Broadcast
05 July 2002
View all stories from this issue.
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£100m shot in TV ratings war
ITV is to invest an extra£100 million on new programmes next year in an attempt to win back the ratings crown from... -
24 digital channels free for all
Viewers without satellite dishes can look forward to watching 24 free TV channels within months. ... -
24 free TV channels by the end of 2002
Any household in Britain will be able to receive 24 free television channels by the end of the year thanks to a new... -
A merger headache
The draft Communications Bill pays scant attention to advertisers' main concerns. ... -
A sense of direction
Jana Bennett - the most important woman in broadcasting - is back at the BBC as director of TV, determined to 'buil... -
A shameful attack
It should have been a fair report from Iraq. Instead, says Mark Seddon, the BBC film was 'advocacy journalism' at ... -
Accounting doubts and junk rating hit Vivendi
Vivendi Universal shares plunge up to 40 per cent, its debt downgraded to junk status and its accounting practices ... -
Accounts fears hit Vivendi shares
Allegations of financial irregularities sent the company's share price into freefall yesterday ... -
All eyes are on the ball
Paul Hawkins plans to attach transmitters to sports players, horses even dogs, The resulting 3D images will change... -
An alliance that piles on the misery for ITV, and gives Dyke a safeguard
Yesterday's decision to hand the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) licence to a consortium driven by Greg Dyke's... -
Another fine Messier: French giant in freefall amid whiff of scandal
Doubts raised about Vivendi accounts in echo of Wall St crisis ... -
Aventis chief is put forward to replace Messier
Vivendi Universal leader's reign looks near an end as most non-executive directors think he should resign. ... -
Back from the brink
One wrong word by its founder and one 'technical mess-up' and suddenly CNN was in big trouble with Israel. ... -
BBC 1 dreams up new pop idol style show
BBC 1 is to develop the reality talent show concept pioneered by Popstarsand Pop Idolwith a series that will put undiscovered singers through the ultimate training academy. Fame Academy, to be made by Endemol UK subsidiary Initial, will feature 12 students as they go through intense training - including coaching by big name stars - in the fight to win a package of prizes, including a record contract. Viewers will be able to vote out contestants on a weekly bas -
BBC 1 wins latest drama stand-off
The latest drama head-to-head between BBC 1 and ITV 1 last night saw the corporation's Paradise Heightseasily gain the upper hand, writes Jon Rogers -
BBC 3 a step closer to approval
The BBC's new digital youth channel BBC 3 is a step closer to being approved by media secretary Tessa Jowell after the Independent Television Commission (ITC) said any concerns over its impact could be overcome, writes Leigh Holmwood -
BBC 3 bid boosted by ITV rivals
The BBC could be given permission later this month to launch BBC Three, a digital television channel aimed at young... -
BBC and BSkyB promise digital revolution
New ITC deal will offer viewers choice of 27 channels ... -
BBC bags DTT licence
The Independent Television Commission (ITC) has awarded the DTT licences vacated by ITV Digital to the BBC and Crown Castle - calling the decision a 'fresh start for DTT', writes David Wood -
BBC blocked
China has blocked the satellite signal of the BBC's World Service ... -
BBC claim World Cup tournament ratings victory
Brazil may have been victorious against Germany in the World Cup final but the BBC has claimed a convincing ratings victory over its commercial rival, writes Jon Rogers -
BBC clean up despite putting soap on hold
When BBC 1 delay an episode of ... -
BBC dreaming of a better reception
Digital terrestrial gets another chance but will anyone watch? ... -
BBC editor defends giving platform to extremists
