reuters.com

BBC - Blogs - About the BBC - What's on BBC Red Button, 22 February to 1 March

If you can't bear to say farewell after Sunday's closing ceremony, we've got continued highlights of the games playing on Monday and Tuesday. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

Feedback: Science coverage: 21 Feb 14

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BBC is too political when it comes to reporting politics - Media - Business - London Evening Standard

These perceptions are the result of any number of assumptions, most obviously about the media organisation, its ownership, declared political stance and, less obviously, the way it is reported by rival media. It is in the nature of competitive media outlets that they seek to create negative images of their rivals while presenting themselves in the best possible light. No organisation knows that better than the BBC. - standard.co.uk

www.standard.co.uk

Amazon Gets Its TV Box Ready, Again - Re/code

Amazon is gearing up to take on Apple and Roku, again. People Ive talked to who are partnering with Amazon believe the company is aiming for a March rollout. That wont be a huge shock, since Amazon has been working on a box for much of last year. - recode.net

recode.net

BBC News - Mac and the Micro - memories of Ian McNaught-Davis

21 February 2014 Last updated at 0425 ET How do you make the subject of computing accessible to a wide audience I'm talking about Ian McNaught-Davis, the computing expert, broadcaster, and mountaineer whose death was announced this week. For many who first got to grips with computers in the 1980s it was the BBC's The Computer Programme which was the inspiration. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

Motors TV destined for Freeview via Arqiva s Connect TV Digital TV Europe

Motors TV is already available in the UK on Sky and Virgin platforms and has been broadcasting since 2002. The channel will launch on the Arqivia Connect TV platform on February 27. Were delighted to be joining the Freeview family through Arqivas Connect TV. - digitaltveurope.net

www.digitaltveurope.net

Who ll Come Out On Top: BT Group plc or British Sky Broadcasting Group plc? - The Motley Fool UK

It turns out that theres still some life left to be wrung from your flat-screen TV yet. some 98.5 of people watched television on the television in 2013. The UK television industry generated 12.3bn in 2012 and the largest chunk of this was from subscription revenue. - fool.co.uk

www.fool.co.uk

Radio on the TV: Radio 1 comes to iPlayer for the first time in 47 years of being audio-only - TV Radio - Media -

Ben Cooper, the Radio 1 Controller, described the moment as historic and said the transition was essential if the station was to remain relevant to coming generations. He admitted that, two years into his tenure as Controller, the average age of the Radio 1 listener remains static at 32 outside its 15-29 year old remit despite drastic changes to the stations presenting line up and music policy. Cooper, 44, said that average listening hours per week of a Radio 1 listener had fallen from 10 hours 30 minutes to six hours 20 minutes in the past decade as the Internet has placed new demands on the attention of young people. - independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

BBC - Blogs - About the BBC - Handling complaints effectively

Audiences and being accountable to them are at the heart of what the BBC does. BBC producers and managers regularly read audience comments and complaints submitted to the BBC's audience feedback service and find the information provided invaluable. In 2005 the BBC launched its three-stage complaints process. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

Media Talk podcast: Radio 1 chart show moves the goalposts

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The joys of jostling for position - Comment - Broadcast

Netflixs model is marvellous, but conventional slots are still crucial The Broadcast team had busy Valentines Day weekends by all accounts but there wasnt a trip to Paris or a bunch of garage-bought flowers in sight. Either way, its easy to think that binge viewing has become the default for my colleagues, and that Netflixs strategy of delivering an entire series in one go has delivered a terminal Frank Underwood FU to linear broadcasting as we know it. Thinkboxs figures this week on consumption of VoD content versus linear viewing can be cut in different ways, but overall the picture is of traditional viewing proving remarkably robust. - broadcastnow.co.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Ofcom - Ofcom renews ITV, STV, UTV and Channel 5 licences

Earlier this month, Ofcom confirmed that it would renew the licences and set out the terms for renewal, which all the licensees have now accepted. The Channel 5 licence covers all of the UK. Ofcom consulted on the programming obligations for the Channel 3 and Channel 5 licences, proposals to change the areas covered by two licences held by ITV, and the methodology for determining the financial terms for the licences in February 2013. - media.ofcom.org.uk

media.ofcom.org.uk

Richard Desmond sets deadline for Channel 5 bids - Media - theguardian.com

CSI Crime Scene Investigation questions remain over Channel 5's deals for key franchises. BT and one other potential bidder are understood to have held private discussions with Desmond last year, with a public sale process pursued after talks petered out. The document, which runs to well over 100 pages, has left some recipients with more questions than answers. - gu.com

gu.com

Utah Federal Court Halts Aereo in Salt Lake City - Variety

A federal judge in Utah has imposed a preliminary injunction on Aereos operations, a win for broadcasters as they seek to halt the startup streaming service in Salt Lake City and Denver. Despite its attempt to design a device or process outside the scope of the 1976 Copyright Act,Aereos device or process transmits Plaintiffs copyrighted programs to the public. The scope of the injunction is the 10th Circuit, which covers six western states. We are very pleased that the U.S. District Court in Utah has granted our request for a preliminary injunction. - variety.com

variety.com

BBC World Service to reduce shortwave transmissions as part of savings drive - Media - theguardian.com

