Advanced Television: EFL seeks broadcast rights bids

Story from Advanced Television:

The EFL, which runs the three football leagues below the Premier League, has issued an Invitation to Tender (ITT) for interested parties in respect of its broadcast rights from season 2024/25 onwards, with speculation suggesting that they are set to double in value to over £200 million a season.

Radio Today: Strike action coming to Local BBC Radio following official ballot

Story from Radio Today:

NUJ members working for BBC England have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.

Advanced Television: ITVX adding StudioCanal Presents

Story from Advanced Television:

ITV has announced a partnership with StudioCanal to carry its StudioCanal Presents service, which will bolster ITVX Premium, the streamer’s subscription tier, giving ITVX subscribers access to hundreds of titles from StudioCanal’s catalogue.

Media Guardian: BBC to suspend licence fee for King Charles coronation ceremony

Story from Media Guardian:

The BBC is to suspend the licence fee as part of a one-off dispensation for the king’s coronation weekend.

Broadband TV News: Young people now prefer to watch TV with the subtitles on

Story from Broadband TV News:

Close to three in ten Britons (28%) watch TV or films with the subtitles on – even when the content is in their own language.

Broadband TV News: Sky News restructures senior roles

Story from Broadband TV News:

Sky News has announced changes to its leadership structure following the December announcement that John Ryley is stepping down as Head of Sky News after 17 years in charge.

Media Guardian: Ken Bruce says BBC has hastened his Radio 2 exit

Story from Media Guardian:

Ken Bruce has suggested he has been forced to leave the BBC earlier than he intended with his final Radio 2 show scheduled for next week rather than at the end of March.

Daily Mail: DAZN prepare to rival Sky, BT and Amazon for Premier League TV rights

Story from Daily Mail:

There could be another broadcaster for English football fans to subscribe to after DAZN confirmed securing rights to Premier League football is a 'high-priority' for the company.

Media Guardian: Vernon Kay confirmed as new host of Ken Bruce’s BBC Radio 2 slot

Story from Media Guardian:

Vernon Kay is returning to the BBC to replace Ken Bruce on his Radio 2 mid-morning weekday show, the broadcaster has confirmed.

Deadline: ‘Walking Dead’ Star Steven Ogg Boards BBC ‘Boiling Point’ Sequel

Story from Deadline:

The BBC’s small screen Boiling Point sequel has found a sous chef.

Deadline; “It’s Clear That Richard Sharp Has Lost The Dressing Room”: BBC Chair Urged To Quit By Vast Majority Of Respondents To NUJ-Organized Staff Survey

Story from Deadline:

BBC Chair Richard Sharp has been urged to resign by almost all the plus-1,000 respondents to an National Union of Journalists (NUJ) -organized survey at the corporation as pressure ramps up following the Boris Johnson loan scandal.

Advanced Television: Watson appointed CCO at DAZN

Story from Advanced Television:

Following DAZN Group’s announcement that it has completed the acquisition of Eleven Group businesses and US-headquartered social media creative agency Team Whistle, Marc Watson has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer.

Broadband TV News: Virgin Media O2 announces plans for new multi-million-pound London offices

Story from Broadband TV News:

Virgin Media O2 is to close its two main sites in Hammersmith and Slough in favour of a new state-of-the-art UK headquarters in Paddington Central.

Media Guardian: Eurosport and BT Sport will disappear after TNT Sports rebrand

Story from Media Guardian:

Eurosport is to disappear from UK television after more than three decades after the new pay-TV home of sports including Premier League, Champions League and Olympics rebrands as TNT Sports.

Media Guardian: Ofcom writes to Sky and ITV after complaints by Nicola Bulley’s family

Story from Media Guardian:

Ofcom has contacted Sky and ITV about complaints made by the family of Nicola Bulley that the broadcasters intruded on their grief when they had asked for privacy after her body was found.

Hollywood Reporter: TNT Sports to Launch in U.K., Ireland as Warner Bros. Discovery, BT Joint Venture Sets Rebrand

Story from Hollywood Reporter:

The U.K. and Ireland sports joint venture of Warner Bros. Discovery and telecom giant BT Group has unveiled TNT Sports as the name for the premium sports brand that it will launch later this year to bring together the partners’ collection of sports rights under one service.

