C21 Media: Sky axes Fantasy Football League

Story from C21 Media:

Sky in the UK has recommissioned the Rob Beckett- and Romesh Ranganathan- fronted Rob & Romesh Vs for a seventh season and ordered A League of their Own: The Rally.

Daily Mail: Channel 4 'spark axe fears by halting production on fan-favourite'

Story from Daily Mail:

Channel 4's bloodbath of axes appears to be rumbling on, as production has reportedly been halted on the fan-favourite show 24 Hours In A&E.

Media Guardian: Nigel Farage can host GB News show during election, says Ofcom

Story from Media Guardian:

Nigel Farage will be allowed to present his nightly GB News programme throughout the general election campaign, Ofcom has confirmed, after the media regulator said there was no clear consensus among the British public to stop politicians presenting shows on news channels.

Advanced Television: Premier Sports scores 2024 Copa América rights

Story from Advanced Television:

Premier Sports has secured the rights to broadcast the 2024 Copa América tournament being held in the US this summer.

Broadcast Sport; Podcast: England Netball explains its free-to-air and D2C rights deals

Story from Broadcast Sport:

The new deal includes matches streamed on iPlayer and BBC Sport as well as shown on Sky Sports.

Radio Today: Mike Graham moves to Breakfast as Vanessa Feltz leaves Talk Radio schedule

Story from Radio Today:

There’s another schedule shuffle at Talk Radio as Mike Graham moves to Breakfast as Vanessa Feltz leaves the station.

Deadline: “Big decisions” on public broadcasting to come

Story from Deadline:

Positing that she will “work constructively” to make sure it continues to operate, Debbonaire swung in behind the BBC, the nation’s 100-year-old pubcaster, which has had an up-and-down relationship with the ruling Conservatives over the past decade.

Deadline: Channel 4 Bows To Pressure & Commits To Making More Shows Outside England

Story from Deadline:

Channel 4 has bowed to pressure from producers and will slowly start making more shows outside of England, its boss Alex Mahon revealed today.

Talk TV HD to stop talking next week

News UK will close Talk TV HD on Virgin UK Channel 606 from May 1st at midnight (Early Wednesday).

Deadline: Ofcom Warns UK Broadcasters Over General Election Programing Following GB News Breaches

Story from Deadline:

Any British broadcaster who breaches general election programing rules will be hit with an Ofcom sanction, the regulator has said, a warning likely informed by a number of GB News breaches over the past year.

Deadline: Channel 4 Makes Final Greenlight Decision On Two Of Its Biggest Entertainment Launches Of 2023

Story from Deadline:

Channel 4 has delivered the verdict on which of its biggest 2023 entertainment launches have landed a second season.

Deadline: BBC Sparks Anger After Going Back To Drawing Board In Search For First Royal Editor

Story from Deadline:

BBC News’ search for its first royal editor has been blown wide open after the British broadcaster passed over two leading internal candidates.

Daily Mail: Huw Edwards racked up six-figure sums from speaking engagements

Story from Daily Mail:

Three BBC news presenters have racked up lucrative six figure incomes from their outside speaking engagements in the past three years, including Huw Edwards and Naga Munchetty.

Virgin Media UK remove BBC Radio 4 LW

After BBC merge BBC Radio 4 FM and BBC Radio 4 LW together on April 1st. 

Daily Mail: Huw Edwards resigns from the BBC on 'medical advice'

Story from Daily Mail:

Huw Edwards has today resigned from his £439,000-a-year job at the BBC because of 'medical advice' from his doctors, the corporation has revealed.

Advanced Television: Macquarie explores KCOM sale

Story from Advanced Television:

Macquarie, the Australian investment fund and former owner of Thames Water, is reportedly looking to sell KCOM, the Hull-based broadband provider amid growing competition from upstart networks.

Advanced Television: BBC invests £6m into BBC Bitesize

Story from Advanced Television:

BBC Children’s and Education has announced a £6 million investment into its online education platform, BBC Bitesize.

Deadline: Channel 4 Lands Prince Andrew Interviewer Emily Maitlis For General Election Coverage

Story from Deadline:

Channel 4 News has landed a major coup in booking Prince Andrew interviewer Emily Maitlis to head up its general election coverage.

Deadline: John Cleese’s Channel 4 Cancel Culture Show Has Been All But Canceled...

Story from Deadline:

John Cleese‘s Channel 4 show about cancel culture appears to be a dead parrot.

Advanced Television: PubMatic FAST ad partnership with Virgin Media

Story from Advanced Television:

PubMatic, an independent technology company delivering a digital advertising supply chain, has announced a partnership with Virgin Media to enable advertisers to reach UK audiences at scale through ad-funded TV content.

Deadline: BBC News Channel Presenters Take Legal Action Citing Age & Gender Discrimination

Story from Deadline:

Five senior female BBC News channel presenters have commenced legal action against the British broadcaster after a prolonged spell on the sidelines.

