Why Test cricket is back on Channel 4 and what it means for the future of sport on terrestrial TV February 2, 2021 For the first time since the heady 2005 Ashes series, Test cricket is returning to British terrestrial television. Channel 4 has bought the rights to show England’s tour of India, which begins on Friday in Chennai. But why is cricket back on a free-to-air broadcaster? Who stands to gain? And what does this mean for [...]
Mast giant Arqiva pulls out of Freeview venture amid streaming row December 1, 2020 British mast giant Arqiva is pulling its investment in digital TV platform Freeview in the wake of a row over how to stave off pressure from streaming rivals. The telecoms group said it will step down as a shareholder in Digital UK, the company that controls its joint venture with the BBC, ITV and Channel [...]
Screenshot: Is price comparison the Future of publishing? November 27, 2020 A weekly column from City A.M. bringing you all the biggest stories and trends in technology, media and telecoms This week **Media Moment of the Week: A baking bonanza **Future’s flirtation with Go Compare: Insane or inspired? **Baby boomer radio beats Media Moment of the Week For many of us, The Great British Bake Off [...]
Selling like hot cakes: Bake Off final smashes Channel 4 ratings record November 25, 2020 Channel 4 last night smashed its ratings records after millions of Brits tuned in to the final of The Great British Bake Off. The final baked up a storm with a record-breaking average audience of 9.2m viewers, taking an almost 40 per cent slice of the audience pie. Viewing numbers for the baking bonanza peaked [...]
Screenshot: Is this the end for impartial TV news? November 13, 2020 A weekly column from City A.M. bringing you all the biggest stories and trends in technology, media and telecoms This week **Media Moment of the Week: How not the book the Four Seasons **Is this the end for impartial TV news? **UK protectionism: A tech takeover balancing act Media Moment of the Week This one’s [...]
Channel 4 advertising bounces back amid privatisation threat October 29, 2020 Channel 4 today said its advertising revenue had rebounded strongly from a coronavirus-induced slump as it shrugged off renewed threats of privatisation. Earlier this month media minister John Whittingdale hinted that the government was mulling a sale of Channel 4, adding that its business model was under strain and may not be sustainable. But the [...]
UK broadcasters call for new regulation amid threat from streaming rivals October 8, 2020 The UK’s public service broadcasters have doubled down on their calls for tighter regulation of the media landscape amid growing competition from deep-pocketed streaming rivals. The heads of the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 were today united in their pleas to bring British broadcasting rules up to date to contend with modern viewing [...]
Media minister warns Channel 4 could be privatised in fresh broadcasting row October 6, 2020 Media minister John Whittingdale today said the government was mulling a sale of Channel 4 as he launched a fresh salvo on the publicly-owned broadcaster. Speaking at a virtual event during the Tory party conference, Whittingdale said ministers were debating the Great British Bake Off broadcaster’s future amid competition from streaming services such as Netflix [...]
Channel 4 to air Hollyoaks on Snapchat as it targets young viewers June 4, 2020 Channel 4 today said it will air Hollyoaks on Snapchat as part of a fresh deal to bring more than 300 episodes of its TV programmes to the social media app over the next year. From today the broadcaster will show short-form edits of the soap opera favourite on Snapchat’s Discover section. The Undateables, The [...]
TV sector faces ‘bleak future’ without government intervention April 6, 2020 The UK’s commercial TV sector faces “permanent change” as a result of coronavirus unless the government steps in to help, top media analysts have warned. In a note to clients published today, Enders Analysis warned a combination of declining advertising revenue and a shutdown in filming had left broadcasters and the production sector facing a [...]