BBC director of global news, Peter Horrocks, has said it would be a real stretch to find 15m in savings across the World Service. The money will be used to invest in new TV and digital services, part of a programme called Invest to Innovate. An extra 6.5m is being pumped into the World Service's budget this year, alongside an extra 1.5m of savings, helping to create 130 jobs. - theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

Media: World Service; Daybreak changes; Reader's Digest

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BBC - Media Centre - BBC iPlayer Performance Pack - January 2014

January saw an average of 10.2m daily requests, the highest ever seen. The Voice has also had a strong start, along with the new series of Outnumbered. With so many tablets and mobiles being gifted at Christmas, the number of requests via mobiles and tablets accounted for 40 per cent of all requests, a total of 127 million overall another record high. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

BBC - Media Centre - Peter Horrocks announces £8m investment plan for BBC World Service

World Service TV programmes and responsive mobile sites will play an increasingly important part in the World Service, but radio will remain its bedrock. He said the World Service had weathered the deep cuts it was subjected to and used them as a spur to innovation. He said commercial top-up funding will enable more investment in content and services without increasing costs to licence fee payers. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

BBC and ITV satellite moves cut off expat viewers - Recombu

For instance, the official footprint of the two satellites doesnt include the hotspot which seems to have emerged again over the Costa Brava, although even large dishes seem out of luck further south and west. Ross Lockley, aka Analoguesat on the satellites.co.uk forum, has mapped members reports onto Google Maps, creating a guide of dish sizes which might work. In January, the satellite operators ended their dispute, which had run since both launched satellites to the 28 degrees East orbital position in the late 1990s. - recombu.com

recombu.com

BBC News - Viewers prefer TV sets to mobile devices

The traditional television set is still at the heart of UK viewing, with only 1.5 of total viewing in 2013 watched via mobile platforms, figures suggest. The average viewer watched three hours and 55 minutes of TV a day last year, according to commercial TV marketing body, Thinkbox. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

BT needs to have confidence in itself and stop chasing Sky’s channels - seenit.co.uk

The pay-TV landscape has changed a lot since the satellite broadcasters rivals first grumbled that they couldnt secure what they saw as fair access to the channels which Sky risked billions of their shareholders pounds into establishing and growing. Much that change has been driven by BT which has finally provided Sky with a rival which can take away key rights and, even where its unsuccessful, force up costs. I single out BT because its the last of the complainants and the force behind todays appeal which hasnt agreed to carry Sky Sports on terms theyre happy with. - seenit.co.uk

www.seenit.co.uk

BBC's great meetings of mindlessness - Media Monkey - Media - theguardian.com

Where the idea for that next great programme comes from Eddie Mair has revealed the BBCs policy on meetings. Well, according to Eddie Mair, it's have meetings. - theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

CBS Admits Aereo Supreme Court Win Wouldn t Hurt CBS, Might Make Things Better For Everybody - Techdirt

It's part of a long, long history of broadcasters pretending that if things don't go just they way they want them to, they'll surely go out of business. The threat to pull broadcasts was aimed at scaring Congress into passing protectionist legislation, and as we noted at the time it's something CBS should just shut up and do -- given the public could probably come up for better uses for their spectrum. However, if that should happen, if the worst should happen, there are so many other alternatives that will not so this will not affect our bottom line. - techdirt.com

www.techdirt.com

Sky to be accused of ripping off X Factor rival show idea - TV Radio - Media - The Independent

After what they describe as eight months of negotiations with Skys commissioning team, the couple claim they were told the satellite broadcaster did not wish to proceed with their proposal. Wade and Perry allege that the shows use of a judging panel of celebrity singer-songwriters rather than music executives was another of their ideas. The show was made by Princess Productions, which is a subsidiary of Shine, the super-indie production company which Ms Murdoch founded in 2001. - independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

Court Favors BT in Sports-Channel Dispute With BSkyB - MarketWatch

Former telecom monopoly BT challenged the tribunal's decision, leading to Monday's ruling from the Court of Appeal. The court also dismissed a challenge brought by BSkyB to Ofcom's jurisdiction, and said the tribunal must reconsider the case. The outcome of the dispute could lead to cheaper packages of premium sports coverage for U.K. viewers, analysts said. - marketwatch.com

www.marketwatch.com

BT wins court battle forcing review of Sky wholesale pricing decision - Media - theguardian.com

BT challenged this decision and on Monday the court of appeal handed down a judgment forcing the CAT to reopen the issue. A spokesman for Ofcom, which had its reputation battered by the CAT's original decision, said that it welcomed the decision. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. - theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