Deadline: Celebrity Version Of ‘The Traitors’ Set To Launch Next Year On The BBC

Story from Deadline:

Star traitors and faithfuls are set to face off on in the UK in a celebrity version of smash hit format The Traitors, which Deadline understands is set to launch on the BBC next year.

Deadline: Channel 4 Axes UK Version Of U.S. Survival Format ‘Alone’ After One Season

Story from Deadline:

Channel 4 has axed its splashy version of U.S. survival format Alone after one season.

Daily Express: BBC blasted for ‘reducing services for older people’

Story from Daily Express:

MPs have accused the BBC of reducing services for older people by moving budgets from local radio to regional online services.

Daily Express: Martin Lewis reacts as BBC host quits and show cuts half its staff after fans switch off

Story from Daily Express:

Martin Lewis reacted after Newsnight’s diplomatic editor Mark Urban announced he would leave the BBC amid cuts to the current affairs programme, saying he didn’t even apply for another job at the broadcaster.

Deadline: UK Government Backs New Scottish Film & TV Studio

Story from Deadline:

A new film and TV studio funded via a portion of a £24M government investment has become the latest to launch in the UK.

Deadline: BBC Blueprint To Move £700M Of Spending Out Of London Criticized By Audit Office For Lacking “Coherent Approach”

Story from Deadline:

The BBC‘s £700M out-of-London masterplan has been criticized for having an “incomplete” evaluation process and lacking a “coherent approach.”

Deadline: BBC Plans To Abolish Automatic Pay Rises For Top Earners, Including On-Screen Stars

Story from Deadline:

The BBC wants to overhaul how it awards salary rises to its highest-paid employees and presenters, Deadline understands.

Daily Mail: BBC covert surveillance ops struggle to catch licence fee evaders

Story from Daily Mail:

TV detection equipment used to catch suspected licence fee evaders is 'struggling to keep up' with technological changes, an inspection report has revealed.

BBC News: STV journalists suspend strike action in pay dispute

Story from BBC News:

STV News journalists have postponed strike action in an ongoing pay dispute.

Daily Mail: BBC cricket correspondent takes swipe at gender neutral cricket terms

Story from Daily Mail:

BBC chief cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew has taken a swipe at gender neutral terminology into the sport, insisting their introduction is 'sad'.

Advanced Television; Ofcom: New guidelines to improve VoD access services

Story from Advanced Television:

Ofcom has announced changes to its Access Services Code and associated best practice guidelines, to improve the accessibility of TV and on-demand programmes for UK audiences.

Deadline; ‘Dear England’: James Graham Ponders Which Former England Soccer Stars Could Feature In His BBC TV Version

Story from Deadline:

James Graham‘s double-OIivier Award winning play Dear England is hitting TV screens and the prolific creator is thinking about whether any former soccer players could make the cut.

Deadline: Pierce Brosnan And Amir El-Masry Join Boxing Drama ‘Giant’ From AGC Studios, Shoot Moves To UK For Indie Movie Tax Credit

Story from Deadline:

Pierce Brosnan and Amir El-Masry have signed on to star in the sports drama Giant from AGC Studios about the life of British-Yemeni boxer Prince Naseem “Naz” Hamed and his rags-to-riches ascent to a world championship under the tutelage of his Irish-born boxing trainer Brendan Ingle.

Media Guardian: TV has become exploitative and cruel, says Ofcom chair Michael Grade

Story from Media Guardian:

Television has become more “exploitative and cruel”, according to Michael Grade, the chair of the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom.

Deadline: UK Presenters Ant And Dec Choke Up With Emotional Farewell To Primetime Show After 20 Years

Story from Deadline:

The UK’s most successful presenting duo, Ant and Dec, signed off their Saturday evening primetime live show after 20 years, going out in style and bidding emotional farewell.

BBC News; Doctor Who: Varada Sethu confirmed as new companion

Story from BBC News:

Varada Sethu will be joining Doctor Who, playing Ncuti Gatwa's companion in his second series as the Doctor.

Daily Record: STV News bulletins to be axed from screens again as staff walk out in pay row

Story from Daily Record:

STV News bulletins will be axed from screens again as staff walk out for a second time amid the ongoing pay row.

Daily Record: Virgin Media customers can get paid to watch Disney+ after price hike

Story from Daily Record:

Disney+ has joined the list of popular streaming sites that have increased their prices for UK viewers, with fans of Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar now having to shell out an extra £36 a year to access its content.

Deadline: UK Animation Firm Which Revamped ‘Clangers’ Goes Into Liquidation After 24 Years

Story from Deadline:

A UK animation firm announced Friday that, after 24 years of operation, it has gone into liquidation, including the sale of many assets that will be familiar to the fans of its shows.

