Judging by the reaction from some media commentators, the removal of Vince Cable from making the decision as to whether or not News Corp can take over BSkyB (it's bound to be 'Yes' now, isn't it?) is as if the...

Major news provision costs money. Of all people, Mark Thompson ought to know a thing or two when it comes to such matters, as well as the roles and responsibilities of major news organisations in terms of their influence and...

The BBC Trust has predictably had a rough ride since its inception, especially as it was initially created through political expediency as opposed to a natural requirement for change, therefore it was inevitably bound to get caught up in the...

Whilst everyone else is currently thinking about other, much more pressing matters such as the economy, student fees or a certain wedding, the UK radio industry is still fretting to itself in a quiet corner as to what will happen...

Want something to read that's simultaneously both amusing and sinister at the same time? Then head over to the Sky website and download the PDF of BSkyB's submission to Ofcom in relation to a share buyout planned by a certain...

As well as a certain dispute involving a group of disgruntled journalists, there's another ongoing BBC-related row in the form of employment tribunal action taken by ex-Countryfile presenter Miriam O'Reilly against the BBC, or specifically ex-BBC One controller Jay Hunt...

Strikes are never nice things even when you have 100% support from all concerned, but when it affects a group of people who appear to have relatively secure and reasonably paid jobs that many people would love to have, any...

Nearly everyone seems to agree that some form of video-on-demand represents the future of television, so naturally there's a race on between established UK providers (BSkyB, Virgin Media) and broadcasters/producers who want something that's perhaps a bit less proprietary (namely,...

Given the pro-BBC lobby's near-meltdown at the merest thought of yesterday's licence fee settlement (not only frozen but with additional expenditure tacked on as well), it's rather perplexing to still have the BBC Trust showing an admirably brave face in...

It's true that the BBC has now managed to secure licence fee funding for another six years, but only the most pessimistic would have thought anything otherwise under the circumstances; the BBC is still a cherished institution to the majority...

Whilst the media world awaits Vince Cable's crucial decision on whether News Corp. should be permitted to further extend its influence with a full takeover of BSkyB, there's a political war of words underway that's now spilling out into the...

Perhaps a very predictable thing to happen to the TV licence fee given recent events, but the decision to freeze the fee until at least 2013 further highlights ongoing weaknesses within BBC management as it currently stands; a problem that...

Now is not a good time for Welsh television broadcaster S4/C, which has just been given an ultimatum by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt to draw up a financial plan for survival in four weeks or face the consequences, whatever they...

It has taken a year after the infamous (and highly predictable, especially in retrospect) James Murdoch speech at the Edinburgh International Television Festival for the official "right to reply" from Mark Thompson, but was this year's Sky-attacking speech actually worth...

If you were wondering what Virgin Media's stance on Project Canvas development was going to be, then wonder no more, but Virgin Media's objections are in the final analysis both predictable and petty in equal measure. Let me explain... The...

Another chapter in Five's turbulent history begins with Richard Desmond's acquisition of Channel Five from RTL for £103.5m being finally confirmed today after months of negotiation (and speculation from the press). This deal suits all parties very nicely; RTL gets...

This was perhaps inevitable given the scale and nature of recent economic and political events; namely Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt publicly declaring that "he could "absolutely" see viewers paying less than the current £145.50 after next year's negotiations between the...

Some people still seem to think that the Jon Gaunt versus Ofcom case was all about freedom of speech, but the reality is that it basically related to the ability of a regulator (Ofcom) to actually do its job, therefore...

The announcement that BBC Radio 6 Music has been saved from closure may have dominated today's media news, but that's not the only thing that the BBC Trust has been working on in recent months; also published today is the...

Since the recently proposed BBC cutbacks (6 Music/Asian Network closures and website downscaling) were originally leaked to The Times newspaper ahead of publication, it's unsurprising to learn of another 'leak' from The Times, which is now reporting that BBC Radio...

Whilst waiting to discover its eventual fate, the BBC Trust has to at least appear 'useful' as a regulator of the BBC, therefore it's no surprise to learn that the Trust is still taking the moral high ground in relation...

The announcement that BSkyB is withdrawing its Sky Sports News channel from Freeview may not be that unexpected but it does raise some interesting unanswered questions in relation to Sky's future strategy, especially given News Corp.'s paywall experiments and the...

