Ariel - News to come under BBC Trust scrutiny

The division will be the subject of a service review, beginning in the summer and led by trustee Richard Ayre. Occasional or weekly current affairs programmes, such as Panorama, will not be included. Pollard triggered the resignation of the long-serving deputy director of News Stephen Mitchell and the move of Newsnight's editor and deputy editor into new roles. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

DTG :: News :: BBC Trust to conduct channel review

The reviews are being conducted as part of the Trust's rolling programme of service reviews. Under the Charter the Trust is required to review each BBC service at least once every five years. Public consultations will be held for both reviews as well as specific audience research and interviews with elevant BBC controllers and staff. - dtg.org.uk

www.dtg.org.uk

$23 billion acquisition of Virgin Media may pose biggest threat yet to BSkyB - The Verge

The price refelects a 24 percent premium over Virgin Medias closing share price on February 4th. The deal is still subject to things like approval from the companies shareholders and regulators, but assuming it goes ahead, the new ownership could potentially shake up the British pay TV landscape. Virgin Media's subscriber count of 4.9 million is less than half of BSkyB's 10.7 million, but financial backing from the larger Liberty could help it fund investment in new technology and be more competitive in crucial content deal negotiations. - theverge.com

www.theverge.com

YouView estimated to have added up to 230,000 subscribers since launch - Media - guardian.co.uk

YouView launched in July 2012 and is reported to have added 230,000 subscribers to its internet TV service. TalkTalk, which also revealed on Tuesday that its broadband subscriber base grew for the first time in three years in the quarter, is estimated to have added more than 40,000 more customers since 31 December. BT Vision, which began offering YouView boxes to its customers for free from 26 October, said last week that it had signed up a total of just over 60,000 customers to its service up to 31 December. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

YouView sales hit 140,000 - News - Broadcast

Total sales of YouView boxes have risen to 140,000 after TalkTalk reported it had distributed 80,000 units in the three months to 31 December.

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Lebedevs win London local TV licence - Media - guardian.co.uk

Evgeny and Alexander Lebedev will be hoping the new London Live TV service will help their newspapers into profit. London Live was one of five bids for the licence, and the Lebedevs will be banking on their entry into the UK TV market helping to move their newspaper assets to profitability. An initial five-year plan for London Live will include annual marketing support of 5m, and it has been indicated that it could launch as soon as September. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

Three UK promises to provide LTE without increasing prices - The Verge

Three is already consistently cheaper than the other major networks, and if it can indeed step up to LTE without adding anything to its subscribers' bills, today's decision should provide the catalyst for a long-overdue price war among UK carriers. - theverge.com

www.theverge.com

Billionaire Lebedev Wins License to Start New London TV Station - Bloomberg

London Live TV beat four other applicants for the right to a 12-year license to broadcast to an estimated 4 million homes, U.K. communications regulator Ofcom said in a statement today. Lebedevs free-to-air channel won against bids by former mayoral candidate Steven Norris and former Channel 4 Chairman Luke Johnson. London is one of 21 U.K. markets where Ofcom is adding local TV stations. - bloomberg.com

www.bloomberg.com

London gets first dedicated digital terrestrial TV channel as ESTV launches London Live

London is to have a dedicated television channel offering a service to 4 million homes, the broadcasting watchdog Ofcom announced today. London Live will utilise the journalistic resources of both the Evening Standard and The Independent. Our excellent team of journalists in the capital have the best contacts, knowledge and understanding of the London scene, he said. - independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

Ian Burrell: Hall's task is to build bridges inside and outside the BBC

During Hall's time running the Royal Opera House he built bridges and made alliances. His management style will be far more inclusive than the lone wolf leadership of Mark Thompson, whose BBC he essentially inherits. Thompson was one of the BBC's warrior kings. - independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

BBC - Blogs - Internet blog - What's On BBC Red Button 2nd - 8th February

For regular updates follow BBC Red Button on Twitter. Every Saturday press the Red Button during the show to pit your wits against our studio contestants. This has enabled the Red Button team to offer the best games tailored to each system. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

