Our columnist Raymond Snoddy on the news that GMG is considering options for the Observer. At first sight the leaked details of Guardian Media Group’s review of the future of the Observer seems crass and inept. You don’t take fundamental decisions about any major asset in the depths of a recession – let alone a 218-year-old… Continue reading The future of the Observer

Our weekly columnist Raymond Snoddy examines the latest BARB viewing figures for the first half of the year.“At the very least you can say that there is no evidence at this moment that conventional television and channels are dying or that they will die anytime soon.” There is a fundamental injustice at the heart of the… Continue reading BARB figures give a boost to commercial TV

Our weekly columnist Raymond Snoddy looks at the decline of Big Brother and asks whether Channel 4 should be careful of becoming “too dependent on a Big Idea that will inevitably have a finite life”… It wouldn’t be polite to dance too enthusiastically on the grave of Big Brother. The programme helped to define, if not… Continue reading The rise and fall of Big Brother

Comment and analysis from MediaTel Group’s ‘Future of National Newspapers’ seminar re-enforces the scale of the task ahead for the newspaper business model, says our weekly columnist Raymond Snoddy… Careless users of PowerPoint presentations are far more effective in curing insomnia than endless numbers of sheep. But just occasionally a well targeted chart or table can… Continue reading Will the pay model really work for newspapers online…?

Our weekly columnist Raymond Snoddy wonders why Phorm, the “marketing Holy Grail”, is being drummed out of town on privacy issues, when “half the population is voluntarily surrendering any conventional idea of privacy on a succession of social networking sites”… A first acquaintance with Phorm, the online advertising group, would leave most people very impressed indeed.… Continue reading Phorm … what’s the issue?

Our weekly columnist Raymond Snoddy attends a London Business School conference on the future of on-demand television, where “the evidence is starting to pile up in support of evolutionary, rather than revolutionary changes to viewing behaviour”… Paddy Barwise takes no prisoners when denouncing “the digerati” – those who insist on predicting the death of conventional, or… Continue reading Linear TV still going strong

Our weekly columnist Raymond Snoddy praises an ethnographic study into what people actually do with PVRs. There are caveats, but he believes this “has punctured futuristic nonsense with observation, facts and sound judgement”… There are few greater pleasures than coming across a piece of research that confirms all your own instincts and at the same time… Continue reading PVRs will NOT spell the death of advertising funded television?

Our weekly columnist Raymond Snoddy witnessed the UK TV industry getting together yesterday… but only in the sense of being in the same room. “It was just like the good old days with terrestrial broadcasters attacking each other and Sky attacking everyone in sight. There was not a partnership to be seen.” It was once said… Continue reading Broadcasting partnerships… a new dawn?

After ESPN won the rights to show live Premier League football next season, our weekly columnist Raymond Snoddy says “Post 2013 Murdoch should watch his back. ESPN is no Mickey Mouse company”. Lynne Franks, ESPN’s managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has finally done it. The charming American with an uncertain grasp, at… Continue reading Raymond Snoddy greets ESPN’s entry into the pay-TV football market

Raymond Snoddy sees Channel 4 as the big loser from yesterday’s Digital Britain report with “hard choices largely ducked”.“Helpfully the Government added in a very odd phrase indeed that perhaps Channel 4 was ‘too-television centric’. Many people will think that is because it is a television company…”Thank God for the 50p broadband tax on telephone… Continue reading Raymond Snoddy is disappointed with the Digital Britain report