A BBC radio editor has defended his decision to give a platform to two extreme figures in the race relations debate... -
BBC employees should be sacked for breaking programming rules, says Davies
BBC chairman Gavyn Davies has sent a warning to BBC staff that they should be fired if they are found to have breached programming codes, writes Georgina Lipscomb -
BBC hopes free service will convert 5 million homes
The BBC plans to attract 5 million households away from the doomed analogue signal and on to digital terrestrial te... -
BBC north west backs entertainment pilots
BBC north west is to broadcast six new comedy and entertainment pilots this autumn, which if successful will transfer to the network. Overseen by BBC head of entertainment group Wayne Garvie, the BBC Manchester programmes include new dating strand Nice Package, in which a woman has to choose a date from three men by checking out their lives, from the houses they live in to their past women, while Are We Nearly There Yet?will feature panel show and travelogue elements -
BBC plans get past council
The BBC's ambitious plan to redevelop its landmark 1930s Broadcasting House building in central London to create the largest live broadcasting centre in the world has been given council approval, despite strong opposition from its neighbours, writes Leigh Holmwood -
BBC religion to work with sport
The BBC's religion and sports departments are to collaborate for the first time on a major project as part of a raft of new shows from BBC religion and ethics under its head, Alan Bookbinder, writes Leigh Holmwood -
BBC reporters vote against pay offer
Journalists at the BBC could be balloted over a strike, which would paralyse the corporation's news operation, writes Leigh Holmwood -
BBC set to grab ITV Digital licences
ITV was last night braced for an embarrassing loss of digital terrestrial licences to a consortium led by the BBC ... -
BBC spends£3bn to offer free viewing in digital TV takeover
Television viewers are to be offered 24 new channels after the BBC yesterday won a licence to broadcast digital TV.... -
BBC the bookies' favourite for digital terrestrial
The BBC-BSkyB alliance is favourite to be awarded the digital terrestrial licences today ... -
BBC 'to cut Deayton's£50,000-a-show salary' in wake of sex scandal
Angus Deayton is under pressure to take a pay cut to save his job as host of Have I Got News For You after sordid r... -
BBC to foster team spirit
The BBC is set to adopt the US model of team scriptwriting in a bid to improve some of its flagship dramas, writes Ann-Marie Corvin -
BBC wins Cup final TV battle
BBC bosses celebrated their own World Cup victory yesterday when it emerged they had four times as many viewers for... -
BBC wins licence to show 27 digital channels
The BBC was handed the task of salvaging government plans to convert the country to digital television yesterday ... -
BBC-led bid wins ITV Digital's former licences
ITV Digital's former licences have been awarded to a BBC-led group promising digital television without subscriptio... -
Beeb in search for star
The BBC is to launch a Pop Idol-style search for a star, it was announced yesterday. ... -
Beeb in search for stars
Telly bosses are promising wannabes the biggest prize in showbiz in a bid to find the next Robbie Williams and Kyli... -
Beeb wins the battle to run free digital telly
Viewers will be able to get 24 TV channels free under a shake-up yesterday by telly watchdogs. ... -
Bidders for ITV Digital licences in last-minute moves
Broadcasters bidding for the former ITV Digital licences will make a last-minute effort to win over the Independent... -
Big Brother bullies little sister
Channel 4 and the tabloids create hate figures for profit ... -
Big Brother nets over 6 million
Channel 4's Big Brother 3reached new heights last night, bagging its best audience of the series with over 6 million viewers, writes Jon Rogers -
Boardroom coup ends Messier's reign at Vivendi
Jean-Marie Messier, the embattled chief executive of the media giant Vivendi Universal, agreed to resign yesterday ... -
