The second instalment of The X-Factor, on ITV1 at 7.30pm on Saturday night, was a mega hit with viewers, drawing a larger adult audience than the rest of the terrestrial channels combined.A peak of 7.4 million adults (a 44.5% share of the audience) watched the wannabes line-up before the judges, with an average of seven… Continue reading X-Factor Continues To Do Well

It wasn’t all self-flagellation at the recent MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival (MGEITF), as internet entrepreneur Janus Friis explained more about his peer-to-peer television project, Joost.Given Friis’ background as the co-founder of both the file-sharing website Kazaa and the online telephony business Skype, many in the audience could have been forgiven for being wary about… Continue reading MGEITF 2007: Joost To Provide New Opportunities For Content Owners

Last year’s annual MacTaggart lecture saw outgoing ITV boss Charles Allen use the platform to strongly criticise Channel 4. In 2007, under a cloud of deception and viewer mistrust, Newsnight anchor Jeremy Paxman took his turn on the podium to deliver a scathing speech.Paxman outlined the trivial and more serious “contemptible” allegations of dishonesty and… Continue reading Paxman Scorns “Contemptible” Annus Horribilus

Vint Cerf, one of the creators of the internet and currently Google’s chief internet evangelist, made some bold predictions at the recent MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival (MGEITF), conjuring up visions of a Martian internet and super-fast downloads.Presenting the Alternative McTaggart lecture at the festival, Cerf’s speech was quite different from Jeremy Paxman’s lament for… Continue reading MGEITF 2007: Internet ‘Godfather’ Looks To The Future

The controversial BBC documentary on the Queen might never be shown, according to Peter Fincham, controller of BBC One.Speaking at the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival (MGEITF), Fincham said: “I certainly hope that we will screen the series, a lot of talking is going on in the background – I can’t say whether or… Continue reading MGEITF 2007: Queen Documentary Might Never Be Shown

Nearly three quarters of the public claim they will not take part in a television phone-in competition again, judging them difficult to trust following this summer’s scandals.The poll was commissioned for the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International TV Festival (MGEITF) for its “Trust Me…I’m in Telly” panel debate, which will feature Andy Duncan, chief executive of Channel… Continue reading MGEITF 2007: Phone-Ins Lose Popularity Through Trust Issues

An extra 24,000 customers have signed up to BT’s IPTV service, BT Vision, in the past two months, according to reports in the trade press.The customer base has more than doubled since the last figures released at the end of June, according to unofficial figures from a source at BT Vision.The source stated that BT… Continue reading BT Vision Subscribers Up 24,000 in Two Months

thelondonpaper and London Lite have reached an agreement with Westminster council over clearing up discarded copies, with the two titles each buying and managing recycling bins in the West End of London.In addition to the council’s regular street sweeping, the newspapers will also conduct regular litter collections.News International, publisher of thelondonpaper, will look after recycling… Continue reading Freesheets Reach Recycling Agreement

New software for the Playstation 3 will allow the console to become a personal video recorder, letting users record and playback digital terrestrial television.The PlayTV software will be available first in the UK, France, Germany and Spain from early next year, with more countries to follow.Recorded programmes can be streamed over a wireless internet connection… Continue reading PS3 To Become PVR

Channel 4 has announced it is to “rest” the Celebrity Big Brother format, following a shake-up of the channel’s 9pm weeknight slot.This year’s series brought huge controversy to the channel following alleged bullying and racism from several housemates including Jade Goody (see Big Brother Controversy Could Force C4 To Rethink Remit).Julian Bellamy, Channel 4 head… Continue reading Peak Revamp Spells “Rest” For Celeb Big Brother