Keep up with the daily developments that effect free TV in the UK. This list is updated often - you can follow
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And here are the daily recommendations for developments with Freeview, Freesat, Freesat from Sky, Digital radio, free HD and online viewing. Summaries are done by
Clipped-Your articles and documents summarizedTuesday 15 May 2012, PM
Broadband Britain mapped: your web speeds - Technology - guardian.co.ukWe asked you to test your broadband speeds for us. You can filter by actual speed - or click on a dot to see what people said about their broadband. Explore and debate this data More data journalism and data visualisaitons from the Datastore - guardian.co.uk
ISPs must improve speed info says Ofcom - May - 2012 - Which? News15 May 2012 Ofcom reveals results of broadband speeds mystery shopping Ofcom has released results of research that some broadband providers aren't consistently providing speed estimates to potential customers. In a mystery shopping exercise, TalkTalk and BT Total Broadband were less likely than other providers to give an estimated speed with prompting from the caller. The research, undertaken by Ofcom, has highlighted areas where it says providers need to improve. TalkTalk and BT are just two of the provider rated by their customers in Which's twice annual broadband survey. - which.co.uk
Channel 4 chief upbeat despite main network's audience share dropping - Media - guardian.c…David Abraham says Channel 4's 2011 figures have held up better than its rival terrestrial broadcasters. The flagship Channel 4 network had a 6.8 share of the audience in 2011, falling to 5.9 without its timeshifted offering, Channel 4 1. This was down from 7 in 2010 and its lowest since 1984, when it had a 6 share including Welsh-language channel, S4C. - guardian.co.uk
Wales should seek own C3 licence, report says - News - Broadcast11 May, 2012 By Catherine Neilan The Welsh government should seek a specific Channel 3 licence as part of a range of measures to safeguard the nations media interests, a new report has recommended. 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
Channel 4 reports £44m profit for 2011 - Media - guardian.co.ukThe company's annual report showed that the flagship public service channel ran up a 41.9m deficit, compared to 6.5m the year before, but the loss was eliminated by income generated elsewhere. Channel 4 ended the year with an increased bank balance of 292m. David Abraham, the chief executive, said that the broadcaster would start running down its cash pile to closer to 200m and indicated that the channel did not expect to break even in 2012. - guardian.co.uk
Ofcom raises concerns over C4 News ratings - News - BroadcastIt 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
BBC News - Today - 80 years of Broadcasting HouseGet in touch with Today via email , Twitter or Facebook or text us on 84844. - news.bbc.co.uk
Monday 14 May 2012, PM
Ariel - BBC to buy £15m of local tv contentAs part of the 2010 licence fee settlement, the corporation agreed to provide 40m for the creation of a 'new generation' of local tv services - an initiative championed by the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt. From today, media regulator Ofcom are inviting applications from local tv companies to broadcast in 21 locations across the UK. They will award the licences this autumn but the BBC will not be involved in their selection. - bbc.co.uk
Sunday 13 May 2012, PM
ATV Today News Ofcom may review existing EPG codeOfcom have stated that they might review and change current code on where channels can be placed. The channel number on an electronic programme guide EPG can be vital for securing a good viewing audience. As Ofcom opens up for applications for new local television stations, Sky and Virgin Media have been asked where they intend to place the new local services. - atvtoday.co.uk
Ballymena Times readers urged to watch out for information packs - Local - Ballymena Times…The Switchover Help Scheme is writing directly to people that are eligible for help and most eligible people in the area will receive their first letter and information pack through the post any day now. The pack, which is also available in a range of alternative formats, explains all the options available to eligible people and contains important information on how they can get help to convert one TV to digital in time for switchover which begins on October 10. Other options and equipment are also available, some at an extra cost, and these are outlined in the information pack. - ballymenatimes.com
Saturday 12 May 2012, PM
TV Catchup Beta Now available for AndroidTV Catchup, the service that lets you stream live freeview channels direct to your handset for free is now available in beta format for Android. Changed app behaviour so that on a tablet in full screen mode, if a video error occurs then selecting cancel will cause the application to change back to preview mode. Added loading dialogue to tablets prior to Honeycomb. - coolsmartphone.com
Friday 11 May 2012, PM
City on course to get local TV station - This is South WalesThe city is one of 21 locations to be chosen to take part in the pioneering scheme and could begin transmitting programmes as soon as 2013. Ofcom is now inviting companies to bid for a licence to run the new service. Once up and running the local TV service will be broadcast on Freeview and be available to the majority of households within the transmitter area. - thisissouthwales.co.uk
