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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Media: Loss of listeners to Radio 1 22 May 13 Media Talk podcast: Nick Grimshaw and the missing million Media Talk podcast: Nick Grimshaw and the missing million Recommended reading
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 summarizedThursday 03 September 2009, AM
Why Murdochs are wrong to blame BBC for medias woes | BusinessIt is a multi-platform provider of information and entertainment and, in his view, should be forced to climb off some of those platforms in double-quick time. Before I take issue with him, let's admit that there was a lot of good sense in the speech last weekend. He showed that he understands the complexity of the fast-moving digital landscape and, most particularly, the increasing convergence between what were once separate forms of communication. - thisislondon.co.uk
In pictures - Stephen Frys wildlife odyssey |Environment |guardian.co.ukIf you typed in a URL, please make sure you have typed it in correctly. In particular, make sure that the URL you typed is all in lower case. Search Browse Browse our A-Z directories to find a subject or contributor Contact us If you require further assistance, please contact our user help staff at the following address userhelpguardian.co.uk - guardian.co.uk
Wednesday 02 September 2009, PM
ITV to launch time-shift channel | 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
Wednesday 02 September 2009, AM
ASA criticises Sky HD sport ads |Media |guardian.co.ukLink to this video BSkyB has been criticised by the advertising watchdog for promoting its high-definition Ashes cricket and Lions rugby union coverage this summer, when both contests would have ended by the time some customers could have the service installed. The press ad also promoted the benefits of watching the cricket in HD. One reader objected about the press ad on the same grounds. - guardian.co.uk
Dont let Murdoch smash this jewel. The BBC must act to save itself | Jonathan Freedland |C…Credit where it's due the free-market right is nothing if not brave. Fainter-hearted souls would have spotted the imminent first anniversary of the collapse of Lehman brothers that started the global financial crisis and decided that now was not the moment to trumpet the case for unfettered private enterprise, free of meddling regulation. Of the recent history of deregulation, with its catastrophic consequences for the world's economy, there was not a mention. - guardian.co.uk
Tuesday 01 September 2009, PM
UK media policy reform: baby steps we can all agree on... -
Broadcasting - News - ITV to launch ITV1+1 channel - Digital SpyITV will launch a one-hour timeshift of its main ITV1 channel on October 1. ITV11 will launch on digital satellite and Virgin Media's digital cable service and run from 1025 to 0700 every day. Channel 3 franchises are operated in these areas by franchisees not part of ITV plc. - digitalspy.co.uk
Digital change begins in parts of Powys -
Freeview in 4m star studded ad push | News | Marketing WeekThe ad, which aims to communicate the value of Freeviews offering, is set to the theme music of 70s TV show The Professionals. The ad, created by Beattie McGuiness Bungay, will be supported through-the-line with DM activity, point of sale and online with pre-roll ads and seeding to entertainment blogs and forums. - marketingweek.co.uk
Tuesday 01 September 2009, AM
Watch Freeview ad featuring Alan Whicker, Amanda Holden, Piers Morgan and Katie Price |Med… -
Monday 31 August 2009, PM
Channel Five owner sees profits plummet |Business |guardian.co.ukThe advertising slump has hit half-year profits at Germany's Bertelsmann, whose media empire spans television, magazines and book publishing. Bertelsmann, which has been controlled by the Mohn family for the past century, said cost-cutting measures had cushioned the impact of the global downturn on its businesses, although it still expects revenues and operating profits to fall over the whole year. The media company is taking 2,500 austerity measures to save more than 900m 792m across the group this year. - guardian.co.uk
Microsoft man says TV has three years to adaptAshley Highfield, giving the Futureview address at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, compared television executives to frogs in hot water not realising that they are about to die. He said the industry has no more than two to three years to adapt and embrace what he called internet thinking. Three years previously, as director of future media and technology at the BBC, Ashley Highfield spoke about the future of the television industry and the potential of the long tail. - informitv.com
New television standard throws BBC on CanvasA new pan-European approach has been launched aimed at establishing a standard for news, information and entertainment services delivered to displays and other devices based on hybrid broadcast and broadband delivery. The Institut fr Rundfunktechnik or IRT, a leading broadcasting research centre that represents the interests of German public service broadcasters, is a lead member of the consortium. HbbTV not only allows service providers to enrich their offering, but results in considerable benefits to the end consumer who will no longer be challenged by usability issues across multiple platforms, said its managing director, Dr Klaus Illgner-Fehns. - informitv.com