DTG :: News :: EE 4G arrives in 9 more towns

EE has rolled out 4G to nine new areas across the UK, bringing the total number of towns and cities covered to 27. EE is currently the only UK operator providing 4G services in Britain, with 45 of the country's population living in a connected area. To be ahead of schedule and covering approximately 45 of the population within just 90 days of the launch is a great achievement for our network team. - dtg.org.uk

www.dtg.org.uk

BBC News - Ofcom to open up airwaves for 4G mobile services

Currently EE is the the only UK operator that can run 4G services over those parts of the radio spectrum. Telecoms regulator Ofcom has started a public consultation exercise on the proposal that runs until 29 March. Ofcom is currently running an auction to sell off unused airwaves that can support 4G services. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

Online radio listening tops 50m hours - News - Broadcast

31 January, 2013 By Balihar Khalsa Rajar Online digital radio listening hit 51m hours for the first time in the last quarter of 2012, a year-on-year increase of 43. 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.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

6 Music hits almost 1.9m digital listeners : Radio Today with RCS

Digital radio listening is now one third of all listening, with over 25 million people now tuning in to a digital signal, up 2.1 million year on year. 42 of the population now has a DAB digital radio set, up from 40.3 in Q4 2011. This equates to 22 million adults now having a DAB digital radio, up 6 year on year. - radiotoday.co.uk

radiotoday.co.uk

Greg Dyke and top broadcasters urge press to back statutory regulation - Media - guardian.co.uk

Greg Dyke joined leading documentary makers in signing letter backing statutory press regulation. The letter comes on the day the Tories are expected to unveil their final proposal for a royal charter to underpin a new press regulator to replace the Press Complaints Commission, accompanied by a statute which would bar a future government from removing or amending the charter for political reasons. Delays in implementing the Leveson recommendations have been justified in some quarters by warnings that new press regulation would inevitably threaten free speech. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

S4C and BBC Trust reach agreement on change to annual funding - Media - guardian.co.uk

The deal marks the end to three years of turmoil at S4C. BBC licence-fee funding for S4C will be 76.3m a year from 2013/14, falling to 74.5m by 2016/17. The agreement also states that any significant changes to the S4C service must be subject to consultation. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

Amazon Elastic Transcoder means anyone can rival the BBC iPlayer

Amazon Web Services offers things like hosting of static images, virtual machines which many people use as web hosts, email services and other more complex services. Yesterday, AWS launched a new service - Amazon Elastic Transcoder. In a nutshell, this service takes your video and makes it available in a variety of different formats. - mediauk.com

www.mediauk.com

BBC News - S4C independence safeguard as BBC partnership agreed

The new partnership was agreed following public consultation over plans to fund most of S4C's activities from the BBC licence fee from April. S4C will remain independent, also receiving UK government funding and generating its own revenue. The BBC will contribute 76.3m from the licence fee in 2013-14 falling to 74.5m by 2016/17. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

informitv - DIAL offers open alternative to Apple AirPlay

Netflix and YouTube have led the development of a simple protocol known as DIAL to allow second screen apps to talk to server applications on network-connected devices and displays. It offers a simple open alternative to Apple AirPlay or other solutions such as Miracast and could change the way apps work with network connected televisions. For instance, it means that users can simply launch a compatible mobile app and tap the Play on TV button in the app to view the output on a network-connected television device or display on the same home network. - informitv.com

informitv.com

informitv - H.265 enables next phase of video revolution

A new video coding standard that promises to require only half the bit rate of current approaches for the same quality has reached the first stage of approval. It is anticipated that it will enable a new phase of innovation in video, from mobile devices through to Ultra-High-Definition Television. Members of the ITU, the United Nations agency for information and communication technology, have agreed the standard. - informitv.com

informitv.com

Local television on Freeview - ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice

The map below shows the locations chosen for local television services on Freeview in the United Kingdom map is loading, please wait... - ukfree.tv

www.ukfree.tv

Racism on TV: please do not adjust your sets - Editorial - Comment is free - The Guardian

It is not for nothing that its brand of humour endures with generations yet to be born when it was produced. Its cross-generational appeal is what makes it a comedy classic. The BBC's duty to not cause offence, even in its intended pre-watershed slot, is surely diminished in practical terms by the familiarity and availability of this episode at any time of the day. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

BBC - Blogs - Internet blog - What's On BBC Red Button 26th January - 2nd February

It's music, comedy and a trip down memory lane on the Red Button this week. Every Saturday press the Red Button during the show to pit your wits against our studio contestants. This has enabled the Red Button team to offer the best games tailored to each system. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/hd-3d-no-the-future-of-television-is-4k--and-its-brought-to-you-