Breast op live on TV
Millions of viewers watched in amazement yesterday as the first ever breast operation was shown live on TV. ... -
Broadband to get government cash
Chancellor Gordon Brown is expected to announce cash boosts for broadband services in his public spending review later this month, write David Rose and David Wood -
Broadcasting rivals differ on how to switch viewers on to digital television
As ITV Digital's licences are reissued, the choice between free-to-view and pay TV seems unavoidable ... -
Bruv is so tacky
Big Brother has been named Tackiest Show on Tv in a survey of young adults. ... -
BSkyB forces Pace to discount contract
Struggling set-top box manufacturer Pace Microtechnology nearly halved in value yesterday as it revealed it has bee... -
BSkyB loses 8% of value
BSkyB lost more than 8 per cent of its market value as investor confidence in the satellite television company was ... -
BSkyB takes advantage of Pace's lack of customers
BSkyB has used its position to renegotiate an important contract with the set-top- box manufacturer ... -
BT's fears over cable tie-up
Piere Danon, chief executive of BT Retail, has admitted that he fears a merger between broadband rivals NTL and Tel... -
C4 to air Ewan McGregor festival short
Channel 4 is set to screen a film from Scottish TV's annual New Found Land Film Festival, the first time a festival film has received a network transmission. The 30-minute film, Solid Geometry, features actor Ewan McGregor in the lead role. It has been adapted from a story by Ian McEwan and directed by McGregor's uncle, Scottish actor Denis Lawson. It tells the story of a man who learns to make objects and people disappear. The other five films of the festival will be screened in the -
C4 to opt for factual split
Channel 4 chief executive Mark Thompson is set to import one of the BBC's commissioning initiatives into Horseferry Road, splitting factual commissioning into two units - specialist and contemporary, writes Penny Hughes -
C5 buys bulk order of Oz kids series Hi-5
Channel 5 controller of children's Nick Wilson has bought two 45 x 30-minute series of Australian pre-school programme Hi-5 from distributor Southern Star Sales. The kids show transmits on Australia's Nine Network and is a Nine Films & Television and Kids Like Us production. It features five presenters who entertain through 'music, movement and laughter'. It will air from January next year -
C5 taps Endemol for quiz and pop shows
Channel 5 is launching a reality gameshow that sees contestants having to become experts on their opponent's specialist subject, writes Georgina Lipscomb -
Cable pioneer driven by deals
John Malone owner of Liberty media and a pioneer of the American cable industry, is a no-nonsense engineer with a m... -
Call-handling dispute may disrupt BBC shows
Crimewatch, the flagship BBC programme which relies on viewers' phone tip-offs to catch criminals, could be seriously undermined after call-handling staff threatened strike action, writes Leigh Holmwood -
Channel 5 makes royal history on the cheap
Channel 5 has won the race to broadcast a history of Britain's monarchs, with a series which uses low-budget tricks... -
Chaotic ITV face fight to woo back viewers
Yesterday ITV boss David Liddiment paid the price and quit as director of channels ... -
Clear Channel still eyeing UK market
Lowry Mays, chief executive and chairman of the world's largest radio outfit, Clear Channel, claimed his company will become a major player in the UK radio market despite recently selling Jazz FM - its only UK radio interest, writes Georgina Lipscomb -
Climbdown on end to TV shows' tax relief
The government has backed down on plans for an immediate end to tax relief for all made-for-television productions... -
Corrie's Bill has hospital heart attack
Coronation Street star Bill Tarmey has suffered from a heart attack while in hospital recovering from bypass surger... -
Crossroads grows up as ITV cuts cast.
