More Industry News articles

Rival talent contests Strictly Come Dancing and X Factor went head to head on Saturday, and although both saw respectably high audiences, the BBC’s ballroom-based finale secured a resounding victory over ITV’s singing showdown.Securing average adult viewers of 9.6 million, BBC One’s Strictly… was head and shoulders above X Factor, which drew 7.7 million viewers… Continue reading BBC’s Strictly Wipes The Dance Floor With X Factor

Digital TV provider Homechoice has announced a new one year content deal with Entertainment Rights to secure additional titles for it’s pre-school video on-demand kids channel, Scamp.The deal will see Entertainment Rights supply Homechoice with new titles such as Budgie the Little Helicopter and The Cubeez for use on its on-demand platform.The new deal also… Continue reading Homechoice Signs Kids Programmes For Christmas

Satellite giant BSkyB this morning announced subscribers of more than eight million, surpassing its targets to reach record levels of direct-to-home (DTH) customers.“Sky is achieving strong growth,” explained James Murdoch, Sky’s chief executive. “Nearly one in three homes and counting have chosen Sky and we are especially well placed to broaden Sky’s appeal as entertainment… Continue reading Sky Subscribers Pass Eight Million

British media regulator Ofcom has launched a consultation on product placement within UK television, gathering feedback from the industry on its possible introduction as an alternative revenue source for broadcasters.Product placement is currently prohibited under European regulations, although a draft revision published earlier this year proposed a liberalisation of the law.The new regulations could enable… Continue reading Ofcom Launches Product Placement Consultation

Regional newspaper publisher, Johnston Press, has announced plans to acquire the entire issued share capital of publishers of the Scotsman newspaper and www.scotsman.com, Scotsman Publications.The deal will see Johnston purchase the company for a cash consideration of £160 million, with the newspaper publisher claiming the acquisition will be “earnings enhanced” within the first year.Tim Bowdler,… Continue reading Johnston Buys Scotsman Publications For £160 Million

Cable giant Telewest will give all of its customers an early Christmas present this year, as it announces the completed roll out of Teleport, its new on-demand TV and film service.Launching in Yorkshire and west London today, Telewest has now completed its region-by-region launch, cementing its position as Britain’s largest on-demand TV provider.The broadcaster has… Continue reading Telewest Completes On-Demand TV Roll Out

DC Thompson, publisher of long-running comic The Beano, has acquired Puzzler Media Group for £85 million, bringing its portfolio of quiz, puzzle and trivia titles under its control. Founded in 1973 and with a staff of 50, Puzzler Media currently holds a 50% market share in the Puzzle sector, far outweighing its competitors. The publisher… Continue reading DC Thompson Snaps Up Puzzler Media

Sir Trevor McDonald’s modest sign-off from his last news bulletin drew a similarly modest audience last night, with an average of 2.9 million adults tuning in to see the veteran news reader say goodbye, marking the end of an era in television.The programme, airing at 10:30pm, notched up an audience share of just over 21%,… Continue reading Sir Trevor’s Modest Exit Brings Modest Viewers For ITV

2006 looks set to be the year of video on-demand, with market analysts pointing towards a deluge of new delivery technologies to make personalised, interactive video content a reality.Next year’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas will debut a raft of new products, say market analyst Parks Associates, with video services “a significant area… Continue reading 2006 To See On-Demand Technology Growth

DC Thompson, publisher of long-running comic The Beano, has acquired Puzzler Media Group for £85 million, bringing its portfolio of quiz, puzzle and trivia titles under its control.Founded in 1973 and with a staff of 50, Puzzler Media currently holds a 50% market share in the Puzzle sector, far outweighing its competitors. The publisher currently… Continue reading DC Thompson Snaps Up Puzzler Media