BBC Two has today significantly beefed-up its cultural credentials by announcing the appointment of Roly Keating as its new controller in an attempt to rediscover its highbrow roots.Keating is credited with launching the new digital channel BBC Four as ‘a place to think’ and has since earned himself a reputation as a champion of serious-minded… Continue reading BBC Two Chooses Keating To Replace Root As Controller

Britain will top the league of broadband-enabled G7 nations by the end of the year, according to the latest research from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.The report, entitled The Development of Broadband Access in Rural and Remote Areas, examined the availability of high-speed access across the G7 countries both now and according to… Continue reading Britain On Track To Lead Broadband Nations

Channel 4 has secured sportswear giant Umbro as the exclusive broadcast sponsor of The Urban Music Festival to be broadcast on 16th May.The event, filmed on May 8th/9th at Earl’s Court in London, featured some of the biggest names in urban music such as Beyonce, Jay Z and The Streets. Channel 4 and E4 will… Continue reading Umbro Foots The Bill For Channel 4 Music Sponsorship

BSkyB is reportedly planning a re-shuffle of its boardroom, just days after it announced quarter three subscriber figures were lower than expected (see Sky Subscriber Rates Drop). A Sky spokesman said: “As part of the review of the company’s corporation governance practices, Lord Wilson will be looking at the board and board committees to determine… Continue reading BSkyB Planning Boardroom Reshuffle

Satellite broadcaster, BSkyB, reported along with third quarter results that subscriber growth didn’t meet expectations, as it slowed to 66,000 net new subscribers over the period. This is below the average of 100,000 a quarter needed if Sky is to meet its target of eight million direct to home (DTH) subscribers by the end of… Continue reading Sky Subscriber Rates Drop

International consumer magazine company, The Future Network, today announced that revenue for the first quarter was up 7%, reflecting the positive impact of the group’s growing entertainment section which acquired leading US guitar magazines last autumn. Circulation revenue, which accounted for 69% of total group revenue last year, grew by 8% for the period ending… Continue reading Future Network Revenue Up 7% In Q1

Pan-European broadcasting giant RTL has hired investment bank JP Morgan as it considers the possibility of increasing its majority shareholding in the UK’s smallest terrestrial broadcaster, Five. It is understood that RTL will ask the bank to consider all the options for its stake in Five, including off-loading its shareholding if there is deemed to… Continue reading RTL Hires JP Morgan To Help Boost Stake In Five

Telewest today announced that 51,000 internet and 12,000 household subscribers were added during quarter one, helping to reduce the group net loss to £36 million from £187 million on the same period last year. Acting Chief Executive, Barry Elson, said: “Today’s results reflect a good first quarter. Broadband growth, successful marketing and the value of… Continue reading Telewest Debts Reduce As Subscriber Figures Grow

Telecoms giant, British Telecom, today announced that it is slashing the current broadband access price for rival broadband providers by 70%. The price cuts are for the local loop unbundling (LLU) products – the last mile of cooper wire connections linking households to telephone exchanges, which are used by rivals such as Telewest, to provide… Continue reading BT Set To Slash Broadband Price

Personal video recorders (PVRs) are finally making headway, says a new report from market research firm Instat/MDR, as worldwide shipments tripled to 4.6 million last year. The report says, that an increasing number of consumers are becoming aware of the benefits of time-shifted TV viewing and expects 11 million PVR shipments in 2004. Combination DVD/PVR… Continue reading PVRs Finally Making Headway