Friday 11 May 2012, AM
London set for its own TV station as Ofcom invites bids for franchise - Business - London …It is one of the first 21 areas across the UK being offered franchises next year, under Government plans for a new network of city-based channels. Ofcom, the broadcast industrys independent regulator, opened the bidding following yesterdays announcement from Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt. I hope to see exciting bids for the new TV channel, he said. - london24.com
Government invites companies to bid to run Plymouth TV station - This is PlymouthTHE Government is inviting firms to bid to run Plymouth's new local TV station. Ofcom wants to hear from applicants for the licence to run the new service, which is expected to launch on air as early as next year. Plymouth is one of the first 21 areas across to the UK to be given the opportunity to have its own local TV station. - thisisplymouth.co.uk
Thursday 10 May 2012, PM
Norman: ITV ready for connected TV - News - BroadcastIt 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
BBC seeks technocrat with vision - Media - guardian.co.ukThe next BBC director general will have to outline a vision to avoid its terminal decline. The BBC has not faced a radical challenge to its very purpose and existence since the dying days of the Thatcher government. Within six months of taking charge of the BBC, the next DG will have to prepare a vision that will see it through perhaps its most demanding and life-threatening period since 1926. - guardian.co.uk
Saorsat: Ireland’s Freesat launches to reach the two per cent without a TV aerial - Reco…Unlike Freesat, Saorsat doesnt share satellites with the very popular Sky pay-TV service at the Astra 2 location. Instead, its on Ka-Sat at 9E, about 19 degrees to the West of the Astra 2 satellites, although an experienced installer can get both on the same dish. Theres a coverage checker at http//coverage.rtenl.ie/. - recombu.com
VLV: 4G Freeview disruption ‎"an outrage" - News - BroadcastIt 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
It could be time to retune - Local News - Biggleswade Today - biggleswadetoday.co.uk
Ofcom - Licensing Local Television - StatementStatement published 100512, updated 150512 Background 1.1 Three Orders have been passed by Parliament, which give Ofcom the necessary powers and duties to license a new generation of local television services. 1.2 Ofcom has consulted on how it would exercise these new powers and duties to create a licensing framework for local television. We set out our proposals before the Orders were passed so as not to delay the timetable for launching new local TV services. - stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk
Ofcom - Ofcom invites applications for first 21 local TV channelsOfcom today invited applications for 21 local TV channels across the UK. This follows new duties given to Ofcom by Parliament to license local TV. In addition to inviting applicants for 21 stations, Ofcom is today also inviting applications to run the local TV multiplex. - media.ofcom.org.uk
Wednesday 09 May 2012, PM
Ofcom - Television Multiplex Licence Renewal - Multiplex B -
Tuesday 08 May 2012, AM
Letters: The truth about Sky's free choice - Media - The GuardianSky buys its customers by buying their choices, by buying rights and companies so it controls how people can see the programmes previously free-to-air. There is a mass of programmes from the US channels it has bought, and films from their studios. Then Sky simply steps in and uses its financial might to outbid the terrestrial channels and take the programmes. - guardian.co.uk
BBC2's Janice Hadlow: 'I'm not opposed to romping' - Media - The GuardianNot surprisingly BBC2 controller Janice Hadlow stands foursquare behind Clarkson and her channel's top rating show. In a break with tradition, the job ad for the director general said a background in programming or journalism was not required. It would be less challenging had management gone ahead with a plan to axe BBC4 in the latest round of cost-cutting. - guardian.co.uk
No laughing matter: BBC faces comedy crisis as rivals lure talent with big budgets - News …BBC1 could miss out on the next generation of classic sitcoms like Only Fools And Horses because talented writers can't handle the pressure of parading their wares in front of a mass audience, a leading executive said. It's a sellers' market in comedy at the moment, which has impacted the number of scripts we are getting. Other writers prefer the path taken by Tom Hollander, who launched his acclaimed religious comedy Rev on BBC2, where it was able to build an audience. - independent.co.uk
Vince Cable: I feel vindicated for declaring war on Rupert Murdoch over BSkyB - UK Politic… -
Monday 07 May 2012, PM
Richard Horwood has a tele-‘vision’ of a Channel 6 for London—and a reason why he wa…That set the broadcasting industry buzzing, not least Richard and his Channel 6 Group. We have good national advertising market in Britain worth around 3.4 billion, he points out. It can fund a high-quality channel that would sell London as a world city. The ex-lawyer turned financier, now media executive, is passionate about the new London TV franchise about to be offered for tender. - eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk
Friday 04 May 2012, PM
