Continuity Booth - Television News and Nostalgia » TV Channels

BSkyB under pressure over movie pricing

Alan — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:11:27 +0000

The UK.’s Competition Commission has recently proposed that British Sky Broadcasting has too much control over paid for films on television and should be broken up. BSkyB have said that the new entrants to the market from companies like Amazon and Netflix have meant that there is no need for such action.

Earlier in the year the Competition Commission concluded that BSkyB was making excessive profits because they had a control over new Hollywood films being shown on television.

BSkyB has recently commented, “The findings of the Competition Commission are flawed and they have not gathered enough evidence to show that we have a control over the market. Distributors from the Internet have meant that there is now much more competition in the market and no need for the competition authorities to alter our business practices.”

The Competition Commission has said that BSkyB is able to sign a contract with all major film studios at the same time so that only they can broadcast films initially. However, BSkyB has argued that Internet providers have enough money to be competitive with them in the bidding process. They specifically state that in the United States Netflix has already managed to secure deals with the films studios MGM and Lionsgate.

BSkyB is also competing in the Internet arena as customers with their new set-top box are able to stream movies directly to their television from the Internet. Virgin Media, a major competitor to BskyB, has welcomed the findings by the competition authorities and said that the breakup of the dominance of BSkyB in the paid for film market will bring fairer prices to consumers. The Competition Commission has been investigating alternative remedies as well.

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Oxford to have first local TV station

Alan — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 23:31:39 +0000

Thanks to government plans that were recently announced, it looks as it Oxford is to get another television station. The city is one of 65 locations in the UK that the TV regulator OFCOM could award a licence to, and it will also cover the Abingdon and Didcot areas. An invite will be send out for bids later in 2011 and ministers expect to award a maximum of 20 licences next year with the new channels set to start in 2013. More are expected to be awarded in the future.

Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, says that these new and local TV services will fundamentally change how viewers gain information about their own community, and a way of holding their representatives to account. He added that local communities had a huge appetite as far as local news and information was concerned, and that was the same right across the country.

The aim of the scheme to get people to watch programmes on their television that is relevant to them, and the licence will be awarded to those that the Government consider to have highest level of interest both from the audience and potential broadcasters. One of the main questions they are asking is audiences is why they think that their town or city should be one of the first to be selected to submit a bid for a local TV licence.

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Jeremy Hunt wants small local TV stations

Alan — Fri, 13 May 2011 07:25:16 +0000

In January this year, culture secretary Jeremy Hunt announced his idea for creating a national TV network that would “kick-start” small local TV stations by supporting them when they first begin operating. He invited response from potential participants, and quite a few showed an interest. The idea basically involved licensing a national ‘spine’ with local networks licensed under it.

More than 50 groups interested in running the national network submitted proposals, including Channel 6, Tinopolis and the Scottish Television Network, and they were expecting licensing to begin in June, with local licensing beginning in 2012. However, the plan is now on hold, and it may not materialize at all.

Hunt is re-thinking his proposal due to the feedback he’s been getting from several directions. One problem is concern on the part of local broadcasters that a national ad-funded network will end up controlling the airwaves with its own priorities. The culture secretary said that following a tour of the country’s broadcast networks, he got the impression that most of them just wanted help to “do their own thing”.

Another sticking point is the difficulty in persuading entities like Sky, Freeview and Virgin to allocate slot 106 on their electronic programme guides to the new network. In addition to that is the cost of guaranteeing the national spectrum that would be required. The DCMS said it was considering the options and expects to publish amended proposals later this summer. At this point it looks like any potential national operator will have to wait at least until local licensing is established.

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BSkyB undisputed TV kings

Alan — Mon, 02 May 2011 21:45:58 +0000

Good financial reports for BSkyB are nothing new and do not really count for news after all they have been that way for quite a while. But a little closer look tells you that these are not just headline level good. There was an increase in customer levels for all sectors of the business with the broadcaster set to overpass the £1bn level for annual profits.