Parks Associates mobile research: TV apps gaining popularity, with 61% of tablet owners, 55% of smartphone owners using

The number of global TV app users on smartphones will reach 1.29 billion by 2018. For more information, contact salesparksassociates.com, call 972-490-1113, visit www.connectionsconference.com. - parksassociates.com

www.parksassociates.com

TV viewing figures show Brits prefer traditional sets over smartphones - Media - The Guardian

Predictions of the death of living room TVs continue to be wide of the mark with 98.5 of average daily viewing done via traditional sets. The average UK viewer watched a total of three hours and 55 minutes of TV a day last year. This was a nine minute year-on-year drop, due in part to a comparison with the hugely popular London 2012 Olympics the previous year. - theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

UKTV creates “built for innovation” new HQ - Rapid TV News

Editor 17-02-2014 Weeks after revealing record annual ratings for 2013, UKTV has announced its intention to create a new headquarters for its 250 staff. Technology will be at the heart of our progressive new workspace, and it will give everyone at UKTV the freedom to work creatively and collaboratively. - rapidtvnews.com

www.rapidtvnews.com

Ad of the Day: Freeview - Cat and Budgie - The Drum

Freeview has been teasing us all week with its catandbudgie What happens next trailer, and we certainly didnt see this coming. The trail ominously cut off with the cat managing to open the poor budgies cage and to be honest we thought the little bird would either be lunch, or about to star in its own version of Sylvester and Tweety Piehow wrong we were. - thedrum.com

www.thedrum.com

Clover s Week: A change of view

When Canvas was making its regulatory progress it was suggested that outside partners be brought in. The Adshel posters dont dispel the image either. The men in suits were sniffy about Skys involvement in YouView, but as it turned out the platform has given a home to its Now TV service. - broadbandtvnews.com

www.broadbandtvnews.com

Despite rise of the tablet, TV set viewings are still strong - TV Radio - Media - The Independent

Just 1.5 of television viewing was on other screens such as tablets, laptops and mobiles, according to the figures released by television marketing body, Thinkbox. The average viewer watched just over three hours, 55 minutes of TV a day during 2013. Of that figure, just three minutes, 30 seconds a day of live stream viewing was conducted via PCs and mobile devices. - independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

BT needs to up its game in the pay-TV market - Business - The Observer

BT needs to find its own Game of Thrones if it is not to be dwarfed by Sky. Industry observers suggest that BT may well look to follow Sky into film and entertainment next, adding another pillar of must-watch programming to its offering. Netflix has shown the power of a well-marketed TV property. - theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

Alan Yentob: 'The BBC can't compete with its hands tied behind its back' - Media - The Guardian

They ask us to move as flashes from the camera can be seen on-screen on the BBC News Channel illustrating the perils of having a newsroom as a backdrop for live bulletins. Yentob apologises and we retire to his office a former radio drama kitchen that sits between Old and New Broadcasting House. His office is narrow but cosy desk stacked with books and an Alan Yentob mask someone sent him. - theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

As the waters rise, the sands run out for BBC funding - Media - The Observer

Tony Hall, keeper of the flame, was doing his valiant best last week. Come April, the Foreign Office grant that sustains the service all 245m of it per year stops short. The BBC and Lord Hall will have to find that money from licence-fee payers with 700m in wider cuts looming. - theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com

BBC - Blogs - About the BBC - What's on BBC Red Button, 15-21 February

- bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

Feedback: Climate change: 14 Feb 14

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BBC - Blogs - Internet blog - BBC iPlayer Radio: your feedback

Im the senior product manager for BBC iPlayer Radio. A lot of these pages were being duplicated in BBC iPlayer. We appreciate that this is inconvenient and we looked really carefully at whether there was a way of transferring those favourites across, but unfortunately we couldnt find a simple way to do it. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

Can we save AM radio? - The Verge

In its first 50 years, AM was a large enough player in the media landscape that it required lots of technical regulations to keep stations from interfering with one anothers signals while simultaneously serving their communities with adequate signals. Now that its audience is relatively microscopic and competition is low, those regulations need to be relaxed to make AM a viable medium, especially for minority and rural read small-budget broadcasters to be able to effectively serve their communities. If the FCC doesnt adopt these rules, or something like them, the AM band may simply be too big of a hassle for Americans to both produce for and listen to. - theverge.com

www.theverge.com

Media Talk podcast - TV Lair special

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Virgin Media falls behind as rivals BT and BSkyb sign up more customers - Media - theguardian.com

Virgin Media chief Tom Mockridge has said the companys cable business is improving in the face of more competition. The cable TV and telecoms operator added 18,600 pay-TV customers and 39,100 broadband customers in the three months to the end of December. BT's multi-billion pound drive into top-flight sports rights, including Premier League football, helped it add 70,000 TV customers and 150,000 broadband customers. - theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com