Monday 31 August 2009, AM
Microsoft plans to become a big player in Britain's news industryThen in a circular space, looking out towards Buckingham Palace, Microsoft's British editor-in-chief, addresses his team of news, entertainment, motoring and business journalists, as they seek to become major players in the British news media. Microsoft's content portal, MSN, has 19.9m unique users a month in the UK more than any of the big British newspaper websites, but it craves to be taken more seriously as a news provider. Yet other news providers should be taking MSN seriously, particularly if they believe they can start charging for their content. - independent.co.uk
Media industry news | Media | The GuardianThe press is also said to muddle sums paid to talent-owned production companies for programmes - which also include their fee - with payments to stars, a confusing detail in Jonathan Ross's 18m three-year deal, which sparked the issue. None the less, Ed Vaizey, the Conservatives' broadcasting spokesman, said broadcasters should come clean about their big pay deals - as they had done with executive pay. So when they married, had kids, fell out and made up in front of the viewers too, producers thought they had found TV gold. - guardian.co.uk
Analysis The BBC is not the problem - its an inability to let go of the past | Emily Bell …It was an eerie experience to be at this year's MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television festival, where one of the key topics was, rather unexpectedly, models for online charging. His discussion of the issue did of course revolve around the scope of the BBC's news website, and coincided with Rupert Murdoch's worldwide campaign to encourage other hard-pressed news publishers to put their online news behind paywalls. The BBC's significant and sprawling web presence in the UK does indeed soak up potential news audience time rather than advertising, but it is highly dubious whether it is in itself the largest obstacle to charging for online content. - guardian.co.uk
Sunday 30 August 2009, PM
Edinburgh TV Festival: Media Talk live |Media |guardian.co.uk -
Gerhard Zeilers Worldview Address: Adapting to the new market reality |Media |guardian.co.…Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues It is a great honour for me to have been invited to deliver this year's Worldview Address here in Edinburgh. It is my sincere belief that outside Hollywood, the UK is the most important and influential creative engine of the global TV industry. So to be invited to speak at Britain's most important creative festival is therefore a special moment for me personally. - guardian.co.uk
Edinburgh TV Festival: Dominic West celebrates at the Channel of the Year Awards |Media |g… -
Sunday 30 August 2009, AM
Broadcasting - News - Ofcom regulation "astonishing", says Murdoch - Digital SpyAdjudications included judgments on whether it is fair to describe Middlesbrough as the worst place to live in the UK and 20 pages on whether a BBC documentary on climate change was fair to two of the participants. It has produced three Public Service Broadcasting annual reports, and two Public Service Broadcasting reviews in five phases. These alone have in total - including appendices, special reports and other related material - amounted to over five thousand pages and spawned another 18,000 pages of responses. - digitalspy.co.uk
BBC will have to reveal pay of stars such as Jonathan Ross, says Ofcom chief |Media |guard…Richards said the pressure had been driven by developments such as increased scrutiny from inquiries under the Freedom of Information act and the highlighting of pay from the MPs' expenses row. Yesterday at the festival Jana Bennett, the director of BBC Vision, suggested that members of the public would not understand why stars were paid high salaries. Richards defended Ofcom's role after James Murdoch accused it of over-regulation in his MacTaggart speech. - guardian.co.uk
TV facing iTunes moment warns Microsofts Ashley Highfield |Media |guardian.co.ukHighfield argued that there are still barriers preventing online TV from generating revenue. He also suggested a possible solution to the thorny issue of getting broadband into rural areas in the UK after Lord Carter's plan of a 6-a-year tax on landlines to raise the funds fell out of favour with new business minister Stephen Timms. To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editormediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. - guardian.co.uk
Big Brother suffered following race row restrictions, says Davina McCall |Media |guardian.…The reality show host also said she was disappointed the programme was being axed and suggested that she had thought of going into the house for the final celebrity big brother series next year. Channel 4 confirmed it would drop Big Brother in 2010 following final summer and celebrity series after a dip in ratings. McCall said she had not thought about whether she would front the show if it moved to another channel. - guardian.co.uk
