The secretary of state for trade and industry, Alastair Darling, has asked Ofcom to review BSkyB’s acquisition of a 17.9% stake in ITV, with reports in the trade press claiming that the review could be widened to include all of Rupert Murdoch’s UK media assets. The review is to ascertain whether the Sky purchase “raises… Continue reading Darling Orders Investigation Of Sky/ITV Deal

Former director general of the Confederation of British Industry, Sir Digby Jones, could lead a bid to buy 47 of Trinity Mirror’s Midlands based newspapers. The titles include the Birmingham Post and 46 other local papers, including the Birmingham Mail and the Coventry Evening Telegraph. Sir Digby is quoted in today’s Financial Times as saying… Continue reading Digby Jones Could Buy Trinity Mirror’s Midlands Papers

The US satellite radio company XM saw its revenue for 2006 increase 67% year on year to $933 million. The company also added 1.6 million new net subscribers in 2006 for a total of 7.6 million subscribers. Hugh Panero, XM CEO, said: “2006 was a pivotal year for XM. The automobile market is emerging as… Continue reading XM Radio Records Revenue Increase

A new report from In-Stat claims that portable devices for playing media are becoming more popular than ever before. The In-Stat report forecasts that digital radio receivers will reach 26 million unit shipments worldwide by 2010. It adds that the worldwide market for ‘edutainment’ toys is expected to hit 81 million units by 2010. In… Continue reading Portable Media Devices Becoming More Popular

Downloading TV content via the internet is set to become this year’s broadband phenomenon, according to price comparison website, uSwitch.com. USwitch.com says that internet protocol television (IPTV) is changing the way consumers watch television, with the average UK broadband user already spending 30 minutes a week downloading films and a further 23 minutes a week… Continue reading IPTV To Take Off In 2007

A new report has revealed that US wireless internet users show a deeper engagement with cyberspace. The Pew Internet and American Life Project said that 54% of internet users check e-mail on a typical day, compared to 72% of wireless users. The survey asked 798 US internet users about their wireless habits and sampled almost… Continue reading US Wireless Internet Users Show Deep Engagement With Cyberspace

The controller of features and entertainment, Ben Frow, and the controller of special events and pop features, Sham Sandhu, are expected to announce their departure from Five imminently.Frow was hired by Five in 2003 from Channel 4, while Sandhu joined in 2000 from the BBC, where he was head of new media and new channels.On… Continue reading Two Key Figures At Five Set To Leave

Channel 4 has held talks with Emap about launching a joint venture to run the publishing company’s music TV channels.According to a report in the Guardian, Channel 4 is not interested in buying Emap’s seven music channels, but has held talks over the possibility of a joint venture.The report quotes an unnamed source as saying:… Continue reading Channel 4 And Emap Discuss Music TV Partnership

Sky has said that its operating profits could be reduced by £15 to £20 million if it is unable to resolve a deal with Virgin Media over its basic channels.This figure includes the four months between now and the end of Sky’s financial year on June 30.In a statement about the negotiations, Sky said: “Despite… Continue reading Sky Profits Could Be Hit By Virgin Channel Dispute

BSkyB rival Virgin Media has signed a deal to offer ratings winner Lost on-demand, which could help to retain Virgin’s cable customers if some of Sky’s channels are pulled from Virgin’s TV package.Seasons one and two of the award-winning series will be available in August on the company’s TV-on-demand service, which lets viewers choose from… Continue reading Virgin Media Nabs Lost For On-Demand Service