The BBC has announced details of a new channel that will form part of its digital television service when it launches next year.BBC Inform is intended to enable viewers to keep up-to date with major dramas; it will also include background programme information on actors and issues that occur in programme plots, such as drug-abuse.… Continue reading New Channel For BBC
The Independent has launched its stand-alone media section today. A review will appear on Newsline.Channel 5 is launching its long-awaited programme schedule on Tuesday; a full report will be available on Wednesday’s Newsline.Wednesday will also see the release of WPP’s full-year results. Analysts are forecasting pre-tax profits of around £150 million, up £113 million year-on-year.It… Continue reading The Week Ahead
The long-standing tight state control over Austria’s television and radio broadcasting appears to be headed for the scrap-heap, following the publication on 19 February of a draft law on radio, cable and satellite broadcasting. Austria has two state-owned terrestrial TV channels, ORF1 and ORF2. Competing cable and satellite broadcasters based in Germany broadcast into Austria,… Continue reading OS: Legislative Threat To State Monopoly
The EC is proposing to look into the vast differences in the vitamin and vitamin or mineral-enriched food industry across the EU, by publishing a discussion paper in April on the subject. There are several issues at stake, not least barriers to free trade being used to prevent imports from countries with more liberal regimes… Continue reading EU: Vitamin Industry To Be Studied
On 10 February at the federal court in Greensboro the first stage of what promises to be a lengthy and expensive litigation took place, when representatives of the tobacco industry asked judge William Osteen to rule that the Food and Drug Administration has neither authority nor jurisdiction to regulate cigarette sales and marketing, and to… Continue reading US: FDA Vs Tobacco Companies
In March the EC plans to publish guidelines for the pan-EU labelling of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), with the aim of obtaining consistency in the Single Market. This is in advance of the publication of a Draft Directive on this issue, expected in June 1997.
Overall in 1996 ITV revenue was up 4.9% year on year from £1.578bn to £1.656bn while C4 did better with a growth of 10% to nearly £489m. Total combined revenue for the year came in at £2.145bn, which is a year on year growth of 6.1%.On average, ABC1 Adults showed the greatest rise in CPT,… Continue reading TV Round-Up – 1996
David Dingwall, Canada’s minister of health, is reportedly prepared to consider diluting the provisions concerning sponsorship in the draft legislation currently going through parliament. The threatens seriously to curtail tobacco advertising and sponsorship, and thus may provoke the cancellation of tobacco-sponsored sporting events. The Institute of Canadian Advertising, a trade association, has formed the Coalition… Continue reading CAN: Sponsorship Issues Re-Considered
The Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT) has said that it firmly opposes the notion of establishing lists of major sporting events in order to prevent pay-TV from exerting exclusive rights over broadcasting such events. This comes in the context of the Commission’s new proposals (the “Oreja Plan”) on sports rights (see AIG-Notices 8).ACT… Continue reading EU: ACT Rejects EC Proposal On Pay-TV