Channel 4 exit deal lined up for chief executive Andy Duncan |Media |guardian.co.ukAndy Duncan decision for him to leave said to be 'mutual'. Photograph Channel 4 Andy Duncan is to step down from his Channel 4 job before the end of the year in a move that will leave the broadcaster effectively leaderless as it negotiates its future over the coming months. However, some industry sources have questioned how close Channel 4 and Sky are to concluding an ad sales deal. - guardian.co.uk
BBCs Robert Peston in furious face-to-face row with James Murdoch |Media |The ObserverMurdoch said the corporation's 24-hour news channels and website were inhibiting the ability of commercial competitors to invest in news. - guardian.co.uk
Liverpool Sky TV Box cheat is jailed in UK first -
Murdoch Jr vs the man from Auntie: Sparks fly over BBC online - Online, Media - The Indepe…He targeted the BBC's online operation, bbc.co.uk, which is one of the most viewed websites in the world. Mr Murdoch said the news element of the site posed a threat to the future of independent journalism in Britain. The comments will be seen as a response to Rupert Murdoch's comments earlier this month, made after the announcement of a sharp fall in profits at News Corp, that his newspapers would start charging for their online content. - independent.co.uk
These are moments of seismic change in the television world - TV Radio, Media - The Indepe…The internet will save television, according to the BBC's former digital chief who is now heading up Microsoft's online operations. Now he is fighting for television companies to open their archives, and eyes, to a multi-screened new world. You and I will be watching The X Factor, Nissan has bought the first slot, but you see the sporty model, and I get the staid one. - independent.co.uk
Saturday 29 August 2009, PM
Cut the licence fee, says James Murdoch in further attack on BBC |Media |guardian.co.ukHe added that the corporation's 24-hour news channels and website were inhibiting the ability of commercial competitors to invest in news. Talking about the effect of the BBC on other news organisations, Murdoch implied that it would put newspapers out of business. He added that he was confident that News International, which owns News Corp's stable of British newspapers, would find ways to charge for digital content. - guardian.co.uk
Peston: What future for media and journalism?It is an honour to be giving a lecture in memory of Richard Dunn. In fact the one serious misjudgement he made was not to bid enough in the first ever channel 3 franchise auction. Yes there really was a time when the value of terrestrial commercial television companies was rising. - bbc.co.uk
Saturday 29 August 2009, AM
James Murdoch: The evolution of a feud |Media |The GuardianJames Murdoch's MacTaggart lecture was an interesting contribution to the post-Darwin debate about nature versus nurture. As the son of Rupert, it is impossible to say whether his apparent hatred of regulation and the licence fee is hardwired into his DNA or is a result of the highly charged circumstances of his nurture. Whatever the case, the remarkable genetic similarities with his ancestor were highly apparent. - guardian.co.uk
Top Gears studio audience consists of oafs, says Clarkson |Media |The Guardian - guardian.co.uk
Freesat: No date yet on BBC iPlayer beta - Digital SpySpeculation has recently mounted that the iPlayer on Freesat beta would go ahead next month. However, it is believed that a letter sent to members of the Freesat customer panel informing them that they would be contacted again in September has been wrongly interpreted as confirmation that it would launch during the month. - digitalspy.co.uk
The Wires David Simon: pay-TV has freed drama from ad pressures |Media |guardian.co.ukLink to this video The Wire creator David Simon said pay-TV had rescued drama producers from the need to satisfy advertisers, which he said had destroyed the art of story-telling on the small screen. Simon said ratings for The Wire declined with every season but more people were watching it in other ways. I did not know the vernacular would travel to other American cities, let alone other countries. - guardian.co.uk
BBC and Tories clash over stars pay |Media |guardian.co.ukThe BBC and the Conservative party clashed today over the corporation's payments to its biggest stars. Vaizey outlined plans to force the BBC to publish details of salaries. Imagine if I was arguing that MPs' salaries should be kept secret. - guardian.co.uk
Axed More4 News just a lovely extra, says Channel 4s Dorothy Byrne |Media |guardian.co.ukMore4 News is not in direct competition of any sort with BBC news and we think we can still have diversity of voice without it. Byrne added that it was not all doom and gloom in the Channel 4 News operation, which was boosting online news. She pledged to force funding increases in the online service, regardless of cuts elsewhere at the broadcaster, admitting that the service had previously not invested enough in its digital strategy. - guardian.co.uk