What would an independent Scotland mean for the BBC? - Television radio - guardian.co.ukSalmond has been generally opaque on this issue, offering little beyond a cheery assurance that Scottish voters shouldn't fret because no one's going to deprive us of Eastenders or The X Factor. Yes, why would Scottish viewers have any interest in a programme with middle class people in it Good news for Sky and Virgin though Scottish subscriptions would soar. - guardian.co.uk
Making Windows Media Center available in Windows 8 - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN…This post is how we will deliver on that and continue to support Media Center for another product lifecycle. --Steven If you saw our recent post on the Windows 8 editions, then you know already that Windows Media Center will be available in Windows 8. You might also have noticed Windows Media Center is included in Windows 8 Consumer Preview. - blogs.msdn.com
YouView is coming – slowly - Comment - Broadcast3 May, 2012 But not everyones prepared to wait patiently, says Kate Bulkley. 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
Echostar launch Ultra Slim Box, world's slimmest PVR : HDTV UKWith analogue TV signals dying the death, now's the perfect time to grab a digital set-top box if you didn't already have one. The box also offers live TV rewinding and pausing functionality, as well as intelligently seeking out HD versions of shows when available and offering the ability to set shows to record from advertisements. - hdtvuk.tv
Thursday 03 May 2012, PM
http://www.how-do.co.uk/north-west-media-news/north-west-broadcasting/channel-m-\'was-a-vi… - how-do.co.uk
Lord Sugar: Dont Hold Your Breath For YouView - Gizmodo UKBad news streaming fans those looking forward to a May launch for the revolutionaryYouViewstreaming TV service will be sorely disappointed. According to Lord Sugar, its not in any shape to launch before the end of 2012, let alone before the Olympics. Considering it was meant to get into our living rooms way back in 2010, well be lucky if it makes it out this year. - gizmodo.co.uk
Will BSkyB's viewers turn on and tune in or drop out? - TelegraphHowever, the phone hacking scandal and News Corp's contentious 39pc stake in BSkyB has not so much blotted the broadcaster's copy book, as upended a whole inkwell over it. The act has only forced a broadcaster off air once in the past, but Ofcom's steady flow of pronouncements on the subject suggest it has the appetite to flex its muscle again. If Ofcom reaches the same conclusion, News Corp could be forced to sell its entire stake or watch BSkyB, the broadcaster it tried to take over last summer, go off air. - telegraph.co.uk
Wednesday 02 May 2012, PM
Freeview homes face digital TV interference due to new mobile services - Media - guardian.…Nearly two million homes face disruption to their digital TV signal because of interference from new mobile services, with fears that a government help scheme to combat the problem will prove inadequate. About 1.9 million households all with digital terrestrial TV service Freeview will suffer interference from the next generation of mobile services 4G which could come online by the end of this year. Satellite and cable TV services will be unaffected by 4G signals. - guardian.co.uk
Wednesday 02 May 2012, AM
informitv - Future of Broadcast Television InitiativeThis represents a laudable effort to define the requirements for future global terrestrial television standards, but it currently lacks representation from other fields of telecommunications and information technology. In the digital age divisions have remained and consequently there is no single digital television standard. The ambitious aim is to try and break down many of the long-standing barriers that have prevented common systems. - informitv.com
BBC News - Murdoch not fit to run News CorpIt will force the board of News Corporation to review whether the 81 year-old, who created one of the most powerful media groups the world has ever seen, should remain as its executive chairman. It will give ammunition to those News Corporation shareholders who would like to loosen the hold over the company of the Murdoch dynasty. I forgot to mention one very important conclusion, that the News of the World and News International also misled MPs as corporate entities. - bbc.co.uk
BBC and Arts Council launch joint digital Space for culture - Media - guardian.co.ukAn archive of John Peel's entire record collection is now available on The Space. The Space, which went live on Tuesday, will offer hundreds of hours of arts programming online, on mobile, and on digital TV. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. - guardian.co.uk
Backwards EPG and catch-up coming to Freeview - News - TechRadarYou'll soon be able to catch up on TV shows you missed by browsing backwards through the Freeview EPG. The EPG upgrade will only benefit those with a connected set-top box or TV, but will bring a week's worth of catch-up programmes to the televisual buffet. Timing There's no word yet precisely when the EPG upgrade will be released, unfortunately. - techradar.com
Now on Freeview HD: Olympic arts channel that's tough to watch • The RegisterFreeview HD got a new channel this morning, which will be filled with events from the Cultural Olympiad as well as the occasional Hitchcock film and the usual arts nonsense. The Space sits on channel 117, which puts it into the IP-streamed channels only available to kit conforming to the letter and spirit of the Freeview HD standard. The channel is funded from 3.5m of lottery dosh, via the Arts Council, and on the website punters can already watch the first of 26 shows of John Peel's record collection from A to Z. - theregister.co.uk
