BT Sport’s Champions League coverage to feature Steven Gerrard and Gary Lineker and cost additional £5 June 9, 2015 Before jetting off to Hollywood to play for LA Galaxy, Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard will join Gary Lineker in the BT Sport studio as a pundit for its Champions League coverage. Harry Redknapp, Glenn Hoddle and Howard Webb will also join the channel's team for its biggest season of football to date. BT will broadcast [...]
Fifa film United Passions flops as it takes just $607 at US box office June 8, 2015 After arrests, resignations and allegations, Fifa's hellish fortnight got even worse this weekend with a box office bomb. United Passions, the Fifa-financed film which tells the story of the governing body and the World Cup, made a measly $607 on its opening weekend in the US – a pathetic return that looks even worse in [...]
Top Gear: Chris Evans is making a “secret film” for car show as BBC looks for Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond replacements June 7, 2015 Chris Evans, the Radio 2 DJ and host of the soon-to-return TFI Friday TV show, has revealed he is "secretly filming" for Top Gear, despite having previously ruled out any involvement in the show. Appearing on Channel 4's Sunday Brunch show, Evans said: “Not started yet, but we are doing a secret Top Gear film on Tuesday,” [...]
BBC sells White City site for £87m to Stanhope and Japanese firm Mitsui Fudosan June 5, 2015 The BBC has announced the sale and sublet of its Media Village site in an £87m deal with Stanhope and Mitsui Fudosan. Read more: BBC offers James May and Richard Hammond £1m to stay Following an 18-month negotiating process, four acres of freehold land will be sold and six buildings in White City leased as part [...]
Culture secretary says BBC licence free is “regressive” and hits poor hardest June 4, 2015 Culture secretary John Whittingdale has dubbed the BBC licence fee "regressive", saying that it hits the "poorest people" hardest. Speaking in Parliament, Mr Whittingdale told MPs that charging all viewers the same annual fee forced those on lower incomes to pay more for the BBC's television services. It is his most critical comment on the [...]
New guidance issued for payday loan adverts to prevent trivialisation of short-term high-cost borrowing June 4, 2015 New guidance has been published on the regulation of adverts for payday loan products, designed to prevent ads from trivialising taking out short-term high-cost loans. The Committee of Advertising Practice's rules, which come into immediate effect, say that ads must be responsible to the audience and society, and should not encourage consumers to make ill-considered or [...]
Top Gear: BBC offers James May and Richard Hammond £1m to stay June 4, 2015 The BBC is understood to have offered former Top Gear co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond a multi-million pound deal to stay on the show. Read more: BBC loses 5m viewers from Top Gear cancellation The pair have both been offered deals in the region of £1m a year according to The Times, contracts that would make [...]
Gary Lineker lined up to present BT Sport’s £897m Champions League coverage June 3, 2015 Forget David De Gea to Real Madrid, the signing of the summer is set to be Gary Lineker to BT Sport. Read more: BT to reveal subscription prices for European Champions League coverage Lineker, the face of the BBC's football coverage for 20 years, could front BT Sport's Champions League coverage from next season onwards. According [...]
Five surprising projections for the UK entertainment and media market June 3, 2015 The imminent releases of big blockbusters such as Star Wars and Spectre, music lovers' penchant for streaming services such as Spotify – as well as the increasing popularity of e-books – mean the outlook for the UK media and entertainment market is shaping up nicely, according to professional services firm PWC. Here are five surprising projections [...]
Yves Saint Laurent ad banned over “unhealthily underweight” model by ASA June 3, 2015 An advert for luxury fashion brand Yves Saint Lauren has been banned over its use of a model considered "unhealthily underweight". The ad, which shows a model with thin legs posing on the floor and appeared in Elle magazine, has been banned by the ad regulator after concluding that it was irresponsible. The ruling comes [...]