Not enough women on BBC2, Janice Hadlow admits |Media |guardian.co.ukHadlow added that she would like to commission another landmark comedy, a successor to Absolutely Fabulous and the Catherine Tate Show, which featured female talent in lead roles. To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editormediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. - guardian.co.uk
Friday 28 August 2009, PM
James Murdoch hits out at BBC and regulators at Edinburgh TV festival |Media |guardian.co.…However, his most withering comments were reserved for the BBC. News International, the News Corp subsidiary that owns the company's British newspapers, including the Sun and the Times, is currently considering introducing charges for all its websites. The public tell us that they ... trust the BBC and value the wide range of services we provide. - guardian.co.uk
Opportunity knocks after Big Brother evictionC21Media.net is Everything about content in the 21st Century, from television to web, mobile, tablet and beyond. - c21media.net
The Digital Switchover and TV disposalBetween now and 2012, analogue channels broadcast from more than a thousand transmitter sites will be switched off region by region and replaced with Freeview digital TV and radio services. With the prospect of accessing a greater choice of channels, most households will be able to receive between 20 and 40 Freeview channels, depending on where you live along with increased services such as on-screen listings, interactivity, audio description and subtitling, the future of TV as we know it seems bright and exciting. As Digital UK claims, the Digital television switchover is the biggest change to television since the introduction of colour. - itwales.com
Swap your old, useless VCR for a Freeview+ boxThe Ten Hardest Hit Retailers Of 2012 Christmas couldnt save the whole of the high street unfortunately... - bodyconfidential.com
Price Drop TV returns to FreeviewPrice drop TV is about to make a return to Freeview following an eight month absence. This is good news for the broadcaster as traditionally, when the children return to school, the long run up to Christmas begins and considering the current economic climate, the consumer is going to be looking for bargains more than ever. Price Drop TV will be broadcasting for sixteen hours per day, starting at 8am until midnight, seven days a week. - techwatch.co.uk
Sutton TV mast works are a turn-offStory updated byEChamberlain, at 1346 on 04/01/13 BEM award was 'lovely surprise' for long-serving civic... Story updated byscrfc_12s, reposted at 0715 on 04/01/13 CTddorf commented I am privileged to know Kim Popratnjak and of all the fantastic... Story published byLPatel, at 1658 on 03/01/13 Honours list recognises hard work of town trio awarded top... - thisissuttoncoldfield.co.uk
BBC - The BBC Story - homepageRanging across themes of creativity, leadership, technology and culture, this archive will build over the years to become a unique collection 100 Voices that made the BBC. - bbc.co.uk
Friday 28 August 2009, AM
How Murdoch's upstart became the status quoAddressing executives from a cosy industry not used to new entrants, he made bold predictions on the impact of multi-channel broadcasting. It will be surprising if he does not use the same platform to criticise the Murdochs new foe, media regulator Ofcom, and its proposals to make Skys premium movies and sports channels available to other pay-TV retailers at reasonable prices. Twenty years ago, Rupert Murdoch was the champion of the plucky new entrant and railed against the big beasts of broadcasting trying to preserve the status quo to the detriment of consumers. - ft.com
Four out of five people think TV stars are paid too much |Media |guardian.co.ukJonathan Ross, Piers Morgan and Simon Cowell fewer than 10 of those polled thought their pay was justified. Four out of five people thought the huge salaries paid to top TV stars were excessive, a YouGov poll of 2,000 people found. TV stars were second only to Premiership football players as a group that respondents thought should earn less, with 80 saying they earned too much compared with 93 for footballers. - guardian.co.uk
Top contender for ITV job may sell Coronation Street - Crains Manchester BusinessIt is proud to provide free business news to the Manchester business community, and also businesses in Cheshire, Lancashire and Liverpool. TheBusinessDesk.com would like to invite all Crain's subscribers to spend just one minute signing up to our service at this link http//www.thebusinessdesk.com/yorkshire/register/login.html - completely free of charge - to ensure you are kept abreast of every breaking business news story that affects Manchester and all the cities and towns across the region. Unlike any other regional media company, our sole focus is online - and like Crain's we send out a daily email with the cream of business news from Manchester, Liverpool, Cheshire, and Lancashire business. - crainsmanchesterbusiness.co.uk
