Ministers urged to include online adverts in new safety bill July 20, 2021 The government has been urged to include paid-for online adverts in its new online safety bill amid concerns the pandemic has led to a “devastating” surge in scams. Ministers have outlined plans to hold tech companies liable for harmful material posted to their platforms, with the new laws set to be presented to pre-legislative scrutiny. [...]
BBC Three relaunch faces delay as Ofcom opens competition probe July 20, 2021 The BBC’s plans to relaunch BBC Three as a traditional TV channel have been put in doubt after Ofcom said it would launch a full competition investigation into the proposal. Earlier this year the public service broadcaster said BBC Three would return to screens six years after it was made online-only as part of a [...]
Logistics solutions market takes off as startup byrd lands €16m investment July 6, 2021 Online logistics platform byrd has raised €16m in a Series B funding round, amid the pandemic that has slipped up supply chains and stoked an online shopping frenzy. The rally was led by Santander-backed Mouro Capital, which has invested in companies sold on to PayPal and American Express. This latest round follows byrd’s €5m Series [...]
GB News: Ofcom shuns investigation into Dan Wootton’s lockdown rant July 5, 2021 Media watchdog Ofcom has opted not to investigate anti-lockdown comments made by Dan Wootton on the opening night of GB News, marking a victory for the nascent news channel. A total of 390 complaints were lodged with the regulator after Wootton, former executive editor of the Sun, launched a tirade against the government’s response to [...]
GB News viewer numbers slump after turbulent start June 30, 2021 GB News has suffered a sharp drop in viewing figures since its launch amid a string of difficulties for the upstart news channel. The station has pulled in just over 1m viewers in recent days, less than half the peak of 2.2m recorded on its first full day earlier this month. GB News, which has [...]
Andrew Neil takes break from GB News after ‘rocky start’ June 25, 2021 Andrew Neil has announced he is taking a break from GB News just two weeks after he launched the channel. The veteran TV presenter said on his show last night that he would be away for a “few weeks” as he admitted the venture had got off to a “rocky start”. He told viewers that [...]
Screenshot: Is the Netflix documentary craze coming to an end? June 25, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Proper propaganda **Is the Netflix documentary craze coming to an end? **Adland bins plans for junk food ad ban Media Moment of the Week: Proper propaganda Nothing screams flourishing democracy like a video of flag-waving children singing a patriotic anthem, right? That seems to be Gavin Williamson’s policy, [...]
David Davis: Online safety bill will be ‘catastrophic’ for freedom of speech June 23, 2021 The government’s plans for new laws cracking down on tech companies will be “catastrophic” for freedom of speech, David Davis said today. The former cabinet minister branded the online safety bill a “censor’s charter”, comparing it to George Orwell’s 1984 and accusing the government of outsourcing the policing of the internet to Silicon Valley. Ministers [...]
Screenshot: Can GB News survive the ad boycott backlash? June 18, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Richard Madeley goes full Partridge **Can GB News survive the ad boycott backlash? **London’s bumper fintech float: a Wise move Media Moment of the Week: Richard Madeley goes full Partridge It’s always risky when producers attempt a comeback of an old show, so I was sceptical when I [...]
ITV outlines Love Island duty of care measures amid safety fears June 17, 2021 ITV has outlined stringent duty of care protocols for the upcoming series of Love Island after media watchdog Ofcom tightened safety rules for reality TV. The hit dating show, which was cancelled last year due to the pandemic, will return to screens later this month for its seventh series. But producers have now introduced a [...]