BBC gets Ofcom approval to stream shows on iPlayer for a year August 1, 2019 BBC TV programmes will now be available on iPlayer for a year, after Ofcom approved proposals to expand the on-demand platform. The broadcaster submitted a request to extend the availability of catch-up series from 30 days after broadcast to 12 months, with some programmes available for even longer. Read more: Britbox: BBC and ITV strike [...]
Commercial radio listening hits record level as online audience grows August 1, 2019 Commercial radio stations secured record audience numbers in the second quarter, thanks to a surge in online listening. More than 36.1m people tuned in to commercial radio in the UK over the three-month period, with share of listening hours rising to 48 per cent. Read more: UK ad spend defies economic gloom to hit £6bn [...]
Spotify fails to hit the right note as subscriber numbers miss expectations July 31, 2019 Spotify’s subscriber growth hit the lower end of its guidance in the second quarter, sending shares down in pre-market trading. The music streaming platform said it now has 108m premium subscribers, up 30 per cent on the year before. Read more: Music streaming firm Roxi plans London float as it looks to take on Spotify [...]
ITV used Facebook to find Jeremy Kyle Show contestants July 31, 2019 ITV used Facebook to find guests who wanted to take a lie detector test on its axed reality series The Jeremy Kyle Show, according to new evidence published today. In a letter to MPs, ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall said the show’s producers used the social media platform to attract contestants, admitting that “some did [...]
Forget a one-size-fits-all immigration policy – we need to get creative to protect the talent pipeline July 30, 2019 Different sectors of the economy are often accused of special pleading when it comes to making their case for immigration reform. In any given area, improving the skills base can boost productivity, and with the clock once more ticking down to the Brexit deadline, calling into question the status of future EU applicants, it is [...]
UK ad spend defies economic gloom to hit £6bn as online radio drives growth July 30, 2019 UK ad spend defied economic uncertainty and fraught political tensions to grow to £6bn in the first quarter, new figures have revealed. Advertising spend rose 4.2 per cent year-on-year thanks to strong growth in the video on-demand, online display and online radio sectors. Read more: Social media ad spend growth plummets amid decline in trust [...]
Ofcom sets out new rules for reality TV after Jeremy Kyle Show death July 29, 2019 Ofcom has proposed new rules to protect participants in TV and radio shows, weeks after ITV bosses were slammed over the death of a guest on The Jeremy Kyle Show. The regulator today unveiled plans for new rules requiring broadcasters to protect the welfare and dignity of participants in shows, and to ensure participants are [...]
Media group Future buys US publisher Smartbrief for up to $65m July 29, 2019 Media firm Future today said it has snapped up US-based news curation site Smartbrief for up to $65m (£53m) as it looks to beef up its business-to-business (B2B) offering. Future, which owns magazine titles including Four Four Two and Tech Radar, said it has paid an initial sum of $45m for the firm through a [...]
Reach boss Simon Fox to step down as publisher posts strong digital growth July 29, 2019 The chief executive of Daily Mirror publisher Reach is stepping down after seven years, as the company unveiled significant growth in its digital division for the half year. Simon Fox will leave the firm on 16 August and will be replaced by Jim Mullen, who is currently chief executive of gambling giant Ladbrokes Coral. Read [...]
Beggars Group music boss Martin Mills bags £8m payday July 28, 2019 The music mogul behind record company Beggars Group bagged an £8m dividend last year as his firm cashed in the sale of its stake in Spotify. Read more: Warner Music buys record label behind Les Miserables and Mary Poppins Martin Mills, who founded Beggars in 1977, secured the sum after a strong year of trading [...]