informitv - YouView delayed againYouView, the hybrid television platform planned by British broadcasters and broadband service providers, may not be ready until the end of 2012. The repeatedly postponed project will apparently now not roll out until at least the fourth quarter of the year. By which time, it may be too late to make an impact on the market. - informitv.com
Lord Sugar blow over YouView delay - TelegraphAccording to documents filed at Companies House, YouView spent more than 20m in its first nine months to April last year. However, well-placed sources said the spend so far is now more than 100m. When the set-top box does launch properly, it will have a battle on its hands. - telegraph.co.uk
Tuesday 01 May 2012, PM
Ofcom - DAB coverage planning: report to Government1.2 This report to Government sets out the approach and results of this planning exercise. 1.3 Broadcast radio coverage is dependent on a range of different factors including the height of the transmitting antenna and the power of the transmitting station, the type of terrain and ground clutter, atmospheric weather conditions, receiver sensitivity and aerial gain and whether the receiver is used indoors or in vehicles. 1.4 There are also important differences between FM and DAB technologies. - stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk
Phone hacking: select committee report – live - Media - guardian.co.uk11.02am MPs on the Commons culture, media and sport select committee are finally publishing their long-gestating final report into the News of the World phone-hacking scandal on Tuesday. The report is expected to criticise James Murdoch, the former chairman of News of the World publisher News International,. Here's what the Guardian's latest story suggests may happen The all-party culture, media and sport select committee has concluded that it cannot reach a final decision about whether Murdoch misled them because of what MPs describe as conflicting evidence, according to a source close to the process. - guardian.co.uk
Tuesday 01 May 2012, AM
Rupert Murdoch 'not fit' to lead major international company, MPs conclude - Media - guard…All three were accused of misleading parliament by the culture select committee. According to minutes published by the committee, the MPs were almost unanimous in their criticism of Hinton, Myler and Crone. The report said that it would not draw conclusions on evidence to the committee about Milly Dowler, the murdered schoolgirl whose voicemail messages were hacked by the News of the World in 2002, because of an ongoing police investigation into Brooks. - guardian.co.uk
Saturday 28 April 2012, AM
News - SES.comThis means that consumers will be able to enjoy the benefits of watching TV programmes on different devices and screens. SAT-IP will become an official standard which is open to all manufacturers and allows them to develop a neutral environment of multiple devices. Current prototypes already allow for the reception of up to eight programmes on eight different screen devices at home. - ses.com
BBC News - BBC announces daytime TV schedule shake-upThe new strategy is part of the Delivering Quality First initiative aimed at saving money. Daytime controller Liam Keelan has also pledged there will be no more than two programmes of any genre shown each day. Keelan used last year's decision to pull the plug on Cash in the Attic - which will come off air in early 2013 - and To Buy or Not to Buy as an example of the new approach. - bbc.co.uk
BBC - About the BBC: Voting with Mobile Short Dial CodesThe voting experience is exactly the same as if the caller was dialling an 090... long number, from the message they hear to the way in which their vote is counted, but by using MSDCs we are able to detail the exact price the consumer will be charged which for The Voice will be 25p. Traditionally '090...' Premium Rate numbers have been used for live voting which has left the mobile caller being charged, in some instances, up to three times that of a land line caller. When a caller from a mobile wishes to cast a vote, the journey that call takes across to the fixed line provider has historically lead to the high charges incurred from a mobile. - bbc.co.uk
Friday 27 April 2012, PM
MuxCo.com London s Digital BoostEach area in the country has specific issues based on topography or land use and Londons no exception. Digital Radio UK have co-ordinated an additional transmitter on BT Tower, alongside some additional power upgrades around the network to provide further resilience. Its seen all the multiplex operators work together London 1, 2 and 3 alongside D1 and the BBC to make this happen. - muxco.com
YouView hires top marketer ahead of expected autumn launch - Marketing news - Marketing ma…YouView expected to launch in the autumn Last October YouView made its entire marketing and communications redundant. It has now hired Conway who will report to Richard Halton, chief executive. YouView's initial launch was scheduled for the summer of 2011 but has been delayed by technical difficulties. - marketingmagazine.co.uk
London TV channel only on Freeview could leave millions unable to view - News - London 24The government proposal for the local station, one of 20 planned in the UK, only allocates a Freeview slot when it goes live next year. They argue that Freeviews vacant slot 8 listing, allocated to the new service, can only cover three million homes if it is transmitted just from Crystal Palace on a medium power frequency. The remaining two million will be left in what London Assembly budget chairman John Biggs describes as a TV desert. - london24.com