A Murdoch returns to the MacTaggart, two decades on |Media |guardian.co.ukTwenty years ago, in 1989, his father Rupert Murdoch delivered his MacTaggart lecture in what seems like a totally different media era, the analogue world. Murdoch's essential theme laid out to a fairly hostile festival audience of broadcasting executives then was that television is an area of economic activity, a business, and that competition is invariably preferable to monopoly. The crowd of TV movers and shakers, who between them owned scarcely a mobile phone or laptop in 1989 let alone the as-yet-uninvented BlackBerry were distinctly unimpressed. - guardian.co.uk
BT boss battles BSkyB over charges for sports channels and blockbuster films |Business |gu…With his luxuriant head of collar-length black hair, tanned face and youthful looks, Patterson could easily be mistaken for a recently retired footballer who has decided to make the leap into the corporate world. The chief executive of BT retail, who turns 42 next month, trained as a marketeer, but football rather than cricket has been uppermost in his mind of late. BT Vision was launched in December 2006 with the ambitious aim of attracting 2 million customers, but only 433,000 have signed up. - guardian.co.uk
File-sharers TV tastes revealedUS drama Heroes was the most popular illegal download this year, according to research firm Big Champagne. About 55 million people downloaded the show, while 51 million chose to access Lost, the second most popular show. The proportion of file-sharing involving films and television rather than music is continuing to rise, the research shows. - news.bbc.co.uk
Thursday 27 August 2009, AM
STV profits fall 84% |Media |guardian.co.ukAs a group, STV reported a 35 fall in revenue, from 75.6m to 48.8m, and an 84 fall in pre-tax profits from 4.5m to 700,000 in the first six months. Operating profit fell 61 to 2.2m while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation fell 45 to 3.6m. The company said that the decline was partly due to the sale, in June last year, of Virgin Radio, which had revenue of 11.3m and operating profit of 1.1m in the first half of 2008. - guardian.co.uk
Ashes climax watched by a fraction of 2005 audience - Yahoo! Eurosport UK -
DTG and Mirifice announce strategic automation partnershipBenefits for manufacturers include a shorter time to market, improved quality and reliability of testing and improved testing efficiency. The introduction of automation to our test regimes will reduce the time taken to test products and provide a more controlled testing environment, ensuring even greater consistency of test results. World-class services such as Freeview, Freesat and Freeview HD require a truly world class test and conformance centre. - dtg.org.uk
BBC launches audio description on BBC iPlayerAudio description describes what is happening on screen using the gaps between dialogue in programmes. There are also plans to extend the coverage of the service to include more of the BBC's weekly broadcast audio described programmes in the future. - bbc.co.uk
Families lose channels after switch to new TV transmitterThousands of pounds of work is being carried out on the 245-metre high mast ahead of the change to digital broadcasting in 2011, when analogue TV signals will be turned off forever. Digital UK, which is overseeing the work, said that the move to the temporary antenna might have caused a problem for people without properly aligned aerials or those on the fringes of digital coverage, which extends to 76 per cent of the West Midlands. Viewers who receive satellite pictures or cable services have not been affected by the work. - birminghampost.net
Digital TV - News - Price Drop TV returning to Freeview - Digital SpyAfter the channel disappeared from the Freeview platform in January, it will now rejoin the EPG at position 43 from August 27. The shopping channel will broadcast for 16 hours per day from 8am to midnight for seven days a week. - digitalspy.co.uk
Switchover Help Scheme selects Freeview as standard offer for West -
Wednesday 26 August 2009, PM
Channel Fives 35% revenue slide leads RTL losses |Media |guardian.co.ukChannel Five's revenues fell 35 in the first half of the year as the advertising recession hit hard, making it the worst-performing part of RTL Group's pan-European broadcasting and production business. The UK broadcaster's revenues were 138m 121m in the six months to June, down from 212m for the same period last year. This 34.9 year-on-year decline was far worse than the 18.5 fall RTL recorded in Germany and the 16.5 in the Netherlands. - guardian.co.uk
Wednesday 26 August 2009, AM
Big Brother to be axed by Channel 4 |Media |guardian.co.ukPhotograph Channel 4/Rex Features Channel 4 confirmed today that it will axe Big Brother after a decade following next summer's 11th series. The broadcaster announced this morning at its autumn programming launch that it would not renew Big Brother producer Endemol's deal for the reality show. Another series of Celebrity Big Brother will be broadcast in January before Channel 4's association with the show comes to an end. - guardian.co.uk