The BBC is filming its next blockbuster wildlife series in ultra-high definition 4K video producing images with four times the number of pixels as traditional high definition. If you have a living room large enough, Sony has an 84-inch version retailing at 25,000 and only available in Britain from Harrods. Those preferring something more discreet might wish to wait for the 65-inch version or even the dinky 55-inch, which will be in the shops this summer. - independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/coming-soon-did-bskyb-beat-its-rivals-8468158.html

Sky, whose shows include The Following, starring Kevin Bacon, will report a jump in revenue for the first full quarter since an annual price rise came into effect, following a freeze for customers in 2011. Numis forecasts a 16 per cent rise in earnings, with half-year profit at 600m. - independent.co.uk

www.independent.co.uk

Ariel - Tony Hall to take charge of BBC in April

Hall began his BBC career in 1973, leaving the corporation in 2001. In 2001, Hall joined the Royal Opera House and he also chaired the Cultural Olympiad board. He was created a life peer with the title Baron Hall of Birkenhead in 2010. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

Ariel - W1 move is game changer for World News

Especially for a news channel that is looking to bring down walls and build its reputation. BBC World News - the commercially funded international news channel - moved into the building last week and is already reaping the benefits. New, technologically advanced HD studios allow more dynamic and ambitious storytelling, while sharing a newsroom with the BBC's international and domestic journalists offers a wealth of ready content and expertise. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

Sky in PSB carriage fees stand-off - 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.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Freeview users able to watch Sky shows for free - News - TV News - UK Drama - What's on TV

Sky is screening some of its biggest shows like Game of Thrones on Freeview to show non-pay TV viewers just what they're missing. - whatsontv.co.uk

www.whatsontv.co.uk

How we test sound bars - Sound bar reviews - TV DVD - Which? Technology

Just want to get a TV with the best audio possible Check our extensive reviews for the TVs with the best sound quality. Real-world sound testing We asked three independent expert listeners to rate every piece of equipment in exactly the same way, using the same set of audio clips that we use to test TVs, plus an extra track to measure any extra bass oomph. - which.co.uk

www.which.co.uk

World News: where it should be - Comment - Broadcast

24 January, 2013 By Lisa Campbell Relaunch puts channel in a great position to compete with rivals 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.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

BBC News - Operators 4G bidding war begins as Ofcom launches UK auction

The bidding will process take place online and last a number of weeks. Ofcom has been criticised about how long the process has taken, with the UK lagging behind other countries that have already rolled out 4G. 4G offers much faster download speeds than 3G connections making it possible to stream high quality audio and visual content while on the move. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

Ariel - End retransmission fees, says Ed Vaizey

Vaizey was speaking at the Oxford Media Convention on Wednesday morning. In an excerpt of his speech, the minister from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said he would like to see 'a solution on so-called retransmission fees'. These fees are paid by PSBs to satellite providers so that their free-to-air content is carried on subscription channels. - bbc.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk

DTG :: News :: Culture Minister Ed Vaizey announces DTG-led Dynamic Spectrum Access Group

The DTG has established an industry group to ensure that improvements in spectrum efficiency get brought into use quickly and effectively. To ensure the efficient use of spectrum, intensive spectrum sharing needs to take place, using advanced technologies such as Dynamic Spectrum Access to avoid disruption of existing services. The Group will also offer assistance to Ofcom and Government in their task of providing an appropriate regulatory framework. - dtg.org.uk

www.dtg.org.uk

U.K. 4G/LTE Spectrum Bidding Gets Underway, Networks Expected To Launch By Late Spring/Summer - TechCrunch

Bidding is taking place online, using specially developed software anda combinatorial clock auction format. Once the winners are determined, and fees are paid, licences will be granted with carriers then able to start rolling out new 4G networks. Ofcom is expecting that services will be launched by a range of providers from late spring/summer 2013. - techcrunch.com

techcrunch.com

Speech to the Oxford Media Convention

What I would like to do this morning is set out some of the issues the Government intends to address in our forthcoming White Paper, to give you some insight into the issues that we think are important. Some of these issues, you will be glad to hear, overlap with your discussions later today, so we should be on the same wavelength. I want to talk about the success of the British media. - culture.gov.uk

www.culture.gov.uk

Licence fee should rise with UK economy, says former BBC chair - 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.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