Carlton is revamping its ITV daytime soap Crossroads in a bid to shed its 'sexy' image -
Crossroads woos wrinklies
Motel saga Crossroads is undergoing another major revamp in a last attempt to win back older viewers. ... -
DCMS may rethink ownership
Broadcasting minister Kim Howells has confirmed that the government is open to revising its communications bill proposals on local radio ownership, writes Georgina Lipscomb -
Desperate Telewest will talk to Liberty
Telewest is to hold talks with bondholders and shareholder Liberty Media in a first step towards a financial restru... -
Digital licence lifts BSkyB shares
Shares in BSkyB reversed some of their recent losses yesterday as the group's partnership with the BBC got the thum... -
Digital victory for the Beeb piles on the agony for ITV duo
With yesterday's decision to make digital terrestrial TV (DTT) an entirely free to air proposition controlled and d... -
Diller is keeping his head down - for now
The most talked-about executive at Vivendi Universal has been suspiciously mute as the company as stumbled ... -
Discovery to look at science in the kitchen
Two Four Productions has been commissioned by Discovery Networks Europe to make a series looking at the latest scientific research on food. The 6 x 30-minute series, Kitchen Chemistry, to air on the Discovery Channel in August and be presented by chef Heston Blumenthal, will feature experiments with food. The show is produced and directed by Mark Halliley and executive produced by Jill Lourie for Two Four and by Emma Read for Discovery -
Discreet restructure
Discreet has restructured into three business units and has re-introduced dedicated R&D teams serving each division. Each of the three specialised units - comprising systems, animation and desktop video - will be headed by a unit manager and will have dedicated engineering staff. The move follows the closure of the Edit R&D function last year and the relocation of the Combustion base to Montreal in Canada. However, no jobs are expected to be lost as a result of this latest change -
Don't fine us, we'll fire staff, says BBC chief
BBC chairman enraged staff yesterday when he said the corporation should be able to fire employees for lapses in pr... -
Dyke promises to provide 'more normal television'
In an attempt to persuade the public that they are not going to be sold a pup for the second time, the corporation ... -
EastEnder Mark fired
Beeb axes the kid who grew up on out tellies ... -
EastEnder Sam in horror crash
EastEnders star Kim Medcalf was recovering in hospital last night after cheating death in a high-speed road crash i... -
EastEnders star is hurt in holiday crash
EastEnders actress Kim Medcalf has narrowly escaped death in a head-on car crash in France. ... -
Embarrassment at Keith Harris's Radio First
Keith Harris, chairman of the Football League and champion of its£178.5m claim against the owners of ITV Digital, ... -
Ex-C5 boss on board at rights co
Former Channel 5 chief executive David Elstein has joined the board of Aim-listed Sports and Leisure, a company whi... -
Extreme Brits get ITV series
Oxford indie Landmark Films is to expose the viewing public to the sadder side of Britain with a new factual series for ITV, writes Steve Aston -
Failed tender set to bolster 'back to basics' mood at network
ITV's failed bid for the digital terrestrial licences will reinforce the 'back to basics' mood at the commercial ne... -
Fame, set and match
When the BBC suggested that Anna Kournikova couldn't hack it, the tennis star threw a tantrum. Paul Kelso examines... -
Families angered by Shipman TV drama
Relatives of Harold Shipman's victims were in tears last night after a private screening of a drama documentary abo... -
Flop ITV boss out
Fall in ratings forces him to go ... -
Football makes way for history
Football and the award-winning Discovery Channel will be absent when the BBC launches its 'fresh start' to digital ... -
Footie fury on digital telly deal
Furious Football League bosses are urging telly watchdogs NOT to award the new digital TV licence to ITV firms Carl... -
Four Weddings films are set for a funeral
The future of Channel 4's FilmFour channel looked to be in doubt last night as the broadcaster became the biggest l... -
Fourtou moves in to head Vivendi
Vivendi Universal confirmed the appointment of Jean-René Fourtou as chairman and chief executive ... -
Fourtou takes the helm at Vivendi
Jean-René Fourtou last night took the helm at Vivendi Universal as the value of the French media group plummeted ... -
French bankers urge calm over Vivendi