The numbers also indicate a diversified business that includes great range and depth and an ever increasing capacity to compete anywhere in the ever converging telecoms and TV marketplace.

Even though the product sales growth may slow in pay TV it is logical since they are nearing their 10 millionth subscriber number even during these most difficult of economic times. And those numbers are offset by the rising ones for the broad band subscribers which are up over 50% over the same quarter last year.

Competitors are looking at BSkyB with mounting worry and concern that the position they have built for themselves may not ever be assailable. Sky has become the dominant force in pay TV due to large investments in services, platform development and premium content. Different from some 10 years ago, Pay TV is a key driver in Britain’s digital future. It has revenues that can pay for the development of it.

For example the triple play where there is TV, broadband and telephone all wrapped in the same package creating a key measure of their business success. And with over 25% of their customers choosing just that option it is not hard to guess who is currently winning this war.

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William and Kate: The Movie set for Channel 5

Alan — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 07:44:37 +0000

Despite the fact that many locals have scoffed at an American made depiction of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s 9 year relationship, from the time they met at St. Andrews university to their engagement, Channel 5 has issued a statement that they have bought the file, William and Kate: The Movie and will broadcast it locally before the Royal Wedding which is to be held on the 29^th of April.

Channel 5’s Katie Keenan has said that the story is one that has attracted worldwide interest and attention and, as a result, Channel 5 are proud that they will be able to show the movie locally.

Starring Briton, Camilla Luddington as the soon to be princess and New Zealander Nico Evers-Swindell as Prince William, William and Kate buck the trend of the public perception of the couple and is not afraid to court a bit of controversy. The couple is shown in bed together and the sad times are represented alongside the happy.

Although many critics of the film suggest that the makers have blurred the line between reality and fiction a bit too much, Laura Waddell, the Briton who also acts in the film as Middleton’s boss has come out defending the film suggesting that it should rather be viewed as a fictional love story inspired by the royal courtship. Whilst she understands the public sentiment she suggests that the movie should be judged on its own merits.

With Waddell’s endorsement aside, the movie has been heavily criticised by viewers who watched it when it was aired on the American channel, Lifetime, the television network responsible for making the file. However, the film does try to depict the personal lives of the royal couple and it has been suggested that the film speaks to romantics and will become a favourite if given the opportunity.

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ITV big winner in advertising revenue

Alan — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 06:27:54 +0000

ITV enjoyed a surge in pre-tax profits last year to £321 million, almost 3 times that of the previous year, thanks partly to major events like the World Cup, where traditionally there is always a big increase in spending from advertisers.

The broadcaster’s total revenue for last year was £2.06 billion, and its advertising revenues were up by over sixteen percent, thanks to the continued popularity of shows including the X-Factor. Turnover for broadcasting, including online, was £1.77 billion, up 14%, as pre-tax profits were up to £327 million from £111 million.

However, for ITV Studios, ITV’s production company, turnover was down by over twelve percent to £293m, with profits of £81 million. ITV is seeking to remedy this over a 5 year period, through acquisitions of other production companies and facilities, such as All3Media.

Shareholders will benefit from all of this, as shares have risen to 88p, up 2.6p. ITV said that the good overall performance has continued at the start of this year, however, from the second quarter onwards, advertising revenues may struggle compared to last year, which had the World Cup. Overall revenues at Easter are expected to be boosted by the Royal Wedding, amongst other things.

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Product placement in TV shows rules set out

Alan — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 07:53:00 +0000

Product placement, as it exists in advertising, simply means that the one who wishes to advertise a product pays to have that product seen, heard or otherwise observed as part of a film or TV show, without any overt mention of the product. An example would be having actors in a film drinking Pepsi, with the brand name clearly identifiable. It’s just a more subtle form of advertising than the standard commercial.

It is also a source of revenue for commercial broadcasters, and for the first time, beginning in February 2011, product placement will be allowed on British television. The media regulator Ofcom has announced that this type of advertising will be allowed in sports and entertainment programmes and in films and TV series, as long as the product is not displayed too prominently or completely out of context with the subject of the programme.