UK Launch of Hulu Postponed Until 2010 Says Report - ITProPortal.comThe launch of US-based free video on demand service, Hulu.com, has apparently been pushed back from September this year - which is next week - to early 2010, possibly in January, according to latest reports. Put it otherwise, there are not enough UK content for it to launch. Now there's no reason why this should be a problem, a mainstream broadcaster like Five for example, sources a significant portion of its programme lineup from outside the UK. - itproportal.com
Free help for digital switchover -
Unthinkable - Devices you wouldnt think of (as as Wednesday, 26th August 2009) -
BT Vision Roll out a Major Update | geeks.co.ukThe requested URL /6013-bt-vision-rolls-out-a-major-update was not found on this server. Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request. - geeks.co.uk
Beware touts trading on Sky TVs name | This is MoneyTouts Sky fears its customers are being targeted by firms purporting to be linked to the company Broadcaster Sky fears its customers are being targeted by firms purporting to be linked to the TV company and offering insurance for satellite dishes and set-top boxes. These firms are charging around 10 for insurance, but don't say they are not linked to Sky at all. Last month, Sky took one firm to the High Court. - thisismoney.co.uk
Tuesday 25 August 2009, PM
Hulu nears deal with ITV to lead its UK online push |Media |guardian.co.ukIt is understood that Hulu has offered ITV an equity stake thought to be significant and possibly more than 25 in the UK venture. It is not thought to have made an equity offer to other UK players such as Channel 4. A sticking point, as it was with Project Kangaroo, has been the question of ad sales. - guardian.co.uk
Sky satellite subscribers watch out - scammers about - Derry Today - derryjournal.com
Tuesday 25 August 2009, AM
Loophole over selling banned DVDsDozens of prosecutions under a 1984 Act have been dropped because the government of the day failed to notify the European Commission about the law. It made it illegal to sell violent video games to children and the most explicit adult films could be sold only in licensed sex shops. The loophole means no-one can be prosecuted until the law is passed again and that will take three months. - news.bbc.co.uk
Monday 24 August 2009, PM
Your ECHO guide to the digital TV switchoverBasically, in both cases, were talking about nothing more complicated than boxes. A great many people in Merseyside wont even need to give it more than a second thought because theyve already got a digital box or a sleek and shiny digital TV. If theyve got Freeview, all theyll need to do is retune their equipment at both stages of switchover. - liverpoolecho.co.uk
Digital TV - News - Canvas eyes 2010 launch date - Digital SpyHalton said that this was to clarify that Canvas will be an open platform which is available to everyone. The feedback we have had from indies, studios and content retailers of all description has been really positive. Halton explained that the important thing to bear in mind is that Canvas will never be directly involved, or draw a revenue stream, from those models. - digitalspy.co.uk
Mobile TV very slow to take offThey predict that the number of people watching free-to-air analogue TV on their phone will be 54 million in 2009. By 2013 they say those numbers will increase to around 300 million with the biggest growth in emerging markets. Everyone has a TV and everyone has a mobile phone. - news.bbc.co.uk
Sunday 23 August 2009, PM
The internet TV revolution: Free movies could be just around the corner | Mail OnlineThis year sees the arrival of a new generation of web-based TV services that build on the massive success of the BBC's iPlayer, allowing you to catch up with programmes you missed - or to revisit old classics. It promises to revolutionise the way we watch TV. Verdict The best under-the-TV computer you can buy. - dailymail.co.uk
Apple to offer own-brand HDTV, claims analyst Register HardwareIn the run-up to the launch of its branded TV in 2011, Apple will unveil a range of TV-focused gadgets, Munster predicted. An iTunes TV Pass offering unlimited pay monthly access to the librarys content archives could also launch within 12 months, Munster said, effectively replacing a consumers monthly cable bill. - reghardware.co.uk
BBC plunged into new deception row - TV Radio, Media - The IndependentThe BBC was plunged into a new deception row today after a cameraman posed as a member of the public on one of its daytime shows. The corporation - which was fined last year after a phone-in scandal - has suspended the production company behind the auction programme Sun, Sea and Bargain Spotting, hosted by Angela Rippon. The series - a key part of the BBC2 daytime schedule - has been pulled off the air and from the iPlayer web service. - independent.co.uk
James Cridland quits as audio head of BBC future media |Media |guardian.co.ukHe joined the BBC after serving as digital media director at Virgin Radio. He sets out his plans for his immediate future My last day will be Wednesday 2 September. I'll be working on www.mediauk.com for a while out of trendy Shoreditch then exploring a bit of the world's radio industries, before popping up somewhere new and exciting in the spring in radio, naturally. - guardian.co.uk