French bankers and regulators sought to calm the frenzy of selling that has hit several big companies in the wake o... -
French farce that just gets Messier and Messier for Vivendi
The departure of Jean-Marie Messier has proved to be a mere staging post in the accelerating meltdown of the media ... -
Goonhilly marks 40-year birthday
It is the 40th anniversary of the first satellite TV transmission next week and BT Broadcast Services' Goonhilly Earth Station is taking part in an event to mark the occasion, w rites Barbara Marshall -
Grace buoyed by CITV revamp
ITV is attempting to reinvigorate its children's output following a restructure of the department by controller Janie Grace, writes Steve Aston -
Greenlighting the red button
With more teamwork, World Cup style interactive TV could rule OK, ... -
Group denies irregularities
Vivendi Universal yesterday denied leaning on its auditors to account for the complex monetisation of a stake held ... -
Gullane deal expected
The board of Gullane is expected today to recommend a merger with rival HIT Entertainment ... -
Gullane succumbs to Hit interest
Hit Entertainment, the ambitious owner of Bob The Builder and a host of leading kids' properties, has finally succeeding in taking over rival Gullane after board members today agreed to its£130m offer, writes Colin Robertson -
Hulse bags awards
Ravensbourne College of Art & Communications student Alex Hulse has been named both student of the year by British Design & Art Direction (D&AD) and European student of the year by the Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE). Hulse won the D&AD award for his entry in the new streaming-web media category but the D&AD judges were so impressed with his short film Cyber Syndrome that they decided to enter his work into the ADCE awards to represent the best student talent in the UK -
I can keep it up five nights a week
Graham Norton might be getting it five times a week at the moment - his chat show, V Graham Norton, that is - but i... -
Iain Lee is front-runner to present Liquid News
Two months after the death of flamboyant Liquid News presenter Christopher Price, former ... -
I'm quitting says ITV's Mr Risky
Downfall of the boss who dared to replace Cilla with soccer ... -
ITV acts to win back viewers
ITV has vowed to spend£100m more on original commissions next year in its drive to win back viewers. ... -
ITV chief quits after his year of disasters
ITV chief David Liddiment is to quit following a year that saw the network lose it ratings supremacy ... -
ITV chief to step down ahead of battle to win back viewers from reviving BBC
ITV's director of channels is to step down, clearing the decks for an important test of the commercial network's dr... -
ITV Digital firms bid to gag protests
Carlton and Granada took legal steps yesterday to avert Football League protests next week over collapsed ITV Digit... -
ITV drama given£100 million boost
ITV's main shareholders Granada and Carlton have earmarked a£100m investment to boost the network's drama output in 2003, writes Steve Aston -
ITV throws cash at ailing drama
ITV's main shareholders Granada and Carlton have moved to put an end to the enforced inertia in the network's once prolific drama department by pouring an extra£100m into original production for 2003, writes Steve Aston -
ITV's one-time golden boy quits after series of ups, downs and a spectacular own goal
Liddiment falls foul of tumbling ratings ... -
J6m's cyber-pipe dream comes unstuck
Vivendi proves to be a folie de grandeur ... -
Kabul TV chief ignites row after banning women from singing on air
The new Afghan government of Hamid Karzai is trying to resolve a dispute after the head of the country's broadcasti... -
Knot the BBC news!
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Leeds footballers trial to be made into TV drama
The trial of the two Leeds United footballers Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate is to be turned into a two-hour TV d... -
Liberty closes in on Telewest
Dissident bondholders join talks ... -
Liberty Media and Telewest to open restructuring talks
John Malone's Liberty Media moved closer to taking control of Telewest after the cable company said it would open t... -
Liddiment falls victim to ratings rollercoaster
David Liddiment resigned yesterday as ITV's programmes chief ... -
Liddiment steps down
ITV director of channels David Liddiment has today announced he is to relinquish his role after five years at the network, writes Luke Satchell -
Life with new leader could mean break-up of a colossus
A Vivendi Universal without Jean-Marie Messier is almost unimaginable. But investors have already started to examin... -