With the (perhaps unsurprising) announcement that Ofcom has now given the go-ahead for the BBC's so-called Freeview anti-piracy technology, there's a real danger that recording TV programmes for posterity could become effectively impossible for the casual viewer, even if it...

Virgin Media has finally completed a long-expected deal to sell its TV channels (Bravo, Bravo 2, Challenge, Challenge Jackpot, Living, Livingit, Virgin 1) to BSkyB for £160m, and in exchange Virgin Media gets good long term carriage deals for many...

Given the recent growth in HDTV broadcasting, it was perhaps inevitable that the BBC would plan to have more than one high definition TV channel in order to avoid an ever-increasing risk of programme clashes caused by overrunning live events,...

Yes it's true: Project Canvas has just been given the go-ahead by the Office of Fair Trading, so in theory this long-awaited means of providing a quick and convenient means of accessing programme-related online content via a television set could...

It seems that the widely-publicised campaign to save BBC Radio 6 Music from threatened closure has not only significantly increased the station's weekly reach - having now passed the magic million mark - but seems to have also boosted listening...

Last Saturday, viewers of Doctor Who on BBC One in England were abruptly treated to a caption promoting "Over the Rainbow" which appeared shortly before the end credits during the final climax; an event that perhaps unsurprisingly triggered a barrage...

Following on from yesterday's Doctor Who episode "Victory of the Daleks" is this Private Eye article that supposedly shines some light on certain marketing decisions that have allegedly affected this year's Doctor Who series as a whole, including a mildly...

If BBC management weren't planning to close any radio stations, the repositioning of 1Xtra as a closer relation to Radio 1 would make sense from a marketing perspective because at a stroke you would broaden the appeal of 1Xtra, thereby...

Whilst the BBC Trust is trying to appear useful by blocking the UK launch of dedicated iPhone (and iPad) applications for various BBC services, BBC Worldwide has gone ahead and launched the iPad News app in the US where it...

Ofcom: Delivering consumer benefits in Pay TV Ofcom orders Sky Sports price cut Football, cricket and rugby fans make up the core of BSkyB's pay-TV business, and their willingness to pay good money in exchange for in-depth coverage of their...

Channel 4 select committee review is a stinker Channel 4 may have been doing relatively well as of late, even whilst managing to dodge all the problems that have similarly affected broadcasters in general (especially public service ones - just...

Pop Justice: Another quick thing about BBC radio then we'll be quiet BBC chief: 6 Music listeners 'at heart of commercial radio demographic' Steve Lamacq attacks 'public flogging' of 6 Music Steve Lamacq's Blog: 6 Music BBC Trust: BBC Strategy...

BBC to cut £100m from overhead costs and axe digital stations BBC Strategy Review document (PDF file) When proposing something as major as the closure of public services like radio station(s) and/or the major downscaling of certain services, there has...

BBC 'to axe radio stations and halve website' in strategic review The Times: BBC signals an end to era of expansion (enjoy it free whilst you can) It seemed that something major now had to give in terms of BBC...

Paid Content: UK Newspapers Want BBC Mobile Apps Blocked For ‘Undermining’ Them, BBC Disagrees I have a message for anyone within the BBC who is considering whether or not to go ahead with the launch of their smartphone applications: just...

BSkyB agrees to cut ITV stake In recent weeks it has been obvious that the "love affair" between politicians and BSkyB - at least in public - has started to thaw, even to the extent that David Cameron's Tories have...

BBC spent £250,000 for better view of Vienna at Euro 2008 It has to be said that the general headline-grabbing tone of this Guardian article is edging dangerously close to the kind of tabloid generalisations that are the normal reserve...

'Set BBC targets to partner its rivals', says ex-Channel 4 chief From the tone of Andy Duncan's Oxford Media Convention speech, you get the impression that he thinks that he's still living in the year 2007, because subsequent events have...

Cost of TV sport to tumble as Ofcom turns screw on Sky Some people appear to be rather puzzled as to why the Conservatives in particular seem ambivalent towards Ofcom's move to lower wholesale pay-TV sports pricing, and it's not...

BBC admits it went too far in U2 tie-up On the surface this just appears to be yet another complaint from the commercial media sector (this time, the RadioCentre) along the lines of "How dare the BBC devote time, publicity...

Jonathan Ross quits BBC Maybe Jonathan Ross jumped – but the BBC weren't standing in his way It was blatantly obvious that something like this was going to happen, especially following the perhaps over-the-top clampdown that engulfed the BBC following...