Deadline: BBC News Review Says Journalists’ “Lack Of Understanding Of Basic Economics” Brings “High Risk To Impartiality”

Story from Deadline:

BBC News’ journalists failure to understand “basic economics” is bringing a “high risk to impartiality,” according to a BBC-commissioned report.

Deadline: BBC Promotes ‘Tonight With Target’ Commissioner Yasemin Rashit To BBC One Portfolio Editor While Reviewing iPlayer & Channels

Story from Deadline:

The BBC has promoted Tonight with Target commissioner Yasemin Rashit to temporarily take on the BBC One Portfolio Editor role while it “continues to review the best shape of the iPlayer and channels team.”

Deadline: BBC News Says Presenters Can Relax Formal Dress Code As “Sweaty & Dirty” Look Is More Trustworthy

Story from Deadline:

BBC News presenters have been told that they can relax their formal dress code in the pursuit of more authentic reporting as the broadcaster seeks to reinvent its 24-hour news channel.

Naja Nielsen, BBC News’ Director of Digital, told staff last week that the more rugged “sweaty and dirty” look certain journalists adopt when away from the studio can be more trustworthy.

Nielsen was speaking as the BBC steps up plans to merge BBC World News with its domestic news channel in an effort to cut costs and make its rolling news output more appealing to online audiences. Managers argue it is a chance to create the best news channel in the world.

Nielsen told a wide group of journalists: “It’s a bit like, be as sweaty and dirty as when we’re in the field is actually more trustworthy than if we look like we’ve just stepped out of an awards ceremony or a fine dinner party.”

Some presenters took this as a signal to ditch suits and dresses. One source said dress code changes were already happening on screen, pointing to weather presenter Tomasz Schafernaker wearing a jacket and T-shirt on at least one occasion. Other insiders said Nielsen’s comments were simply her expressing a desire for increased authenticity.

Her ambition is to encourage more smartphone camera reporting from journalists as the channel seeks to engage the TikTok generation. She told journalists that her mother is impressed by studio presentation, but her children are less so.

The relaunched channel will feature more links hosted from the heart of the newsroom and, as one insider put it, “presenters standing in front of giant iPads to show how we verify footage.”

The BBC News channel will have a team of eight journalists who will serve as both correspondents and studio presenters. Recruitment is underway for the roles.

Deadline revealed earlier this month that 10 of the BBC’s most seasoned anchors face an uncertain future after being told they will not be Chief Presenters on the channel.

Martine Croxall, Ben Brown, and Annita McVeigh were among those who were not successful. The channel’s lineup will comprise: Matthew Amroliwala, Yalda Hakim, Christian Fraser, Lucy Hockings, and Maryam Moshiri. They will earn as much as £230,000 ($276,000).

• The BBC hopes to launch the new channel on April 3, though insiders said changes will be phased in over an unspecified period of time. Pilots are underway, with a dry run of the new schedule taking place on March 6.

One senior source said: “The single channel operation will be a phased launch over months, with different elements being introduced over time. No-one should get hung up on April or expect to see everything change at once.”

Paul Royall, the BBC’s acting Editor of news channels, said he has high hopes for the relaunched service. “My aim, my objective is that we will have the best global news channel in the world,” he told staff.

The channel will carry more international news, but will split up for big UK news, so that domestic audiences will receive bespoke output. It will be anchored from London during UK daytime and evening, and from Washington D.C. and Singapore overnight.

One source said that the BBC is yet to get its technical setup in Washington right and that people on the ground think the operation is a “shambles.”

There remains a great deal of anger about the treatment of presenters with decades of experience. “People are furious about it,” said one insider. “Producers think the presenters have been treated brutally.”

© 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC.

 

Deadline: Sports Streamer DAZN Completes Takeover Of Eleven Group And Social Media Agency Team Whistle

Story from Deadline:

DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of Eleven Group and social media creative agency Team Whistle.

Daily Mail: BT Sport will CHANGE its name after £650m Eurosport merger with Premier League games to be shown on a new channel from next season... but it's unclear how much fans will have to fork out for a new subscription

Story from Daily Mail: 

Premier League matches will be broadcast on a new channel for the first time in 10 years next season with BT Sport to change its name following last year’s merger with Eurosport.

