Telecoms giant BT has signed a content licencing deal with programme maker Endemol, according to reports this morning, with the deal bringing the producer’s shows to BT’s forthcoming video on-demand service.The deal will see Endemol, which is responsible for big name productions including Big Brother, provide content to BT’s yet to be launched TV offering,… Continue reading BT Signs Deals For TV Content And Mobile Platform

Cable giant NTL is to begin testing new technologies to deliver TV content via ultra-fast peer to peer downloads, partnering with file sharing icon BitTorrent to develop a legal distribution system.The trial, which is expected to launch in April, will see NTL join BitTorrent Inc and peer to peer caching specialist Cachelogic in developing a… Continue reading NTL Partners BitTorrent To Test Legal TV Downloads

Five is continuing to sign high profile American shows to shore up its primetime schedules, with its latest acquisition, a drama from US producer HBO, likely to continue the success of House and the CSI franchise.The new programme, Big Love, follows a polygamist with three wives and a successful business to maintain. Airing in 12… Continue reading Five Continues US Imports With First HBO Drama

The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics saw a sturdy start on Friday night, with 2.9 million adults tuning in on average across its four hour duration.The programme, airing on BBC Two between 6pm and 10pm, achieved a 14.57% share, with average audiences topping those of Channel 4 for its entire duration.Elsewhere BBC One’s Judge… Continue reading Winter Olympics See Sturdy Start

The return of 24 drew 696,000 adults on average to Sky One on Saturday, with the first show in a double bill peaking at 720,000 between 9:15 and 9:30pm.The ratings high is made all the more impressive as Sky One in not available to Freeview households.Freeview availability enabled ITV2 to score a victory over 24,… Continue reading 24’s Return Sees Massive Audiences For Sky One

TV’s self-styled Mr Nasty, Simon Cowell, has extended his deal with ITV to appear exclusively on its network of channels until Spring 2008.The deal follows Cowell’s original contract with the broadcaster, signed for two years in 2004 (see ITV Signs Simon Cowell For Two Years).The new agreement will see the sharp-tongued pop mogul continue to… Continue reading Cowell To Wear ITV’s Golden Handcuffs Until 2008

Matthew d’Ancona has been appointed editor of The Spectator, leaving his current position as deputy editor of the Sunday Telegraph to take up the position at the end of the month. Announcing the decision this morning, Andrew Neil, chief executive of the Spectator said: “Matthew is a friend and colleague whose work I have long… Continue reading Deputy Sunday Telegraph Editor To Edit The Spectator

Podcasting continues to make its presence felt in the media mix, with a recent survey from the UK Association of Online Publishers (AOP) showing that more than half of publishers polled claim their business intends to launch a podcast in the next 12 months. Out of the respondents, 35% said their business already used podcasts,… Continue reading Marketers Look To Podcasting To Increase Brand Awareness

Search engine companies are increasing their presence on the internet, with the latest data from Nielsen//NetRatings showing that the number of searches totalled 5.1 billion in December 2005, up 55% from 3.3 billion in December 2004. Google retained its position as the top search engine, accounting for 49% of searches. Google, MSN and Yahoo! handled… Continue reading Search Engines Enjoy 5.1 Billion Hits In December 2005

Europe has overtaken North America as the second largest broadband market in the world, with France currently having the most competitive market in Europe. According to the recent Ogilvyone Report, by the end of 2006, the top three countries in terms of broadband penetration will be the Netherlands at 56%, Switzerland with 51% and Denmark… Continue reading Europe Pushes Broadband Uptake Forward