Michael Grade is set to step down as chief executive of ITV before the end of the year to become a non-executive chairman and allow the broadcaster to bring in a new chief exec.Grade’s decision comes after reports last month that ITV shareholders were pushing him to take a step back in return for pumping… Continue reading Michael Grade to step down as ITV chief executive

The BBC’s free to air high definition channel BBC HD is now available via BBC iPlayer, allowing users to stream HD programmes for up to seven days after broadcast.BBC iPlayer users will now be able to download and watch a wide range of high definition programmes from across other BBC channels, with up to five… Continue reading BBC HD comes to iPlayer

ISBA is set to back Project Canvas, the video-on-demand venture proposed by the BBC, ITV and BT, as “an important commercial counterbalane” to the BBC’s iPlayer service.Regulators are currently in the process of reviewing the proposed service, which would use an open internet connection to deliver on-demand viewing to television screens.Project Canvas follows the joint… Continue reading ISBA endorses BBC’s Project Canvas

Press Gazette, the newspapers’ trade magazine will continue to publish under its new owner Progressive Media.Earlier this month, the title’s former parent company, the Wilmington Group, announced that the magazine would cease printing after the May edition due to the current economic conditions (see Press Gazette to close after 40 years).At the time, a company… Continue reading Press Gazette lives on

Yahoo! warns it could cut 5% of its global workforce despite posting pre-tax profits of nearly $80 million in the first quarter of 2009.Yahoo!’s chief executive Carol Bartz said the company “is not immune to the ongoing economic downturn” when she unveiled the search engine’s financial results last night.Last October, the company announced it would… Continue reading Yahoo! warns of job cuts as Q1 figures are released

BBC One’s fantasy drama series Ashes to Ashes returned with an impressive 7 million viewers last night, banking the all-important peak-hour ratings.The eighties drama, starring Philip Glenister and Keeley Hawes, attracted over 7.1 million peak viewers and a 29.1% average audience share between 9pm and 10pm.At the same time, ITV1’s daily trip to Hell’s Kitchen,… Continue reading Ashes to Ashes returns with 7m viewers

Global Radio is expected to confirm the sale of eight stations in the Midlands to Bauer Media in a deal thought to be worth around £30 million.Last year, Global offered to dispose of the eight Midland-based stations in a bid to appease competition concerns by the Office of Fair Trading over Global’s £375 million purchase… Continue reading Global expected to confirm £30m deal with Bauer

Social networking via mobile phones is increasing with 44% of young people viewing pages on the move, according to new research from the Internet Advertising Bureau.The report, of nearly 2000 UK adults, found that updating social network sites via mobiles is rising, with 25% of all respondents logging on the check or update their pages.16… Continue reading Mobile social networking is on the up

Wikipedia has become the latest publisher to block online advertising system Phorm from tracking users across its portfolio of sites.The system, which builds profiles of users by scanning keywords on websites they visit and then assigns relevant ads, has been up against tough opposition over the past few weeks.Wikipedia released a statement, which said: “The… Continue reading Wikipedia to block Phorm

Independent News & Media has postponed publishing its annual results for a second time while debt talks continue.INM was due to release its 2008 figures this Friday but the company’s management will continue to hold talks about reducing its £1.3 billion debt until it announces its results next Thursday.Reports suggest that the company was hoping… Continue reading Independent News & Media delays annual results announcement