Broadband TV News: Quarterly fall in UK SVOD take-up

Story from Broadband TV News:

Newly released data from Barb’s Establishment Survey shows 19.42 million UK homes (67.7% of households) had access to a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service in Q4 2022. This represents a decrease of -0.6% decrease from 19.54 million in Q3 2022.

Sky News: Virgin Media O2 dials up £100m bid for altnet rival Trooli

Story from Sky News:

Virgin Media O2 and its shareholders are exploring a takeover bid for Trooli, one of the UK's army of 'altnet' fibre broadband companies.

Daily Mail: DAZN prepare to rival Sky, BT and Amazon for Premier League TV rights

Story from Daily Mail:

There could be another broadcaster for English football fans to subscribe to after DAZN confirmed securing rights to Premier League football is a 'high-priority' for the company.

Deadline; BBC ‘Grenfell’ Drama: Peter Kosminsky Will Not Start Writing Scripts Until Inquiry Findings Are Made Public

Story from Deadline:

Peter Kosminsky will not start writing scripts for the BBC’s Grenfell drama until after the findings of the landmark inquiry into the national tragedy have been published, Deadline understands.

BBC News: Grenfell Tower fire tragedy to be turned into BBC TV drama

Story from BBC News:

The BBC is to make a TV drama telling the story of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Media Guardian: BBC chair Richard Sharp should ‘fall on his sword’, says Jonathan Dimbleby

Story from Guardian:

The broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby has said the BBC chair, Richard Sharp, should “fall on his sword” over criticism of him for helping Boris Johnson secure an £800,000 loan, saying the row was causing a “great deal of damage for the BBC”.

BBC News; BBC: What's been 'occurring' in Wales for 100 years

Story from BBC News:

It started with a sing-song as it so often does in Wales and part of its legacy is the phrase 'what's occurring?' and the world's most famous doctor.

BBC News; Richard Sharp: PM declines to say if he backs under-fire BBC chairman

Story from BBC News:

Rishi Sunak has declined to say whether he has confidence in the BBC chairman, saying he cannot speculate while an inquiry is held into his appointment.

Deadline: John Cleese “Won’t Be Doing As Much Physical Comedy” In ‘Fawlty Towers’ Reboot

Story from Deadline:

John Cleese may be planning to reboot his comedy classic Fawlty Towers, but the new version of the show won’t have all the elements familiar to the original show’s millions of fans.

Deadline: BBC Chairman Has “Undermined Trust In BBC” With His Role In Arranging Loan For UK PM Boris Johnson; Damning Report Published

Story from Deadline:

BBC chairman Richard Sharp undermined public trust in the BBC and more widely the public appointments system with his failure to reveal he had been involved in arranging a loan of £800,000 for then UK prime minister Boris Johnson, politicians have concluded in a damning report published today.

Media Guardian: Richard Sharp’s position as BBC chair ‘increasingly untenable’, says Labour

Story from Media Guardian:

Labour has said Richard Sharp’s position as chair of the BBC is “increasingly untenable” after a committee of MPs found he made significant errors of judgment in failing to disclose his role in organising an £800,000 loan facility for Boris Johnson.

Media Guardian: BBC chairman Richard Sharp ‘breached standards expected’ for job application

Story from Media Guardian:

Senior figures within the BBC believe its chairman, Richard Sharp, has seriously undermined the corporation’s impartiality after a damning parliamentary report accused him of failing to publicly divulge his role in facilitating a loan for Boris Johnson.

Media Guardian: Jewish group and MPs urge GB News to stop indulging conspiracy theories

Story from Media Guardian:

The UK’s leading Jewish organisation and a group of MPs have called on GB News and the media regulator Ofcom to tackle the broadcaster’s indulgence of conspiracy theories, warning that some recent segments and guests risked spreading ideas linked to antisemitism.

Sky Kids HD appeared on Virgin Media ahead of launch on Monday

Sky Kids HD has pre-launched on Sky and Virgin UK channel 707 with a barker loop promoting the official launch this coming Monday (13th February).

The Media Leader: New Culture Secretary, same old mistakes

Story from The Media Leader:

A split in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the 12th Culture Secretary in 13 years. What’s next?

Deadline: ‘Fawlty Towers’ Reboot In The Works With John Cleese, Camilla Cleese & Rob Reiner’s Castle Rock Entertainment

Story from Deadline:

Basil Fawlty is back. A reboot of John Cleese’s British comedy sensation Fawlty Towers is in the works and Rob Reiner’s Castle Rock Entertainment is developing.

