Tidy: BBC wins Christmas broadcast battle with Gavin and Stacey special December 26, 2019 The BBC has emerged triumphant in the fight to win Christmas Day eyeballs after a special episode of Gavin and Stacey pulled in 11.6m viewers. The bumper viewing figures mean the hour-long sitcom special was the most-watched show on Christmas Day and boasts the best festive ratings in more than a decade. Read more: Boris [...]
Senior Labour MP says BBC ‘played a part’ in election defeat December 16, 2019 A senior Labour MP has accused the BBC of “consciously” playing a role in the party’s election defeat, as figures on both ends of the political spectrum take aim at the broadcaster over perceived bias. Shadow transport minister Andy McDonald said the BBC and other broadcasters had allowed Jeremy Corybn to be “demonised and vilified” [...]
Boris Johnson sets sights on BBC licence fee as bias row heats up December 15, 2019 Boris Johnson is reportedly ramping up plans to decriminalise non-payment of the BBC licence fee, in a move that could spark a showdown between No 10 and the broadcaster. The Prime Minister has asked aides to launch an urgent review into whether viewers should face prosecution for failing to pay the £154.50 fee, which applies [...]
Sky scuppers hopes of Britbox deal in blow for new streaming service December 15, 2019 ITV and the BBC have suffered a major setback to their plans for Britbox, as the chances of securing a highly sought-after distribution deal with Sky have all but disappeared. The streaming service, jointly run by the public service broadcasters, has already bagged partnerships with the likes of BT, Freeview and Samsung to deliver its [...]
General Election 2019: How to watch the results on live TV December 12, 2019 The UK has been plunged into a political broadcast blackout today, with channels forced to put their election coverage on hold as Brits go to the polls. But when voting closes at 10pm, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky will all fire up their cameras to provide rolling coverage until the UK’s next Prime [...]
BBC wins battle for social media buzz as streaming giants lag behind December 11, 2019 Traditional broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV are winning the battle to create a buzz around new shows, as they generate more social media chatter than their streaming rivals. Figures published today by market research firm Kantar revealed that the BBC generated more tweets than any other broadcaster in the year to the end [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
BBC chairman hits back at suggestions of Netflix-style subscription model November 20, 2019 Replacing the BBC’s licence fee with a Netflix-style subscription model would destroy its ability to serve everyone, the corporation’s chairman has said. Sir David Clementi urged advocates of a subscription service to be “realistic” and recognise that the broadcaster’s “principle of universality would be lost”. Read more: BBC signs on-demand deal with Sky as it [...]