BSkyB must stop charging PSBs millions of pounds, says Ed Vaizey - Media - guardian.co.uk

Ed Vaizey said BSkyB needed to cut its retransmission fees to make it a 'level playing field' among broadcasters. In the past the PSBs have paid Sky a combined 25m a year in retransmission fees. Last year Sky cut its retransmission charges, which apply to more than 100 TV and radio channels, which almost halves the amount the BBC paid. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

ITV warns of EPG prominence threat - 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.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk

You can't legally catch up TV online - Forbes

Many mentioned that TV fares was a better way to measure this so this week, as Ive done for the last few years, Im looking into how the top 50 broadcast TV shows fared when it came to legal availability online. I took out every live and reality TV shows as the archival value of such show is limited since they are primarily marketed as events and, as such, loose most of their value to the viewer after the initial broadcast. For data on the latest season, I looked at data posted in Wikipedia and counted seasons that happened during the 2012 year. - forbes.com

www.forbes.com

BBC News - Where is all the ultra-HD content?

4K television - or ultra-HD as it is sometimes known - is already the talk of technology press and is expected to be the talk of retailers by the end of 2013. It allows pictures four times the resolution of current HD. The problem is the current lack of content that is available in that high resolution. - news.bbc.co.uk

news.bbc.co.uk

Sky unveils a new subscription service - Sky Go Extra

The service also lets Sky Go Extra customers register for Sky Go on up to four, rather than two, internet-connected devices. Sky Go now attracts more than 3 million unique users each quarter. In addition to being able to download content, Sky Go Extra customers are also able to register for Sky Go on up to four, rather than two, internet-connected devices, giving Sky households even more flexibility over when and where they enjoy the service. - corporate.sky.com

corporate.sky.com

Ten days left to get Windows 8 Media Center for free

Windows 8 special pricing expires on January 31, but it is not the only Microsoft special offer that goes away on that day. The company kicked Media Center somewhat to the curb with the new operating system. It no longer comes as a part of Windows, but requires the Pro version and a special add-on pack that will be sold for 9.99. - betanews.com

betanews.com

Germany's RTL pulls free-to-air channels off terrestrial TV • The Register

Germany's largest commercial broadcaster is getting out of broadcasting, on Earth at least, citing spiralling costs and an uncertain future as mobile phone operators grab all the good spectrum. The UK's regulator has even envisioned a world without terrestrial broadcasting at all, though not before 2030, but such a future may arrive ahead of time in Germany now that RTL is abandoning the platform. RTL's plan, detailed by the a516digital blog, is to shut down transmissions in Munich this spring and stop terrestrial broadcasting entirely by the end of next year, continuing to deliver content to viewers over cable and broadband but primarily broadcast from satellite. - theregister.co.uk

www.theregister.co.uk

informitv - BT Vision multicast trials

Which is nice if you can get the necessary BT Infinity broadband service, but it is a shame about the interface. User reports suggest that the multicast channels, including a number in high definition, are comparable in quality to those received over the air, if not better, which is hardly surprising. Apparently it is being delivered to the original BT Vision boxes, minus the Microsoft Mediaroom software. - informitv.com

informitv.com

Sky introduces a TV and movie download service for mobile phones and tablets

The service will support up to four users per subscription. To encourage people to try the service, the broadcaster is offering a two-month free trial. Sky has an extensive library of on-demand movies, including the entire James Bond collection. - betanews.com

betanews.com

Media Monkey's diary: BBC, Radio Times and Andrew Gilligan - Media - guardian.co.uk

At the same conference, Williams was refreshingly frank about the irritations of digital radio station schedules, which have a habit of repeating shows. Like Radio 4 Extra, for instance, sister station of Radio 4. Surely Ben Preston's team can't already have forgotten her last-day tears and the headlines about her decision not to go to Salford - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

BBC may change severance policy after George Entwistle payout criticised - Media - guardian.co.uk

Patten has maintained that Entwistle's 450,000 severance amounting to 12 months' salary, plus a number of perks was the best deal for licence-fee payers. Entwistle was only contractually entitled to six months' salary. This was denied by the trust in its latest response, which pointed out that it had given evidence to two parliamentary committees and agreed to a wide-ranging NAO review of severance policies across the BBC. - guardian.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

Ofcom 'must protect PSB content on digital platforms' - 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.uk

www.broadcastnow.co.uk