Media Analysis: Throwing digital radio switch will be a challenge - Media - Business - Eve…It wont have meant much to viewers, most of whom regard five-channel viewing as an anachronism anyway, but the marquee full of engineers and media types were still rather pleased with themselves when the tower was lit up like a Christmas tree to mark the event. Second, it frees up airwaves that will be fought over by mobile phone operators keen on increasing their networks capacity. Now the old TV signal has been switched off, when will radio follow suit - thisislondon.co.uk
Cambridge Consortium Completes Successful Trial of Next-Generation Wireless -- CAMBRIDGE, …The UK is playing a leading role by exploring the use of licence-exempt access to TV white spaces and developing a model regulatory framework. Leading innovators from the UK and beyond have demonstrated the potential that television white spaces can have for meeting the UK's broadband needs. Developments such as this endorse the leadership position that the UK can take in enabling more efficient use of spectrum by opening up an array of opportunities for wireless applications for consumers and businesses alike. - prnewswire.co.uk
Digital switchover has lost me 80 TV channels From Bournemouth Echo)The 54-year-old has retuned her TV half a dozen times since the signal from the Isle of Wight was retuned last Tuesday. Anyone who would like more channels than are available via an aerial may also wish to consider alternative options for digital TV, such as satellite. Comments are closed on this article. - bournemouthecho.co.uk
Thursday 26 April 2012, PM
DTG :: News :: Cambridge Consortium successfully trials TV White SpacesI find the idea of using white space devices to deliver broadband to rural communities, or to expand the range and quality of urban Wi-Fi hotspots, exciting. This can form a significant contribution to our thinking as we consider how to maximise the value of the spectrum below 1 GHz. The trial analysis found Cambridge has significant television white spaces capacity - dtg.org.uk
Wednesday 25 April 2012, PM
Avaaz - Fire Jeremy HuntThis is an outrageous breach of his public duties, and if we raise our voices now we can get him fired this week. Let'stake another massive step to clean up our democracy by ending the crooked collusion between our government and the Murdoch Mafia. Sign the urgent petition to remove Hunt, which we'll deliver with an action outside the Inquiry. - avaaz.org
Wednesday 25 April 2012, AM
The future of TV isn t TV, it s broadband. Tech News and AnalysisAs government strives to keep up with the broadband age, the Senates Commerce Committee held a hearing today covering the future of television, but midway through the hearing I realized that the Senate has it all wrong. The future of TV isnt to be found in deregulation its on the Internet. It danced around the problems of pipe owners also owning content providers and pay TV distribution businesses. - gigaom.com
Tuesday 24 April 2012, PM
ITV could have made even bigger history - Media - guardian.co.ukAndy Allan, formerly of Thames, Tyne Tees, Central and Carlton, died relatively young he was only 68 but to say he lived life to the full rather understates the case. By modern norms it all looks desperately wasteful and inefficient 14 separate companies, each a producer/broadcaster in its own right, making shows for the network according to a system of guarantees designed to match contributions paid in according to share of advertising revenue with programming supplied. The big companies thereby got to make most of ITV's network shows, which made their programme controllers very powerful indeed. - guardian.co.uk
London gets extra digital radio reception : Radio TodayOlympic gold medal winner Dame Kelly Holmes and Colin Murray did the honours at a media gathering overlooking London. The new transmitter, along with three other recent additions, means 99 of the London road network within the M25 will be able to receive a listenable signal. The additional transmitters are a collaboration between the broadcasters, multiplex operators, Arqiva, and BT Wholesale, and is the culmination of a two-year programme of investment in digital transmitters around London. - radiotoday.co.uk
Saturday 21 April 2012, PM
Kent prepares for digital switchover - News - Kent NewsDigital switchover will take place countywide over May and June, giving the majority of households access to more than 40 Freeview channels free through their aerial. Parts of north Kent which pick up signal from a London transmitter began the switchover process this week. For the remainder of Kent, stages one and two will happen on June 13 and June 27 respectively. - kentnews.co.uk
Digital TV switchover date for Tunbridge Wells looms closer... - Tunbridge Wells PeopleHomes in Tunbridge Wells will start the stage one process of the digital switchover on May 30, 2012, giving households access to more than 40 Freeview channels throughour aerials. Digital switchover date in Tunbridge Wells is getting closer. For the remainder of Kent, stages one and two will happen on June 13 and June 27 respectively. - tunbridgewellspeople.co.uk
Nordic region, Ireland adopt new 'connected telly' standard • The RegisterNordig, the parent broadcasting organisation for the Nordic countries, plus Ireland, has issued a new specification for broadcasting. The standard is already taking off in Germany, France, the Netherlands and Spain, and to this we can now add most of the Nordic countries. NorDig was constituted in 1997 and says the transmission and reception of digital TV in member countries should be open, standardised and support horizontal competition. - theregister.co.uk
