ITN chief executive looks beyond bulletin news as he seeks to make company a TV production giant May 16, 2016 Multi-million pound pay packages for top TV celebrities grabbed the headlines last week, when the government revealed its white paper on the future of the BBC. Yet while the sexier elements of the Tory-BBC row occupied most attention, ITN boss John Hardie insists that the most important issue behind any reforms is the provision of high-quality news bulletins. [...]
Prime position: Will Amazon come out on top in TV? May 16, 2016 Not content with battling premium video services like Netflix, Amazon now has YouTube in its sights. The launch of new user-generated content platform Amazon Video Direct (AVD) will allow video makers to upload their content to the site, where it can be watched by tens of millions of Prime subscribers. But becoming a one-stop shop for [...]
Keeping pace with programmatic: Ooyala’s Scott Braley explains how broadcasters and publishers can monetise better May 16, 2016 Programmatic trading is fast overhauling the online video advertising market. According to SpotX, 23 per cent of the UK’s video ads were programmatic last year. By 2020, this figure is forecast to reach 60 per cent. Better access to consumer data is allowing brands and their agencies to choose impressions more carefully and bid in real-time [...]
BBC white paper: Government stops short of “castrating” corporation – but raises independence concerns and opportunities for commercial rivals May 12, 2016 The government stopped short of “castrating” the BBC today, in the words of one media analyst. But John Whittingdale's white paper setting out the corporation's future has raised concerns over independence. It has also created opportunities for the BBC's commercial rivals. Independence concerns Under the white paper, the BBC Trust is to be abolished and replaced with a unitary [...]
Google says payday loans are just as bad as drugs and guns May 12, 2016 Payday loans are as bad as drugs, weapons and counterfeit goods, Google has said, adding them to its list of items banned from being advertised on its search engine. Lenders offering payday loans will be banned from advertising anywhere on Google across the globe, the search giant has said, signalling another nail in the coffin [...]
ITV says Brexit has sparked “uncertainty” in the UK advertising market May 12, 2016 ITV is on track for good profit growth, despite the slow UK advertising market as a result of Britain's possible untangling from the European Union. It said that advertising revenue is expected to be "broadly flat" in the first half of 2016, having slumped 13 per cent last month. "ITV is now a much stronger and more [...]
Culture secretary: I have no ambition to become the BBC fat controller May 11, 2016 Culture secretary John Whittingdale has assured MPs he has “no wish to hobble the BBC”. The government is due to publish a white paper setting out terms of the corporation’s next royal charter tomorrow. Yesterday in parliament, MPs quizzed Whittingdale on what might be included in the white paper amid concerns that it could weaken the [...]
Amazon’s new Top Gear finally has a name (and it’s kind of meh) May 11, 2016 Car fans have been waiting a while, but the new version of Top Gear finally has a name. Featuring the former hosts of the BBC car show Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, The Grand Tour will soon make its debut on Amazon Prime. Yep, The Grand Tour. Read more: Jeremy Clarkson helps Amazon Prime promote [...]
Shareholders fault Disney despite Star Wars boost May 10, 2016 Shares in Walt Disney dropped around six per cent in after-hours trading after the company missed analysts' expectations in its second fiscal quarter. The figures In the quarter ending 2 February, the company reported revenues of $12.97bn (£8.98bn), up four per cent year on year. Earnings per share (EPS), meanwhile, were up 11 per cent to $1.36. [...]
ITN boss calls for more BBC outsourcing ahead of crunch white paper May 10, 2016 The BBC should use its “incredible position as a buying power” to boost outside TV production companies, the head of ITN has said. John Hardie told City A.M. programmes such as Newsnight should be put out to tender. His comments come ahead of Thursday’s publication of a new white paper setting out the next BBC [...]