Little emperor who overstretched
The world stopped believing Jean-Marie Messier so he had to go ... -
Little gain for all that pain
Advertiser-funded programming won't generate new revenue any time soon. ... -
Martina rage at the Beeb
Martina Navratilova has launched a blistering attack on the BBC for their treatment of Anna Kournikova ... -
McEnroe in Pinewood
Pinewood Television is the home of new BBC quiz show The Chairwhich moved into its new studios this week. The US format is presented by John McEnroe and will transmit on BBC 1 in the autumn. It is the fifth high-profile television series Pinewood has attracted in the year since it set up its television division -
Messier could go in days
Jean-Marie Messier, the embattled chief executive of Vivendi Universal, is facing the renewed threat of a boardroom... -
Messier era ends with junk downgrade
The Messier era has ended in financial crisis after a rating agency downgraded Vivendi Universal's debt to junk sta... -
Messier fights move to non-executive role
Jean-Marie Messier, the chairman of the embattled media group Vivendi Universal, will face a fresh attack on his po... -
Messier heads for the exit
Jean-Marie Messier, the embattled chief executive of Vivendi Universal, was last night on the verge of quitting aft... -
Messier's departure fails to quell fears
Vivendi's shares sharply down despite denial that its results were flattered ... -
Messier's exit raises fears of Vivendi break up
Jean-Marie Messier was last night negotiating the terms of his departure from Vivendi Universal - a move likely to ... -
Missing bongs and golden handcuffs: how a programming legend fell to earth
To the world of television, David Liddiment is a programming legend ... -
Mixed reception
Ownership of local radio raises thorny issues about competition and local democracy. ... -
MPC brings in 3D expert Danskin
Smoke & Mirrors head of 3D Lee Danskin has joined the Moving Picture Company (MPC) as deputy creative head, writes Barbara Marshall -
Murdoch wannabe falls into the abyss
Jean-Marie Messier quits French media company ... -
Music archive expands
Music archive Extreme Music has extended its online Instant Music Search service as a 24-hour operation. Manned by music supervisors in both London and Los Angeles, the service allows users to email requests to a real person rather than rely on a traditional search engine. The supervisors respond immediately with the required clips or suggestions -
New BBC channel on brink of approval
BBC3 a channel aimed at 25-to35-year-olds, is on the brink of being given government approval despite opposition fr... -
New comedy drama for C4
Channel 4 has commissioned a rare extended drama series, with a 10-part comedy from the team behind its hit series Teachers, writes Penny Hughes -
New head of Vivendi sets himself deadline
Jean-René Fourtou, confirmed as chief executive of Vivendi Universal, has set a three-month deadline to get to grip... -
New ITV blow as chief quits
The ITV network suffered another blow yesterday after its head of programming announced he is to quit after five ye... -
New role for Wall to Wall chief.
Wall to Wall Television chief executive Alex Graham is stepping back from day-to-day production duties to -
New telly show prize is ...wife
Twenty girls will do battle in ITV's latest reality game show - to find a WIFE for a bachelor. ... -
News Corp slashes offer for pay-TV arm
News Corporation has slashed one-third off its original $1.4bn offer to buy Vivendi Universal's Italian pay-TV plat... -
Now Clear Channel wants to rule Britain's airwaves
In the 30 years since Lowry Mays paid $125,000 for his first radio station in San Antonio, Texas he has built Clear... -
Oscar-winner to make C4 co-production
Kevin Macdonald, the director of the Oscar-winning documentary One Day in September, has unveiled his latest project - a film based on Joe Simpson's mountaineering novel Touching the Void, writes Penny Hughes -
Pace profit alert blamed on BSkyB set-top box deal
Shares in Pace Micro Technology fell to a four-year low yesterday after issuing its third profit warning in four mo... -
Pace shares tumble
Shares in Pace Micro Technology almost halved in price this morning following news that the set-top box manufacturer has been forced to accept new terms on its key contract with BSkyB, writes Barbara Marshall -
Pact in tax break 'victory'
Producers' alliance Pact is claiming a major victory after the government this week succumbed to industry calls for transitional tax relief for television productions affected by the sweeping changes made in April's budget, writes Jane Marlow -
