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Current radio regulations are a barrier to the development of commercial digital radio, according to UTV Media’s response to Lord Carter’s Digital Britain report.UTV said that as well as obstacles highlighted by the government such as DAB coverage, receiver and in-car take-up issues, it would “add a fourth: an overly rigid legislative and regulatory environment”.It… Continue reading UTV recommends relaxation of radio rules

Setanta has agreed to sell highlights of this Saturday’s Holland v Scotland World Cup qualifier to the BBC for a “reasonable six-figure sum”.BBC Scotland will be able to produce a highlights programme from the game in Amsterdam next weekend and will also be able to show highlights of Scotland’s visit to Norway in August as… Continue reading Setanta sells football highlights to BBC

A US-based teen-only social network is set to launch in the UK, according to reports.Yoursphere.co.uk will run on a subscription model, which will enable it remain free of direct advertising, although the network is currently looking at potential partnerships with brands to support youth programmes.The site has been developed to operate within measures outlined by… Continue reading New social network to launch in UK

UKTV is continuing the rebrand of its channel portfolio, with UKTV Style relaunching as Home and UKTV Gardens becoming Really.Home will target 35-54 year olds, with shows such as DIY SOS and Escape to the Country, while Really will be skewed towards 18-35 year-old females and offer shows including Mary Queen of Shops and The… Continue reading UKTV to launch Home and Really channels in Q2

Last week, reports suggested that NBC Universal and News Corp’s US Online TV platform Hulu was about to launch in the UK – an established model that works and could hit the ground running would surely benefit the UK market, wouldn’t it?The two US-based broadcasting giants are keen to monetise the UK’s VoD space, and… Continue reading Should Hulu launch in the UK?

Dancing on Ice – The Final pulled in more than 11.5 million peak viewers last night, securing ITV1 with the highest ratings all weekend.Over 10.8 million average viewers tuned in to see the last three celebrities – Ray, Jessica and Donal – battle it out for this year’s trophy – securing ITV1 with an impressive… Continue reading The final Dancing on Ice pulls in over 11.5 million viewers

The BBC could launch an online radio player open to all broadcast radio providers within the year.According to reports, under the preliminary proposals – which would have to be approved by the BBC Trust – commercial stations such as Capital Radio or Heart FM would available on one hub, similar to the BBC’s iPlayer.Tim Davie,… Continue reading BBC could launch online player for UK radio stations

Global Radio is set to complete the second phase of its national Heart roll-out venture today by launching 12 new stations across the south-west region.The new additions, which will be on-air in Bristol, Bath, Wiltshire, Oxford, Reading, Plymouth, North Devon, South Hams, Exeter, Somerset, Torbay and Gloucester today, will join the nine Heart stations that… Continue reading Heart launches 12 new stations

The Sci Fi Channel has acquired the rights to the remake of classic series Knight Rider for its Spring schedule.It has also acquired Dollhouse, the new series from Buffy: The Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon.Jon Farrar, programming director for NBC Universal Global Networks (UK), said: “We’re dedicated to offering our audience the most exciting content… Continue reading Sci Fi Channel acquires US TV dramas

BSkyB has been cleared to make another appeal against the Competition Commission’s ruling that it reduce its 17.9% stake in ITV to below 7.5%.The satellite broadcaster was originally told to cut its stake in ITV in January 2008 when business secretary John Hutton accepted the commission’s recommendation (see Sky Told To Reduce ITV Stake To… Continue reading BSkyB cleared to appeal against ITV stake sell-off