Channel 4’s board is to consider whether to mount a formal campaign for independence from ITV to avoid paying the safety net subsidies. In February Channel 4 handed over £38.2m to the ITV companies and it could end up paying £200m to ITV over the ten years of its licence.A final decision on the exact… Continue reading Channel 4 Seeks Independence
The creation of one of the world’s largest multimedia companies was looking possible after a General Motors subsidiary, Electronic Data Services, said it was having talks about a $30 billion merger with the US telecommunications group Sprint. A joint statement from the two companies said that they saw great opportunities for synergy by a either… Continue reading Multimedia Merger
Technicians and Journalists at the BBC are to stage a series of strikes from next week, in a dispute over pay and conditions. Staff will stage a 24-hour strike on Tuesday and Friday of next week, and two days will be targetted each week until the dispute is settled.The two unions involved, the National Union… Continue reading BBC Unions Announce Strike
The trade and technology minister, Patrick McLoughlin, has made it clear that the government will not ban “lookalike” products. After consultations on the issue, he rejected pressure from manufacturers to amend the Trademarks Bill to crack down on goods that resemble well-known brands.Mr McLoughlin said the Goverment agreed with the “overwhelming majority”of views received that… Continue reading No Ban On Lookalikes
Rupert Murdoch is planning to launch on-line consumer services later in the year. National newspapers; The Times, Sunday Times and Today would be on-line as well as other information and services…
The IPA has relaunched its Media Appraisals Committee as the Media Research Quality Committee, “to reflect the changing trading conditions of the 1990s.”In the future, an IPA Seal of Approval will be awarded to surveys that meet the IPA’s minimum technical standards; the IPA hopes to establish an easily identifiable quality benchmark for media planners… Continue reading IPA Revamps Media Appraisals Committee
The Department of Trade and Industry has issued a consultation document on whether copyright protection should be extended to programme formats. A programme format comprises “the common unifying features” of a game show or comedy.Back in 1989 it was decided that the unifying features of Opportunity Knocks, which had been copied by the New Zealand… Continue reading Copyright May Be Extended To Programme Formats
According to a report in the Sunday Times this week, the Guardian Media Group is considering merging the troubled Observer paper with the Independent on Sunday. Losses at the Observer are running at an estimated £1m a month. Tentative discussions have taken place with Mirror Group Newspapers.TECHNOLOGY SUPPLEMENT FOR GUARDIANThis Thursday the Guardian is to… Continue reading Observer/IoS Merger?
The Department of Trade and Industry has been examining how the government should deal with the issue of supermarket lookalike products. It has been asking brand manufacturers if they believe protection for brand names against lookalikes should be included as an amendment to the trademarks bill or whether new legislation on fair trading would be… Continue reading Guidelines For Brand Lookalikes
According to the latest GfK Satellite Monitor, for March 1994, satellite dish ownership as at 26 March was 2.565 million dishes, which is an increase of 41,000 dishes on the previous month. However, the age profile of those acquiring dishes is getting older, whereas the age profile of those deinstalling satellite equipment is strongly biased… Continue reading Satellite Owners Getting Older