Party bores
Institute for Public Policy Research told by journalists that rules demanding impartiality in news broadcasts shoul... -
Paxman's blonde joke is beyond the pale, says his female colleagues
It's not often that Jeremy Paxman finds himself on the receiving end of an inquisition. ... -
Philip and his fillies
Prince Edward has piled fresh embarrassment onthe Royal Family after his film company helped cast doubt on his own ... -
Plodding show like Crimewatch without a witness plea
No genre carries a greater guarantee of controversy that the 'docudrama'. ... -
Rabbatts ends order freeze at 4 Learning
4 Learning managing director Heather Rabbatts has moved to end the nine-month programming gridlock at the Channel 4 education division by finally lifting the freeze on commissioning schools programmes, writes Penny Hughes -
Return of Dr Who
One of the best-loved heroes in television history is to step out of his blue police box and back on to our TV scre... -
Rise and fall of a French Master of the Universe
Jean-Marie Messier, the chairman and chief executive of Vivendi Universal, faced his nemesis last night, after fell... -
Rival wait to pick up the pieces of Messier's crumbling Vivendi empire
With£12 bn debt Vivendi may need to sell some of its finest US and French media assets ... -
Rivals face final interrogation as digital TV decision looms
The future of digital terrestrial television in the UK will be decided on Thursday amid weekend reports that a BBC ... -
Ruling is complete victory for Dyke's schemes
Not for the first time, Greg Dyke has got exactly what he wanted ... -
S4C orders learning Welsh reality show
Welsh public service broadcaster S4C has ordered a Big Brother-style show for September that gives eight participants eight weeks to learn Welsh while confined to a language institute. Film cameras installed at the Nant Gwrtheyrn Centre in north Wales will record every move of 16 Welsh language novices from Wales, England and South America for the 9 x 30-minute series, cariad@iaith( Love Towards a Language). Students will be rewarded for successfully completin -
Sacked
EastEnders bosses have sacked Todd Carty after 12 years on the show ... -
Sacked Afghan TV chief refuses to go
The head of Afghan television was refusing to leave his post yesterday after he was sacked for banning women from t... -
Season when no news is bad news
Reporters may be on holiday, but war, terror and famine do not take breaks ... -
Shipman TV movie plea fails
TV bosses yeseterday put off the broadcast of a controversial documentary about serial killer Harold Shipman. ... -
Shipman victims' families protest over TV film
Families of the victims of Harold Shipman yesterday condemned the decision to screen a dramatisation of the case da... -
Sky bags cut-price Nationwide League rights
Sky has clinched a£95 million television deal with the Football League to screen Nationwide League games and League Cup matches for the next four seasons, writes Paul Revoir -
Sky slices up the digital pie
The ease with which the BBC and BSkyB have gained control of digital terrestrial television is disturbing. ... -
Speeding up faster access
The UK government has been bleating on about broadband almost since taking office. And yet this country still lags ... -
Sue returns to radio with a new show
Broadcasting veteran Sue MacGregor is to make a dramatic return to Radio 4 with a new weekly show - just four month... -
Tax reprieve revives screen dreams
The industry's fierce lobbying persuaded the chancellor not to pull the rug from under£200m of independent product... -
Telewest agrees talks on bonds swap
The Telewest board yesterday agreed to start talks on competing offers to swap about $4bn£2.6bn) of bonds for equi... -
Telewest agrees to talks over debt restructuring proposals
Telewest, the troubled cable company, effectively accepted the need for a debt-for-equity restructuring yesterday ... -
Terrestrial Tv gets a new rival
BSkyB has a chance to go head-to-head with terrestrial broadcasters through its new digital coalition with the BBC.... -
Text therapy
Amid the hullabaloo about ITV Digital's decision to throw on the towel, it has gone almost unnoticed that it has no... -
The battle for rolling news
For the first time, BBC News 24 has recorded better figures than Sky News - or has it? As an inquiry into the BBC c... -
The BBC draws ever nearer to killing its independence
By joining the consortium taking over ITV Digital the corporation is sounding the knell of the licence fee ... -
The BBC raises the stakes with new 'reality TV' show