Advanced Television: Young viewers, crime content fuel C4 streaming records

Story from Advanced Television:

Channel 4 delivered its biggest ever month of streaming in March, with viewing up 40 per cent year-on-year to 6.9 billion viewer minutes, boosted by growth from young viewers and a trio of new factual titles.

Advanced Television: UKTV revives Bergerac

Story from Advanced Television:

Iconic detective Jim Bergerac will be returning to TV screens, as UKTV announces the commission of a re-imagined series of Bergerac for free streaming platform UKTV Play and free-to-air channel Drama.

Broadband TV News: Sky Sports launches new golf innovation

Story from Broadband TV News:

Audi and Sky Media have created a new golfing innovation as part of their extended Sky Sports media partnership.

Broadband TV News: ITV Drama has best start to year since 2018

Story from Broadband TV News:

ITV Drama has had its best start to the year for six years with the top four performing brand new original dramas in 2024 all coming exclusively from ITV.

Sky Sports; Sky Sports agrees new five-year EFL deal: Over 1000 matches per season!

Story from Sky Sports:

EFL clubs have unanimously approved a record domestic rights deal with Sky Sports over a five-year period with over 1000 matches to be broadcast each season – a record number of games for any club football agreement.

Deadline: Film4’s Annual Budget Drops To £22.5 Million

Story from Deadline:

Film4’s annual budget has dropped from £25 million to £22.5 Million for 2024.

Deadline: BBC Quietly Butchers Radio 1 Breakfast News Bulletins, With Insiders Calling It Indefensible

Story from Deadline:

The BBC has quietly cut by two-thirds the length of news bulletins on Greg James‘ Radio 1 breakfast show, one of the UK broadcaster’s most important ways of reaching young people.

Deadline: The Athletic Editor To Head Up BBC Sport

Story from Deadline:

The Athletic‘s Editor-in-Chief for UK and Europe is joining the BBC to run its sports coverage.

Deadline: Zig Zag, UK Producer Behind ‘I Wanna Marry Harry’ & ‘Danny Dyer’s Deadliest Men,’ Declared Insolvent

Story from Deadline:

Zig Zag, the 25-year-old UK producer behind shows including Fox‘s I Wanna Marry Harry, is shutting its production arm after being hit by the unscripted commissioning drought.

Broadcast Sport: BBC & Sky Sports renew WSL rights deal

Story from Broadcast Sport:

The BBC and Sky Sports have renewed their rights deal with the Women’s Super League for the 2024/25 season.

Deadline: BBC Close To Crowning First Royal Editor Amid Kate Middleton & King Charles Cancer Battles

Story from Deadline:

BBC News is close to crowning its first royal editor after narrowing the field of candidates down to a final two.

Advanced Television: TNT Sports signs WNBA deal

Story from Advanced Television:

TNT Sports and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) have announced a multi-year deal to air WNBA games in the UK and Ireland.

Variety: Warner Bros EVP for Physical Production Kevin Trehy Exits After Two Decades

Story from Variety:

Warner Bros. Pictures’ longterm head of physical production Kevin Trehy has exited the company after 21 years, Variety has exclusively learned.

Press Gazette: TalkTV losses in first full year on air

Story from Press Gazette:

New figures filed with Companies House also revealed TalkTV made losses of £53.7m in its first full year on air (adding to a £34.1m loss in its first two months on air).

Broadband TV News: AMC Networks launches ITVX streaming offer

Story from Broadband TV News:

AMC Networks International UK has launched two new ‘streaming collections’ on ITVX.

Broadband TV News: TalkTV warned by Ofcom to ensure potentially offensive comments are justified

Story from Broadband TV News:

Ofcom has told TalkTV to take extra care to ensure that comments which have high risk of causing serious offence are justified and put into proper context.

Broadband TV News: Premier Sports restored to UK audiences

Story from Broadband TV News:

Premier Sports has made a return to UK screens after the owners bought the business back from Nordic operator Viaplay.

Deadline: Paul Fox, Pioneering British TV Executive Who Ordered ‘The Two Ronnies’ & ‘Parkinson’, Dies Aged 98

Story from Deadline:

Paul Fox, the British television executive who commissioned iconic shows such as The Two Ronnies and Parkinson, has died aged 98.

Broadband TV News: Ofcom to combine BBC and Public Service Media trackers

Story from Broadband TV News:

Ofcom is proposing to make changes to its BBC Performance and Public Service Media tracking surveys.

Daily Mail: TNT Sports confirm two-year broadcast deal for Autumn Nations Series

Story from Daily Mail:

TNT Sports has confirmed its exclusive deal to broadcast rugby's Autumn Nations Series, as initially reported last month by Mail Sport.