YouView expands on EPG plansClarifications have been made in areas surrounding the search methodology, the genre structure and navigation and the population of partially filled UI pages. In itself the statement provides clarity that ISPs will use the YouView platform as the means to deliver content exclusively to their subscribers. No firm date has been given for the launch of YouView, though with small-scale trials underway, there had been some expectation that this might take place during May. nevertheless analysts have recently expressed concern that the launch might not take place before the London 2012 Olympics. - broadbandtvnews.com
Freeview homes now exceed Sky in UK - Advanced TelevisionFreeview is now in more than 20 million homes in total when second sets are counted. There are now 2.1 million active Freeview HD homes. - advanced-television.com
Video: BBC Director General mark Thompson turns off analogue signal in London - Telegraph - telegraph.co.uk
Saturday 21 April 2012, AM
BSkyB's hold on pay-TV movies should be broken, says Ofcom - Media - guardian.co.ukIn March the competition regulator decided to take another look at the UK pay-TV market for films, to see whether the arrival of new digital services weakened the case against Sky. It provisionally concluded last summer that Sky was anti-competitive and needed to be weakened to allow rivals to flourish. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. - guardian.co.uk
BBC - BBC Internet Blog: BBC Red Button Blog 21st - 28th AprilEvery Saturday press the Red Button during the show to pit your wits against our studio contestants. On weekends the tone becomes more conversational when Red Button viewers can watch a topical interview in 'Five Minutes with...' or a round-up of the week's weird and wonderful videos in OddBox. This has enabled us to offer the best games tailored to each system. - bbc.co.uk
Friday 20 April 2012, AM
Digital switchover's tower of power - Media Monkey - Media - guardian.co.ukCrystal Palace transmitter marks digital switchover Martian ships not pictured. Photograph Clayton Hirst Eat your heart out, Eiffel Tower. London's Crystal Palace transmitter transformed itself into a son et lumiere spectacular well, the lumiere bit anyway to mark digital TV switchover in the capital on Wednesday night. - guardian.co.uk
Thursday 19 April 2012, PM
Manchester's Channel M closes after 12 years - Media - guardian.co.ukStuart Taylor of GMG said the governments plans for local TV did not offer a viable future for the station. The on-air offering was cut back in 2010, with the loss of about 30 staff, to a mixture of archive material, traffic and networked news. Under culture secretary Jeremy Hunt's plans for local television, the government is expected to license the first local TV stations by this summer, with the first 10 to 20 services expected to be in operation by 2015. - guardian.co.uk
Freeview finds that 3D is not such a turn-on for viewers - Media - guardian.co.ukAudience research for Freeview shows that TV viewers are not that keen on 3D maybe it's the glasses 3D ranked only sixth out of eight different new technologies in terms of popularity in a survey of 2,000 viewers published on Wednesday. Asked to pick three technologies out of the eight which they found most appealing, only 19 chose 3D. - guardian.co.uk
BBC to hand back almost £300m of digital switchover cash - Media - guardian.co.ukCrystal Palace transmitter is to host an event marking the analogue switch-off in London. Around nine in 10 households have now completed the switchover process which began in Whitehaven in Cumbria on 17 October 2007. A total of 603m was allocated out of licence fee revenues to help the over-75s, the blind and partially sighted and with other serious disabilities get digital TV. - guardian.co.uk
BBC - The Editors: From Ceefax to digital textOne of the effects of this is that they will no longer have access to Ceefax, which is broadcast via the analogue signal. For those of us who use their Tivo service, when we press the red button all we get is iPlayer, hence missing a lot of content. I am assured that by the time the Olympics come around we will have access to Red Button content I am not holding my breath given Virgin's history of delivering late. - bbc.co.uk
BBC - Research and Development: Goodbye analogue telly, hello digital. Part 2In this final image of the spectrum analyser output you can see the radio waves are now entirely devoted to digital television multiplexes, and no more analogue stations are seen. As we promised yesterday here's the final spectrum analyser shot, showing the spectrum over london now being entirely full of digital multiplexes of channels. - bbc.co.uk
BBC - Research and Development: Goodbye analogue telly, hello digital! Part 1It might be old news for most of the UK, but this week sees the final implementation of the big switchover to digital TV for the London area. Arqivas Crystal Palace transmitter that towers above South London, and is revered by most UK broadcast engineers / broadcast geeks, will complete its switchover in only a few days time. Spectrum Analyser output for TV spectrum in the London area on April 2nd 2012. - bbc.co.uk
Thursday 19 April 2012, AM