For those who cringed at ... -
Third profits warning hits Pace
Shares in Pace Micro collapsed 41 per cent yesterday after a key contract with BSkyB was renegotiated ... -
This Morning to get£1m boost
Granada is giving a£1m revamp to embattled daytime show This Morning to try to reinvent the former ITV daytime ratings banker, writes Steve Aston -
Time for Televirtual
Virtual character specialist Televirtual has unveiled details of its first co-production - TimeGate - which it has developed with Fremantle Thames Media, writes Barbara Marshall -
To buy or not to buy
Andre Kudelski, whose family controlled company is the number two provider of conditional access systems for digita... -
Todd gets big E
EastEnders star Todd Carty has been dumped from the soap after 12 years ... -
Too much of a good thing
The almost accidental emergence of a super-niche TV channel represents a new model for launching pop stars. ... -
TV Amanda quits£3m home over raid fear
Telly's Les Dennis and wife Amanda Holden have put their£3.5 million home up for sale after being burgled. ... -
TV chiefs defend live plastic surgery show
ITV has defended its decision to broadcast a cosmetic breast operation live on daytime TV. ... -
TV plea on Noye murder
The parents of murder victim Stephen Cameron begged TV chiefs to shelve a reconstruction of the road rage killing.... -
TV show for 'son of God' Icke
David Icke, the ex-BBC presenter who once called himself the son of God, is making a TV comeback. ... -
TV viewers just say no
Far from embracing multi-channel TV, consumers crucial to broadcasters and advertisers are in fact 'digital refusen... -
TV-free-for-all is likely to mean no one wins
Digital terrestrial needs pay element ... -
Unifying vision evaporated along with credibility of its architect
With the chief gone, the betting among senior company executives as well as investors and bankers is that a break-u... -
Universal as Vivendi crumbles
Europe's investors feel shockwave as an American-style scandal hits French media group ... -
Victims' relatives try to delay Shipman drama
ITV was under pressure last night to postpone broadcasting docudrama on the serial killer Harold Shipman until afte... -
Viewers find Elimidate a turn-off
The start of ITV 1's new glamorous dating-show Elimidatefailed to create a spark with viewers last night, writes Jon Rogers -
Vivendi board names Fourtou as chairman
Vivendi Universal last night named Jean-René Fourtou as its chairman and chief executive ... -
Vivendi board rift puts Messier's future on the line
A power struggle within the board of troubled Vivendi Universal, the French media group, intensified this weekend a... -
Vivendi plummets but banks rally to Fourtou's call
France's business elite rallied around Vivendi Universal last night as a new chairman and reconfigured board set ab... -
Vivendi scrambles to avoid €1.8bn debt default
Vivendi Univesal yesterday revealed that it faced €1.8bn (£1.16bn) in debts falling due this month ... -
Vivendi's Messier 'faces palace coup by Chirac'
Jean-Marie Messier, the controversial architect of the Vivendi media and water empire, was close to being outed las... -
Warner opens music archives
UK broadcasters are to be given unprecedented access to the catalogues of Warner Music, which includes performances from artists such as REM, Madonna and The Corrs, as part of a -
Who wants to be an ITV chief? Liddiment quits TV's hardest job
David Liddiment announced yesterday that he was to quit as ITV's programming supremo ... -
Why a third way may not work for the BBC
The popping of champagne corks may soon be heard in the executive offices at BBC Television Centre. The Government... -
Why ITV are right to screen the film of Shipman murders
Next week, ITV1 will screen one of the most gripping murder mysteries ever to be shown on television. Called simpl... -
World Cup Final brings BBC 1 another ratings victory
Football fans once again flocked to BBC 1 as Brazil lifted the World Cup for the fifth time on Sunday, writes Jon Rogers -
World's biggest radio gorup eyes British stations
The chief executive of US company Clear Channel, the world's biggest operator in the radio sector, last night admit... -
Wrestling control from the fat cats
Two groups are challenging the traditional corporate expansionist model by offering an alternative to creative entr... -
Yet another warning as Pace gets boxed in on Sky deal
Pace Micro issued its fifth profits warning in a year after it was forced to renegotiate a supply contract with BSk... -
You cannot be serious, John
The BBC has made a terrible mess of covering Wimbledon. ...