Deadline: Chris McCausland & Lee Mack Set For Sky Festive Special

Story from Deadline:

British comedians Chris McCausland and Lee Mack will front Sky festive special Bad Tidings, about two perpetually feuding neighbors in Northern England who become unlikely heroes after saving their street from notorious burglars with wacky booby traps and British banter.

Daily Mail; BBC bloodbath: Which of your favourite shows have fallen victim?

Story from Daily Mail:

With the BBC setting a target to slash 100 hours of TV shows this year, the bloodbath's body count is comparable with a Line Of Duty-style murder spree.

Daily Mail: ITV 'hire legendary former Sky Sports pundit for Euro 2024'

Story from Daily Mail:

ITV have hired a former Sky Sports pundit to serve as part of their coverage of the upcoming European Championships.

Daily Mail: Jeff Stelling blasts former employers Sky Sports over Arsenal pundits

Story from Daily Mail:

Jeff Stelling has called out former employer Sky Sports for a 'lack of balance' in their punditry and commentary line-up for Arsenal's win at Brighton.

Virgin Media O2 set to launch 15 new FAST Channels?

The following FAST Channels that may launch soon on Virgin Media UK:

Deadline: BBC Responds To Complaints That Its Coverage Of Kate Middleton’s Cancer Diagnosis Was “Excessive & Insensitive”

Story from Deadline:

The BBC has responded robustly to complaints that its coverage of Kate Middleton‘s cancer diagnosis was “excessive and insensitive.”

Daily Record: Ex Netflix chief Erik Barmack in Motherwell investment bid as Hollywood tycoon set to fly in for Fir Park fact finder

Story from Daily Record:

Former Netflix chief Erik Barmack is the man behind the plan to plough fresh money into Motherwell.

Daily Mail: BBC presenter quits show after 43 years

Story from Daily Mail:

BBC Radio presenter Garry Richardson has quit Radio 4's Today programme after 43-years with his final show on September 9 - exactly 50-years to the day since he joined the corporation.

Digital TV Europe: FIFA kicks off UK bids for 2026 and 2030 World Cup rights

Story from Digital TV Europe:

Global leading football body, FIFA, has opened tenders for the media rights to the FIFA World Cup 26 and FIFA World Cup 2030 in the UK.

BBC Sport; Test Match Special: Jonathan Agnew signs new four-year deal with BBC Sport

Story from BBC Sport:

Jonathan Agnew will continue to lead the Test Match Special team after agreeing a new four-year deal with BBC Sport - but will step down from his role as the BBC's cricket correspondent at the end of this summer.

Media Guardian: Jonathan Agnew to step down as BBC cricket correspondent after 33 years

Story from Media Guardian:

Jonathan Agnew is to step down from the role of chief cricket correspondent at the BBC at the end of this summer after 33 years in the post, but the voice of cricket is not about to be silenced: he has signed a new four-year contract to present Test Match Special and will “continue to be a regular voice across BBC programmes”.

Variety; Disney Leans Into U.K. Licensing Strategy: ‘A Small Light,’ ‘Sons of Anarchy’ Heading to BBC Studios-Owned UKTV

Story from Variety:

Disney is licensing a number of its original series to BBC Studios-owned broadcaster UKTV.

Deadline: Former Banijay UK Boss Advising Channel 4 On In-House Productions

Story from Deadline:

The former UK chief of one of Europe’s biggest production giants has been drafted in by Channel 4 to advise on the formation of its in-house productions unit.

Daily Mail: BBC staff 'frustrated' at delays into Huw Edwards investigation

Story from Daily Mail:

BBC staff are 'frustrated' at delays to the Huw Edwards investigation, as it emerges the star is expected to be named as the Corporation's highest-paid newsreader even though he has not worked since July.

Advanced Television: Record quarter for ITVX

Story from Advanced Television:

ITVX recorded its best ever quarter between January 1st and March 31st with 896 million streams across the service – an increase of 12 per cent on Q1 2023.

The Sun: WWE announces first ever PPV wrestling event in Scotland

Story from The Sun:

Wrestling history will be made in Scotland this summer after WWE announced the country’s first ever premium live event will take place at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro.

Deadline: Amazon & Lionsgate Strike UK Content Deal

Story from Deadline:

Amazon and Lionsgate have struck a content deal in the UK.

Broadcast Sport: Premier Sports completes Viaplay UK sport acquisition

Story from Broadcast Sport:

SSBL Limited, which trades as Premier Sports, will complete the acquisition of Viaplay’s UK direct-to-consumer sport business on 4 April.

The Sun: BBC sets sights on 'stealing' Cat Deeley from ITV weeks after This Morning debut

Story from The Sun:

The BBC reportedly has eyes on poaching ITV star Cat Deeley just weeks after she signed up to take over this morning.

The Sun: I was on The Apprentice and there’s a major hint the BBC hit will be axed

Story from The Sun:

An Apprentice candidate has sparked fears the show could be axed in just two years' time.