DTG :: News :: Report: Viewers rank catch-up most appealing TV technologyThe survey of 2,000 people suggested that what consumers want most are technologies that enhance current television viewing behaviour and give the viewer a more personalised experience. When asked to rank eight different TV technologies in order of appeal, 62 put catch up TV in the top slot, followed by TV anytime 59 and an enhanced programme guide 51. 3D viewing and Mobile TV were considered less appealing to respondents but still nice to have, scoring 19 and 12 respectively. - dtg.org.uk
BBC News - Ceefax: A love letterLiving in deep country, I have been grieving for nearly two years now. Or, to be more precise, they will have stopped getting the message. One of the last major areas of population in the UK - London - has switched over to digital TV, enabling licence-fee payers to watch, without further payment, 40 channels instead of five. - bbc.co.uk
Ariel - More HD Olympics for Freeview viewersA permanent use for the spare Freeview slot is yet to be decided. Similar deals have already been agreed with Sky and Freesat, while the 24 streams will also be available on the BBC Sport and 2012 websites. It's all about delivering more choice on more platforms, says Roger Mosey, BBC director London 2010. - bbc.co.uk
Tuesday 17 April 2012, PM
Crystal Palace Tower - Flickr - Photo Sharing! - flickr.com
Tuesday 17 April 2012, AM
GMG Radio shuts Manchester TV station : Radio TodayThe station went off the air yesterday, with the radio group blaming the unviable new government proposals for local TV. The station had been on the air for 12 years on analogue and latterly Freeview in the Greater Manchester area. Sadly, we dont feel they provide us with the framework needed to grow Channel M into a profitable business that delivers the quality service viewers and advertisers expect from GMG. - radiotoday.co.uk
Saturday 14 April 2012, PM
For long-suffering Salford, the joke isn't funny any more - UK news - The GuardianFirst, it emerged via a freedom of information request that the BBC had spent nearly 2m in two years ferrying staff and guests by rail and plane between London and the north-west. Then there were newspaper reports of a BBC email offering security guards to escort worried 5 Live staff to their cars and tram stops. The Salford-knocking coverage got a further boost when 5 Live presenter Rachel Burden was interviewing an athlete who had accidentally left her medals in the car. - guardian.co.uk
BBC journalists face strike ballot - TV Radio - Media - The IndependentJournalists and technicians working for the BBC in Wales are to be balloted for strikes in a row over the dismissal of a producer. - independent.co.uk
BBC - BBC Internet Blog: What's on BBC Red Button 14th - 21st AprilThe ceremony, including star-studded musical numbers, begins at 6pm. Tune in on Monday 16th April to watch highlights from the event. Every Saturday press the Red Button during the show to pit your wits against our studio contestants. - bbc.co.uk
Youview You Blew It?I have been following Youview through its various iterations - first Project Kangaroo then Project Canvas prior... and this it seems to have been a long torturous journey since 2010. As well as helping create more interactive TV for viewers, the introduction of the HbbTV standard is of benefit to both equipment manufacturers and content providers who at the moment have to produce hardware or content specific to each country to meet the de facto standard in that country. The establishment of a unified European HbbTV standard means content owners and application developers can write once and deploy to many countries. - appmarket.tv
Friday 13 April 2012, PM
Interview: Nailing his colours to the mast, John Cresswell, the man behind a digital revol…Arqivas chief executive John Cresswell still blanches as he recounts a windy day out in Sutton Coldfield. Having just arrived at the helm of the business that owns Britains 1200 TV masts, he knew he would have to inspect the estate at some time. What wasnt immediately obvious that day last year was that he wouldnt be taking the lift. - thisislondon.co.uk
Dyke's top tip for BBC director general: watch your back - Media Monkey - Media - guardian…Get used to dodging friendly fire, advises former BBC director general Greg Dyke. Photograph Guardian Greg Dyke has a few words of warning for anyone foolish enough to be tempted to apply for the BBC director general's job he once had. To find out more information about driving traffic to your content or to place this widget on your site, visit outbrain.com. - guardian.co.uk
Wednesday 11 April 2012, PM
BT Vision adds FX News C21Media - c21media.net
BSkyB to suffer as TV landscape changes, says Bank of America - Proactiveinvestors (UK)Changes to technology and the way we watch TV will mean a less favourable set of outcomes for pay-TV giant going forward, a leading broker suggested today. Bank of America Merrill Lynch cut its stance to underperform and its price target to 640p, even though it acknowledged the firm has a fantastic track record. The shift in consumer demand from broadcast TV to on-demand brings new competitors which, in turn, will increase competition for subscribers, said the broker. - proactiveinvestors.co.uk
Ariel - Trust posts DG job adFurthermore having made programmes or had journalistic experience is, in the Trust's view, 'desirable but not essential.' The closing date is May 7, and the advert sternly notes that 'late applications will not be accepted.' The job is categorised as 'business and support' on a continuing contract. As well as appearing on the Careers website the job will also be advertised in external publications in coming days. - bbc.co.uk
