Boris Johnson complaint over Channel 4 melting ice sculpture rejected by Ofcom December 3, 2019 There was nothing wrong with Channel 4’s use of a melting ice sculpture to represent Prime Minister Boris Johnson during its climate debate after he refused to turn up, according to Ofcom. Following the televised debate, the Conservative party lodged a complaint with the media regulator, but this has been rejected. Read more: BBC agrees [...]
Sky to unveil major new Elstree studio as it ramps up production December 3, 2019 Sky has announced plans to build a new film and TV studio complex in north London as it ramps up its production budget amid growing pressure from streaming rivals. The 32-acre production hub will be located in Elstree, close to the existing Elstree Studios complex, which is home to Netflix’s hit series The Crown and [...]
BBC election coverage draws 10,000 complaints in two weeks December 2, 2019 The BBC received more than 10,000 complaints of bias in its political coverage in a single fortnight as the General Election campaign ramped up, new figures show. The broadcaster received at least 10,209 complaints related to political coverage between 11 and 24 November, according to its latest complaints log. Read more: General election 2019: Council [...]
Google’s £2bn acquisition of Looker faces competition probe December 2, 2019 Google’s proposed acquisition of rival analytics firm Looker faces an investigation by the UK’s competition watchdog. Google agreed to buy Looker for $2.6bn (£2bn) in the summer as part of its efforts to expand the service’s cloud offerings. Read more: Price comparison rivals urge EU regulators to take action against Google However, the Competition and Markets [...]
BBC agrees to Boris Johnson interview with Andrew Marr after terror attack November 30, 2019 Boris Johnson will be interviewed on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show tomorrow, despite the Prime Minister’s failure to set a date to be grilled by Andrew Neil. The broadcaster had initially banned Johnson from appearing on the Sunday morning show until he agreed to a 30-minute primetime interview with Neil, as the other party leaders [...]
Better together: How media firms are teaming up to take on tech November 30, 2019 The media industry is in flux and embattled publishers and broadcasters are banding together. But will it be enough to fend off the might of big tech? In Succession, the hit HBO show about a crumbling media dynasty, virtually every conversation is a power struggle. But for ageing patriarch Logan Roy, a thinly-veiled Rupert Murdoch, [...]
Daily Mail owner buys i newspaper for £50m November 29, 2019 The owner of the Daily Mail has snapped up the i newspaper for £49.6m, bringing to an end part of a drawn-out sales process by publishing group JPI Media. The Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), which also owns Metro, announced the acquisition in a short statement released today. Read more: Publishing group Reach pulls [...]
Reach share price jumps as it pulls out of race to buy JPI Media titles November 29, 2019 Shares in publishing group Reach jumped as much as 12 per cent this morning after it said it has pulled out of the race to acquire titles from i newspaper owner JPI Media. Reach, which publishes the Daily Mirror, announced in July that it was in talks over a potential takeover of some of JPI’s [...]
Channel 4 replaces Boris Johnson with ice sculpture in climate debate November 29, 2019 The Conservatives have become engulfed in a standoff with Channel 4 after the broadcaster “empty chaired” Prime Minister Boris Johnson during its climate debate last night. The Tory party has written to Ofcom to complain that Channel 4’s decision to replace Johnson with an ice sculpture was a “provocative partisan stunt”. Read more: Boris Johnson [...]
Netflix under fire after accounts ‘reactivated’ without permission November 28, 2019 Streaming giant Netflix has come under fire after users who cancelled their subscriptions months ago said their accounts had been reactivated without consent. The unwitting customers fell victim to criminals who hacked into their dormant accounts and were able to reactivate them without knowing the user’s bank details, a BBC investigation revealed. Read more: Netflix [...]