May called business chiefs to reassure over latest change in Brexit negotiation plan April 3, 2019 Theresa May last night tried to reassure bosses at some of Britain’s biggest firms, including Rolls-Royce, BT and GlaxoSmithKline, about her latest change in direction on Brexit negotiations. The PM hosted a call with the co-chairs of her business councils last night, shortly after announcing she would look for another extension to Article 50 so [...]
The European Union is on the backfoot, but few seem to notice April 2, 2019 There is a very bad habit that many of our broadcasters have of focusing on what might befall us. It reminds me of Frankie Howerd in Up Pompeii bemoaning “woe is me, woe is me” – as if he might warn his master against leaving the Empire without a deal. It would be refreshing were there [...]
BBC takes control of UKTV channels as Discovery lines up new streaming service April 1, 2019 The BBC will take control of UKTV channels as part of a deal with Discovery that will also see the launch of a new on-demand video service for BBC nature programmes. BBC Studios – the broadcaster’s commercial arm – jointly owns UKTV with US media giant Discovery. Read more: BBC removes podcasts from rival Google [...]
TV advertising revenue stalls as viewers switch to streaming March 21, 2019 TV advertising revenue growth stalled last year as traditional broadcasters continue to lose ground to streaming services. Overall revenue totalled £5.11bn in 2018, equal to the amount invested during the previous year, according to figures from industry body Thinkbox. Read more: Advertising outlook clouds picture at ITV The stagnating figures highlight the challenge faced by [...]
Revamp media regulation to help broadcasters take on Netflix, BBC chairman urges March 18, 2019 The UK’s media regulation must be overhauled to protect public service broadcasters from rivals such as Netflix, the BBC chairman said today. Speaking at the Oxford Media Convention this morning, Sir David Clementi said existing regulation is not fit for the digital age and must be updated to ensure British broadcasters can take on global [...]
Netflix to set its own age ratings for streaming shows and movies in new partnership with BBFC March 14, 2019 Netflix will be granted powers to set the official age ratings for its film and TV programmes as part of a new partnership with the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). The streaming giant will use an automated rating algorithm, alongside a manual tagging system, to apply official UK age ratings to its original films [...]
BT TV to offer Vice channels in bid to bolster its youth appeal March 8, 2019 BT has secured a deal with Vice Media to give its customers access to the youth channel’s content on live and on-demand TV. The partnership, which comes into effect next week, will give BT TV customers access to Vice on TV, a lifestyle and entertainment channel offering documentaries about popular culture and current affairs. Read [...]
BBC ‘risks irrelevance’ unless it adapts to digital age, says director general March 7, 2019 The BBC risks irrelevance unless it adapts to changing viewing habits, the broadcaster’s director general has said. Speaking at the Media & Telecoms Conference this morning, Tony Hall admitted the BBC faces an uphill struggle to keep up with deep-pocketed rivals such as Netflix and Amazon, but insisted public service broadcasters are as important as [...]
UK digital advertising spend to grow to £15bn in 2019, report states March 4, 2019 Spending on digital advertising in the UK is set to grow to more than £15bn this year amid a boom in new digital marketing technology, a new report has revealed. Digital ad spend will enjoy double-digit growth in 2019 as the industry moves away from traditional media forms, according to the latest forecasts by Barclays [...]
Music streaming revenues overtake ownership for the first time amid shift to ‘rental’ market March 4, 2019 The popularity of subscription services reached record levels in the UK last year as music streaming revenues overtook ownership formats for the first time. Revenues from paid-for music subscription services such as Spotify jumped 39 per cent last year to £829m, meaning subscriptions now account for 62 per cent of all music revenues, according to figures [...]