Deadline: Paramount+ & Prime Video Strike International ‘Star Trek’ Deal

Story from Deadline:

Paramount and Prime Video have struck a Star Trek deal for the former’s international streamer outside Canada.

Deadline: Amazon’s Kelly Day Restructures Prime Video International

Story from Deadline:

Prime Video is restructuring its international business along regional lines in EMEA, APAC and the Americas.

Broadband TV News: GB News presenter told he’d have to ‘pay own Ofcom fines’

Story from Broadband TV News:

GB News presenter Mark Steyn has said he’s left the channel after being told he would be liable for any fine imposed on the station by Ofcom.

EXCLUSIVE: Is Paramount Global set to move some channels to Paramount+ by 2025

Media Boy UK Sources has told me that Paramount Global are set to move the following channels from Virgin and Sky to Paramount+ by 2025.

• MTV
• Comedy Central
• Nickleodeon 

No other channels were mentioned.

Variety: Discovery+ to Remain Standalone Streaming Platform While Still Combining With HBO Max

Story from Variety:

Warner Bros. Discovery has decided to keep Discovery+ as a standalone streaming offering and to proceed with launching the yet-to-be-named combined product of Discovery+ and HBO Max, Variety has confirmed.

BBC News; Richard Sharp: BBC chairman denies arranging loan for Boris Johnson

Story from BBC News:

BBC chairman Richard Sharp has denied that he helped arrange a loan for Boris Johnson when he was prime minister.

Deadline: BBC Apologizes For Captioning Viola Davis Grammys Image With “Beyoncé’s Big Night”

Story from Deadline:

The BBC has been forced to apologize after an image of Viola Davis from January’s Golden Globes was shown on its news channel with a headline identifying the Oscar winner as history-maker Beyoncé.

Deadline: ‘The Traitors’ U.S. Premiere Becomes Most-Watched BBC Three Show Since Linear Relaunch

Story from Deadline:

For the BBC, spooky mystery format The Traitors is the gift that keeps on giving.

Cable Forum: Sky Kids HD to launch on Virgin Media UK later this month

Virgin Media UK has started to test "Sky Kids HD" ahead of launch on February 13th.

Sky Kids HD is set to launch on Virgin UK Channel 707.

Sources: Cable Forum, Digital Spy Forum and epsilon.

Deadline; Channel 4: Inside The Doomed Sale Of A Crown Jewel Of British Television

Story from Deadline:

There was a moment in November when Channel 4’s senior executives breathed a sigh of relief.

BBC News: BBC News channel announces chief presenter line-up for revamp

Story from BBC News:

The BBC has announced its line-up of chief presenters for its revamped TV news channel.

Media Guardian: Why rumours of BBC Radio 2’s demise might be overstated

Story from Media Guardian:

Does losing half a million listeners mean BBC Radio 2 is in trouble?

Media Guardian: Jane Hill and Ben Brown among anchors axed as BBC merges news channels

Story from Media Guardian:

Some of the BBC News channel’s most famous faces, including Jane Hill, Ben Brown and Martine Croxall, have been axed before the launch this spring of a channel that combines international and domestic news.

Variety; Politicians Hosting TV Shows: U.K. Media Regulator Ofcom Clarifies Rules

Story from Variety:

Following a slew of serving U.K. politicians nabbing high-profile TV jobs, media regulator Ofcom has clarified the rules around such a career move.

Broadband TV News: Viaplay could bid for major UK sports rights

Story from Broadband TV News:

Although Viaplay has no plans to compete for major popular UK sports rights, it is something, according to EVP and CCO UK Matthew Hooper, it will not rule out in the future.

Media Guardian; The Guardian view on economics in the media: poorly communicated, poorly understood

Story from Media Guardian:

The statistical football of this week was lobbed all the way from Washington.

EXCLUSIVE: Virgin Media UK launches all THREE Sky Sports UHD Channels

Virgin Media UK has today launch the 3 Sky Sports UHD Channels on the following channel numbers:

• 532. Sky Sports Main Event UHD 
• 533. Sky Sports UHD 1 
• 534. Sky Sports UHD 2 

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