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 [...]
BritBox launches in the UK – but can it challenge Netflix? November 7, 2019 BritBox, the new streaming service from the BBC and ITV, has launched in the UK this morning as broadcasters attempt to muscle in on the lucrative online television market. The platform, which announced this morning that it would also feature content from Channel 4 and Channel 5, is entering a crowded market, with market leaders [...]
BBC leak reveals names of 120 women in equal pay dispute November 1, 2019 The BBC has been accused of a potentially major data breach after the names of 120 female employees who had pursued equal pay complaints against the broadcaster were inadvertently revealed during presenter Samira Ahmed’s employment tribunal case. The document names BBC women who had put their names to a letter issued by the National Union [...]
Samira Ahmed faces BBC in court over ‘600 per cent’ pay gap October 28, 2019 BBC presenter Samira Ahmed has today kicked off her legal challenge against the broadcaster over claims she was paid just “a sixth” of Jeremy Vine’s salary. The Newswatch presenter has said she was paid just £440 per programme, while Vine received as much as £3,000 per episode for his work on Points of View. Read [...]
BBC ‘may not be sustainable’ in current form, media watchdog warns October 24, 2019 The BBC may not be sustainable in its current form as it struggles to win over the attention of younger audiences, the media watchdog has warned. In a damning report published today, Ofcom said the corporation was at risk of a “lost generation” as young people increasingly tune out of its services. The reach of [...]
BBC launches dark web news site in bid to dodge censors October 23, 2019 The BBC has made its international news website available on the dark web in a bid to sidestep censorship attempts. The corporation said its website can now be accessed on Tor, an internet browser designed to hide a user’s activity and identity. Read more: Louis Theroux leaves BBC Studios to launch his own production company [...]
Louis Theroux leaves BBC Studios to launch his own production company October 23, 2019 Louis Theroux has parted ways with BBC Studios to set up his own production company, sparking speculation that the documentary maker could be eyeing deals with streaming rivals. Theroux, who has worked with the broadcaster’s commercial arm for two decades, has set up a new firm called Mindhouse Productions alongside his executive producer Arron Fellows. [...]
Samira Ahmed takes BBC to court in row over unequal pay October 21, 2019 Top BBC presenter Samira Ahmed is taking the broadcaster to an employment tribunal over claims she was paid less than her male colleagues. Ahmed is due to appear at a central London tribunal on Monday next week over an alleged “failure to provide equal pay for equal work”, filings show. Read more: Government must reach [...]
Government must reach funding deal with BBC over free TV licences, say MPs October 11, 2019 MPs have urged the government and the BBC to reach a funding arrangement to restore free TV licences for people aged over 75. In a damning report the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee slammed the government of 2015 for trying to “bounce” the BBC into accepting measures that left it liable to [...]