Five has signed a multi-million pound film deal with Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI), which will see the full portfolio of 2006/7/8 feature films debut on the channel.The package includes major movies such as The Da Vinci Code and Spiderman 3. The deal also includes a broad selection of library titles from Sony Pictures for… Continue reading Five Signs Film Deal For Flagship And Digital Channels

Mike Clasper, the former BAA chief executive, has pulled out of the race to take over from former ITV chief executive Charles Allen, and speculation has re-emerged that Sir James Crosby, the former chief executive of HBOS, has also withdrawn.According to a report in yesterday’s Sunday Times, investors in the broadcaster are increasingly concerned that… Continue reading Another Candidate Pulls Out Of Race For ITV Top Job

Rumours that ITV chairman Sir Peter Burt will quit once Charles Allen’s replacement at the broadcaster has been found have escalated, sources have told the trade press.Sources have said that Burt is not enjoying the role and wants to leave as soon as possible, whilst the ITV board is said to be split over how… Continue reading ITV Chairman Expected To Go

The Daily Telegraph has not ruled out launching a tabloid version of the paper, according to an online survey it has carried out.If the tabloid version goes ahead it will initially be launched in the London area, the survey revealed.The smaller sized edition would not replace the current broadsheet but would rather be offered alongside… Continue reading Daily Telegraph Could Launch Tabloid Edition

Rumours said to be 40% accurate are circulating on the internet and in the Wall Street Journal that Google may be in talks to acquire video-sharing website YouTube.Talks are said to be in the early stages and that a price tag of $1.6 billion has been reported. It is also stated that YouTube has had… Continue reading Google Could Buy YouTube

The Sportsman newspaper, which launched in March of this year, has finally closed after talks regarding refinancing the title broke down.The daily betting newspaper, which cut its Sunday edition in August (see Sportsman Newspaper To Cut Sunday Edition), went into administration in July (see The Sportsman Goes Into Administration) and was seeking multi-millions of pounds… Continue reading The Sportsman Finally Shuts

Current has signed an agreement with BSkyB to launch a localised version of its viewer-created TV channel in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.The agreement provides Current’s first presence outside the US and marks a significant step in fulfilling its plans of becoming an international media company, while for BSkyB it represents a first… Continue reading Current TV Channel To Launch On Sky

BT has a new video-on-demand film deal with Lionsgate Entertainment for its next-generation TV service, BT Vision, which launches in autumn 2006.This new deal will provide BT Vision customers with access to the Lionsgate library, one of the biggest independent film libraries in the world.Titles include Jeepers Creepers, Open Water, Reservoir Dogs, The Gift, Dirty… Continue reading BT Vision Signs VOD Movie Deal

Yahoo! has launched its own YouTube style video site which lets users upload, watch and search for videos.Yahoo! says that the site has more content than other video websites because it trawls the web, accepts uploads and receives direct feeds. It will also include videos that Yahoo! already hosts on its music, news, sports film… Continue reading Yahoo! Launches YouTube Challenger

People aged over 35 account for more than half of the visitors to social networking site MySpace.com, according to a report by US research company comScore Media Metrix.In August 2005 a quarter of all visitors to the site were aged 12 – 17, a year later that had more than halved to just under 12%.… Continue reading Younger Users Moving Away From MySpace