Monday 09 April 2012, PM
BBC One - Panorama, Murdoch's TV PiratesThe investigation examines the role of former senior police officers in recruiting people to break the law - in order to bring down Murdoch's commercial rival. - bbc.co.uk
Picture remains fuzzy on YouView - FT.comPrinted from http//www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6bca36c8-77f2-11e1-b237-00144feab49a.html Print a single copy of this article for personal use. - ft.com
45. UTV Media plc - Company List, Top 100 Companies - Belfasttelegraph.co.ukIt owns the Channel 3 licence in Northern Ireland, making it part of the ITV network. Its portfolio of radio stations has made it one of the largest player in the radio market in Ireland with stations broadcasting from Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Dublin and Drogheda. UTV Media plc is also one of Northern Irelands few listed companies. - belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Monday 09 April 2012, AM
Clarification of the 'public interest' defence is badly needed - Media - The GuardianA Sky News reporter uncovered the extent of Anne Darwin's involvement in her husband's faked death by intercepting emails. The public interest argument runs fairly straightforwardly, after all. Darwin pleaded guilty to deception in March 2008 you will recall he went out to sea in a canoe and somehow paddled his way from the north-east to the Panama canal, suggesting he was not so dead after all. - guardian.co.uk
BBC - BBC Internet Blog: What's On BBC Red Button 7th - 14th AprilSome of the best live music from 6 Music's recent 10th birthday celebrations at Maida Vale and Southbank will be on the Red Button this week. This exclusive Red Button episode of Casualty will provide an insight into Sam Nicholl's troubled military past in Afghanistan. Every Saturday press the Red Button during the show to pit your wits against our studio contestants. - bbc.co.uk
Thursday 05 April 2012, PM
More people using TV and tablets at same time - Digital Media - CNET NewsDo you check e-mail while you watch TV In the United States, 88 percent of tablet owners and 86 percent of smartphone owners said they used their device at least once while watching TV over the prior 30 days. Almost half 45 percent of tablet users said that they use their device in front of the TV on a daily basis. - news.cnet.com
Sky News email hacking - full statement - Media - guardian.co.ukLike other news organisations, we are acutely aware of the tensions that can arise between the law and responsible investigative journalism. Material provided by Sky News was used in the successful prosecution and the police made clear after the trial that this information was pivotal to the case. In a separate investigation, a Sky News journalist bought an Uzi machine gun in 2004 to highlight the easy availability of illegal weapons in the UK. - guardian.co.uk
BSkyB’s Sky News Channel Approved Hacking of E-Mails Twice - BusinessweekBSkyB shares fell to the lowest level in seven months yesterday as analysts say the revelations make it less likely that News Corp. will revive its bid for full control of the broadcaster. The timing with the Murdoch resignation is eerily coincidental, he said. BSkyB said yesterday executives at its Sky News channel cleared a reporter to access e-mails as part of his investigations into criminal activity, including the 2008 case of a British couple who faked the husbands death in a canoe accident to collect life and mortgage insurance. - businessweek.com
Ariel - Watch out, phishers aboutInternally it meant staff were unable to access email or the internet. In this instance the staff member was telephoned by someone claiming to be from Microsoft, who asked him to visit a particular URL. The staff member refused, but in the conversation the phisher learnt that Atos is the BBC support service - so next time he rings he can claim to be from Atos. - bbc.co.uk
Wednesday 04 April 2012, PM
James Murdoch: the rise and fall of a News Corp scion - Michael Wolff - Comment is free - …On Tuesday, James Murdoch gave up his last claim to BSkyB, the company that most defined him. At 36, he was running a vast, successful, and rapidly growing media company. He need someone he could trust not least of all because, at 78, he wanted to travel a lot less and concentrate his attention on his pride and joy, the WSJ. - guardian.co.uk
News - SES.comThis live transmission will use ASTRA satellite capacity at the 28.2 degrees East orbital position. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide. The culturally diverse regional teams of SES are located around the globe and work closely with customers to meet their specific satellite bandwidth and service requirements. - ses.com
Wednesday 04 April 2012, AM
BBC - Roger Mosey: TV to stream 24 channels for digital OlympicsSince the start of our planning for London 2012, we've had two big thoughts about the way most people will enjoy our content. The second is that these are the first truly digital Olympics where we'll offer more choice than ever before, and the pledge we made is that you'll be able to watch sport from every venue from first thing in the morning to last thing at night. This represents four times more channels than in Beijing, and a total of around 2500 hours of live sport - which is at least double what we've offered in the past. - bbc.co.uk
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