Sky3 to show pay TV content for free - Digital SpySky has announced that it will make selected pay TV programmes and content free-to-air on Sky3 for one weekend in September. - digitalspy.co.uk
Friday 21 August 2009, PM
BBC - Press Office - First look at new animated Doctor WhoThe BBC today releases the first image of the animated Doctor as he will appear in the new animation, Dreamland, which is due for broadcast later this year. In the run-up to the animation, fans will be able to visit the Doctor Who website bbc.co.uk/doctorwho to follow a behind-the-scenes production blog on the making of Dreamland, giving the opportunity to follow the progress of the animation as it develops. It presents an amazing opportunity to expand the multiplatform storytelling potential of Doctor Who. - bbc.co.uk
What range of television channels will be available through a TV aerial in different regio… -
Lower rates promised as Teletext Holidays retains analogue for fu...TeletextHolidays has promised reducedratesfor travel advertisers as it announcesthe retention of its analogue TV service for a further 12 months. The deal - a result of discussions with Ofcom- follows Teletexts decision to bring forward the shutdown of its news and information services on analogue from January 2010 and removing all its services, including travel, news and information, from Sky in December. Managing director Victoria Sanders said the service will be retained until at least September 2011.Teletext Holidaysis also available onFreeview channel 101 and teletextholidays.co.uk, thisistravel.co.uk and villarenters.com. - travolution.co.uk
South west Wales switchover underway -
Thursday 20 August 2009, AM
Agents seek better Teletext deal - Travel Trade Gazette -
BBC - Today - John and Evans reviewToday is A-level results day in England and Wales and, as it's announced that the pass rate has risen for the 27th year in a row, the perennial debate about whether the exams are becoming too easy comes around once more. Just how best does government tailor its education and examination system to the needs of students, parents, education providers, employers ands society as a whole Today produced a 'mash-up' to imagine what it might sound like if Test Match Special commentator Henry Blofeld had to describe the 100m sprint. - news.bbc.co.uk
BBC - BBC Internet Blog: Improvements to BBC Local Radio onlineIt was a proud day last November when we finally integrated all our local radio stations into the BBC iPlayer. However, as the more observant will have noticed, the audio remained in the same format, Realmedia. Although our UK wide national stations have been using Flash-based streams for some time it has taken a significant amount of re-engineering behind the scenes to expand use of this technology to all of our nations and local radio stations. - bbc.co.uk
Sony Follows Loewe With Cunning TV Scrappage Scheme - ITProPortal.comSony is introducing a new scrappage scheme which will hand out up to a maximum of 150 to those who purchase a new television set from the consumer electronics giant. American rock singer, Alice Cooper, will be the face of the new campaign which emulates the popular government car scrappage scheme which gies up to 2000 for sending an old banger to the trash. The message that the advertising campaign will convey will be that users need to update their TV sets before the digital switchover is completed. - itproportal.com
Viewpoint: Canvas Is In Danger Of Looking Like A Monopoly| paidContent:UK - paidcontent.co.uk
Second transmitter switches overWales will be the first nation in the UK to go completely digital A second analogue transmitter has halted part of its service as the switch to digital television continues. Digital switchover began in Wales last week at the Kilvey Hill transmitter, which serves Swansea and Neath. Any viewers who do not have digital will not be able to see BBC Two from Wednesday, or the other four channels in four weeks. - news.bbc.co.uk
ESPN channel could make BSkyB 80m a yearAnalysts at Citigroup calculate that BSkyB will make as much as 80 million a year providing it targets 2 million subscribers. - sportbusiness.com
TVonics next gen Freeview box launchedThe digital switchover is a worrying time for some older viewers, as the set top boxes appear to be complex, even though they are not too difficult to install. The set top box will tune into all of the channels automatically, so there is no need to search and save channels. The MDR-240 will also retune every night, which means there will be no chance of the viewer missing any new channels. - techwatch.co.uk
Tuesday 18 August 2009, PM
The Digital Britain broadband tax was a curveball from Carter |Media |guardian.co.ukSo the boldest idea in the Digital Britain white paper, a 6-a-year fixed phone line charge to fund universal fast broadband, is now being kicked into the long grass, less than a month after its author, Lord Carter, quit the government. Although the proposal makes some sense, especially for frustrated households in rural areas, the politics behind this have been ropey, going on non-existent, from the start. Specifically, no attempt was made to build a broad alliance to support what amounts to a new, if minor, tax which could in future be raised, and could also have the unplanned effect of driving more people to mobile only, from fixed-line phones. - guardian.co.uk