Other provisions in the guideline include the presence of an on-screen logo that must appear for a minimum of three seconds at the start and end of the programme to let viewers know that they’re going to see or have already seen product placement in the show they’re watching.

Product placement will still be banned in children’s programmes, religious shows, news shows and programmes about current affairs that are produced in the U.K. Alcohol, tobacco, medicines, baby milk and ‘junk food’, defined as food that is very high in fat, sugar or salt content, are all forbidden a place in product placement.

According to the product placement company MirriAd, the U.K. ought to be able to double the size of its product placement revenue, bringing it up to 5% of the total TV advertising market, or about £150 million.

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BBC says no more nasty comedy

Alan — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 02:12:42 +0000

The BBC is not going to let its entertainers use intrusive, derogatory, or insulting remarks against people on air. The decision follows a review of the actions of Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand who made calls to Andrew Sachs, former Fawlty Towers actor, to get second-rate laughs.

The incident sparked protest at the time it occurred, back in 2008. The new rules will be put in place to prevent real people from becoming targets. It is not supposed to preclude comedy about members of the public but reduce “attack” comedy and tone it down so that it is proportionate to the person or celebrity.

The BBC Trust says that while it recognizes the BBC’s need to be edgy and original, it must also be fair and impartial. The BBC, it says, should not offer broad offence, and the public has an expectation that it will always conduct itself by the highest standards.

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Big three phone companies test mobile TV

Alan — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 02:00:42 +0000

Vodafone, O2, and Orange have teamed up together in order to test out a TV broadcast service that would let mobile phone users across the UK watch television channels on their mobiles.

The three leading companies in the UK have the bulk of the control in the UK mobile industry, and are testing out technology that would allow them to broadcast TV across the 3G mobile spectrum. In order to do this, they have teamed up with Streamezzo, Ericsson, and IPWireless on a three month trial of IMB technology in Slough and West London.

Currently, each of these UK mobile phone companies offer mobile TV services on their 3G networks, but there is a great deal of congestion across the networks if more than a few customers use the service within the same general location. The new IMB technology however can utilize airwaves from the 3G spectrum so that lines remain uncongested.

The spectrum is great for television broadcasting since it is not able to receive and send signals, which means it does not to interfere with mobile phone calls. Plus, since it is already a part of the spectrum that already exists, it is easy to bill customers for the use, which is available across 60 countries from 150 different operators.

The trial which begins this coming October, is the second attempt at the technology, which Orange and T-Mobile tested out in 2008.

Head of technology research and development at the Vodafone Group, Luke Ibbestson, stated that with the growth of data traffic across 3G networks and the increase in support of broadcast technology across the mobile industry the time has never been better to push the IMB initiative.

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HDTV sales booming

Alan — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 03:35:08 +0000

According to the watchdog Ofcom, more UK viewers are continuing to upgrade to high definition television service.

In the new Digital Progress Report published by the media regulator, sales of HD television sets in the UK reached over 23m by the close of 2009.

Additionally, during the last three months of 2009 around 3.3m television sets were purchased, out of which, 70% were HD models.

During the last quarter of 2009, Sky reported that they gained an additional 482,000 HD subscribers, which is the largest growth rate per quarter yet for HD service growth numbers. In fact, at the moment HD service captures about 21% of Sky’s customer base which is up from a much smaller 8.4% at the close of 2008.

Virgin Media also reported seeing a boost in its subscriptions for its V+HD service reportedly adding another 112,700 during the same last three months of 2009 which jumped the total HD customer base of the firm to 862,000 making HD 23% of their total customer base from a mere 14% at the end of 2008.

Virgin may see its numbers launch even higher after the new V HD Box launches which will allow users to access the entire HD line-up without paying any more on their monthly tariffs.

Over the course of 2010 HD take-up is expected to continue to grow as Freeview HD grows with an official launch of the product last month. Freeview HD at the moment offers viewers Channel 4 GD, ITV1 HD, and BBC GD and is on its way to reaching at least half of all UK homes by the time the June World Cup football tournament roles around.

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