Virgin Media has disputed Sky’s claims that it has offered significant concessions and a new annual price of 90 pence per subscriber for the carriage of its basic channels.The two companies are negotiating over the price paid by Virgin Media to carry the basic Sky channels, which include Sky One and Sky Sports News (see… Continue reading Virgin Media Disputes Sky Price Claim

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

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 Financial Times and its website recorded a £9 million increase in profits last year to £11 million, according to parent company Pearson’s preliminary full year results. FT advertising revenues were up 9% with rapid growth in online, luxury goods and corporate finance categories, all up more than 30%. The FT and its website also… Continue reading FT Records £9 Million Increase In Profits

Sky’s operating profits could be reduced by £15 to £20 million if the satellite broadcaster cannot reach a deal with Virgin Media over its basic channel package. This figure includes the four months between now and the end of Sky’s financial year on June 30. It was reported on Friday that Sky was to remove… Continue reading Sky’s Profits Could Be Hit By Virgin Channel Row

WPP’s pre-tax profits rose by 14.5% to £766.3 billion in 2006, with the company reporting total revenues of £5.9 billion for the year, up 10%. WPP’s like-for-like revenue growth was up by 7.2% in the fourth quarter of 2006. In a statement, the group said: “The group’s financial performance in the year more than mirrored… Continue reading WPP Records Profits Rise