Tuesday 18 August 2009, AM
Television Access Services: Second Quarter Report for 2009 | OfcomThis is the second quarterly report for 2009 on the provision of access services subtitling, signing and audio description by broadcasters under the Code on Television Access Services during the first six months of 2009. An explanation of the obligations applying to broadcasters is given in the first quarterly report for 2005. The second report for 2009 shows that the majority of broadcasters are exceeding their quotas for subtitling, audio description and signing. - ofcom.org.uk
Channel Five wheeze goes above viewers heads |Media |guardian.co.ukWhen Channel Five showed Groundhog Day, the broadcaster thought it might be a cunning wheeze to show the same ads, in the same order, during each commercial break. To find out more information about driving traffic to your content or to place this widget on your site, visit outbrain.com. We welcome your feedback at userhelpguardian.co.uk or feedbackoutbrain.com. - guardian.co.uk
Sky and Virgin complain about Canvas timeline -
UK broadband: lost in translation -
TV goes online under Canvas - Business Analysis Features, Business - The IndependentCrunch time is approaching for Project Canvas, the service designed to bring catch-up television from the internet into the nation's living rooms. The next crucial date for the project is 1 September, when the BBC Trust closes its second consultation period and prepares to pass initial judgement on the viability of the scheme shortly afterwards. The trust will be the first regulatory hurdle, but if it passes, it is unlikely to be the last. - independent.co.uk
Virgin1 to air 3D episode of Chuck - Marketing news - Marketing magazineA campaign to promote the episode will run across the Virgin channel portfolio as well as online on the Virgin and freeview websites. Monaghan plays a rock star that Chuck is sent to protect. When the episode aired in the US it attracted 8.4 million viewers. - marketingmagazine.co.uk
TVonics launches first next-generation set-top boxWith the switchover to digital television taking place across the UK until 2012 it is imperative that consumers have access to products and services they can trust. It wont get overloaded with information it cant process and will automatically re-tune after system upgrades so Aunt Peggy wont suddenly lose her favourite channels. - lifestyle.hexus.net
Monday 17 August 2009, AM
Government could fix legal limit on top-slicing of licence fee |Media |guardian.co.ukThe government could introduce legislation to ringfence the part of the licence fee it wants to use for children's programmes and ITV regional news, in the hope that this would mollify the BBC's trenchant opposition to the plan. However, it could agree to ringfence the proportion of the licence fee it wants to use in the forthcoming digital economy bill, to stop future administrations siphoning off more one of the BBC's main fears about the top-slicing plan. A consultation is under way about top-slicing, and is due to close in September. - guardian.co.uk
Sky hits at BBC Trust handling of CanvasPrinted from http//www.ft.com/cms/s/0/75a7aaae-8a9c-11de-ad08-00144feabdc0.html Print a single copy of this article for personal use. - ft.com
Friday 14 August 2009, PM
LG 37LF7700 review - LCD TV reviews and videoWire it up to a suitable satellite dish, and youll get two channels of free-to-air HD plus a high-quality standard-definition digital TV picture its notably better than the Freeview tuner, in fact. Standard specs In other respects, the LG is competitively specified, but not necessarily at the very cutting edge. However, as with many similar LG sets, the 37LF7700 does boast stealthy, Mark Levinson-tuned loudspeakers that deliver a rich, smooth and full sound. - stuff.tv
The complete guide to 3D TV | News | TechRadar UK3D TV, or stereoscopic TV, is an effort at mimicking reality. 3D has broadly the same aim though technically speaking it's completely different to HD. With 3D glasses on, each eye sees a slightly different image your brain does the rest in creating the illusion of both depth and 'front' effects in what is obviously a completely flat image. - techradar.com
Wednesday 12 August 2009, PM
Switchover signals the start of Wales' digital programmeLink here for full information about the digital switch WALES digital television revolution began today as the first analogue signal was taken off the airwaves. The Kilvey Hill transmitter in Swansea was due to stop emitting the old-fashioned signal to 132,000 homes at 1.30am, leaving viewers needing to re-tune their set-top boxes. Speaking yesterday as he oversaw final preparations, specialist support engineer Alan Powell said It isnt just a matter of switching one thing off and another thing on. - walesonline.co.uk
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