BSkyB is planning to offer a slashed rate cable company ratecard in an attempt to encourage operators to buy more of its premium packages.Elizabeth Murdoch, managing director of Sky Networks, made the announcement at the European Cable Communications Conference this week. The Office Of Fair Trading is in the process of considering the new rate-card,… Continue reading Sky To Cooperate With Cable Companies
Gerald Kaufman, the chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, yesterday attacked ITV executives by claiming that plans to move the News At Ten are based on a ‘hope or hunch’ that it may yield more viewers.This criticism furthers Kaufman’s public opposition to ITV’s planned schedule re-shake (see ITV’s News At Ten Move… Continue reading News At Ten Move ‘Based On Hunch’, Says MP
In an attempt to make news ‘more attractive in the age of digital television and the internet’, news agency Reuters has developed an on-demand news service called NewsBreaker. The multi-media product has been designed specifically to work in a digital TV (DTV) and internet environment, making use of their interactive capabilities.Users will be able to… Continue reading Reuters Offers News-On-Demand To Digital TV
Politicians and other well-known public figures are to present Powerhouse, Channel 4’s new weekday political programme. The list of presenters includes Virginia Bottomley MP, Liz Forgan and (Lord) Roy Hattersley when the show returns next week.Powerhouse is broadcast every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 11:30am, and is made for Channel 4 by ITN. The presenter will… Continue reading Politicians To Run Powerhouse
Cabal Communications has defended its just-launched lads’ mag, front, following reports that Nationwide Building Society had decided to drop out of the advertising schedule. It is understood that Nationwide thought that there was too high a sexual element running through the title.Cabal says that discussions with the building society were only at a preliminary stage… Continue reading Cabal Defends Front As Nationwide Pulls Advertising
BBC1’s decision to screen the film Seven as a spoiler against ITV’s Reckless, has ended with both programmes failing to attract more than 9 million viewers. Seven, which starred Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and a headless Gwyneth Paltrow, was watched by 8.7 million viewers. Over on ITV the conclusion of Reckless attracted 9 million people.Channel… Continue reading TV Viewing Summary W/E 11/10/98
Manchester United has hit back at the group of shareholders calling on City institutions to reject BSkyB’s offer for the football club. The media giant made the bid back in August, offering £625 million for the club (see Newsline)Campaigning group Shareholders United Against Murdoch (SUAM) urged investors to hold on to their shares as they… Continue reading BSkyB And Manchester United Create Controversy
Dennis Publishing’s Maxim has poached Chris Maillard, managing editor at Top Gear, to become the magazine’s new editor. Maillard will join next month, and fills the space left by previous editor, Nigel Ambrose, who left recently for ‘personal reasons’.In the latest set of consumer magazine ABCs, Maxim reported the strongest relative growth in the men’s… Continue reading Top Gear Editor Moves To Maxim
Commercial radio is claiming to have hit its highest ever hours per listener for the summer period, up to 15.1 in these RAJAR figures. Radio listening as a whole, was also up for this quarter by 4%.In the local commercial market London’s Capital 95.8 has turned in strong results with its market-leading share of listening… Continue reading Q3 RAJAR – Local Commercial Stations
The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that Talk Radio is to be subjected to pre-vetting of all its advertisements after the radio group ran an ad featuring a woman’s naked backside stamped with a bar code.Following new sanctions introduced in June this year (see Newsline), the Committee of Advertising Practice will now pre-vet all subsequent… Continue reading Talk Radio Gets A Slap On The Bum By The ASA
