Broadcast
16 March 2012
View all stories from this issue.
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‘Hot’ Israel shows the value of proven success
With format battles raging, having a hit in other territories counts, says David Clarke -
12 Mar '12
“Deeply shallow, humiliating, sometimes even cruel, and based on absolutely nothing at all but looks. I think I like it.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV. -
13 Mar '12
“The content is fascinating and timely but the delivery is infuriating.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV. -
14 March '12
“There has never been a better argument for being unconscious.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV. -
15 March '12
“The film had the aroma of a balanced report.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV. -
16 March '12
“This is good telly, not least because of its forthright presenter and its frilly subject matter.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV. -
3D Visual Enterprises acquires Meduza Systems
UK-based 3D Visual Enterprises has acquired sister company Meduza Systems, the Californian developer of the Meduza Titan and the Meduza MK1 3D cameras. -
A Quick Download on Project Barcelona
The BBC’s director of archive content, Roly Keating, provides the latest on the proposed pay TV download service Project Barcelona. -
A2E2 appoints Robinson to spearhead global growth
US animation studio A Squared Elxsi Entertainment (A2E2) is setting up an international headquarters in London and has hired former KidsCo boss Paul Robinson to run it. -
Alcatraz debut tops multichannel
TUESDAY: The opening of new US drama Alcatraz made Watch the highest-rating multichannel at 9pm. -
All3Media launches connected TV app store
All3Media is launching UK and US direct-to-consumer connected TV apps that will allow viewers to rent shows including The Only Way Is Essex and Peep Show. -
Andrew Jackson, Channel 4
Deputy head of features, Channel 4. -
Angel alights at Wimbledon Studios
Wimbledon Studios is about to host its first light entertainment series. -
Audience cool on White Heat
The vogue for mining recent history continued this week with BBC2’s drama White Heat beginning in the 60s, as one era officially died and a less certain but more thrilling one began. -
BBC America to adapt Aussie refugee format
A hit Australian reality series that challenges racial stereotypes is to be adapted by BBC America. -
BBC confirms pay TV download service
The BBC will submit proposals for a paid-for TV download service to the Trust this year, it has revealed. -
BBC lobbies over 4G plans
The BBC is lobbying the government over concerns that the TV market could be disrupted when 4G is rolled out, warning that current proposals could tip the scales in favour of pay platforms. -
BBC News titles
Re-design the titles and look of the BBC News Channel’s sports news programme. -
BBC pilots sci-fi comedy
The BBC is to pilot a new sci-fi sitcom made by Green Inc and FremantleMedia UK’s Retort - the first alliance between the two indies. -
BBC should consider pressures on print journalists
The BBC should consider the impact of its online news operation in light of the “challenge” faced by paid-for news outlets, according to its director general. -
BBC signs 3D app deal for Wonders content
The BBC has struck a deal with publisher HarperCollins under which two-and-half hours of video featuring Professor Brian Cox will be included in a 3D iPad app called Wonders. -
BBC to expand Global News team
The BBC is looking for a “heavyweight” chief business correspondent to expand its Global News team and increase its international coverage. -
BBC2 orders Volcano Live
Kate Humble will report live from one of the most active volcanoes on the planet for a new BBC2 series. -
BBC3 orders Apprentice-style show
Innocent Smoothies co-founder Richard Reed has earmarked up to £1m to invest in young entrepreneurs’ ideas in a Twofour show for BBC3. -
BBC4 to profile Chas and Dave
Musical duo Chas and Dave will be profiled in a North One TV doc for BBC4, the indie’s first commission for the channel. -
BBC4’s Dirk Gently loses 275k
MONDAY: After a strong debut last week, audience figures for BBC4 comedy drama Dirk Gently took a tumble. -
Be professional – give us a response
I have recently produced a Formula 1 documentary, culled from footage that I have filmed for a longer DVD version, with a view to getting it on air somewhere. -
Biggest Loser down 2m on last year's finale
TUESDAY: ITV1 slimming show The Biggest Loser ended more than 2m viewers down on last year’s finale. -
Broadcast funding: Playing for money
Broadcast funding: PlayiAFP, product placement and traditional co-production all have roles to play in getting ideas on screen. Amanda Lyon speaks to those involved in putting these dealsng for money. -
Broadcasters get Dale Farm judicial review
Broadcasters have been granted a judicial review to challenge a court order demanding footage from the Dale Farm eviction. -
BSI boost for 2012 live events
Wireless video and audio systems company Broadcast Sports Inc (BSI) is expanding its UK operation with the recruitment of additional RF engineers, R&D associates and product designers. -
Budget set to grant tax breaks for UK drama
The campaign to secure tax breaks for high-end UK drama looks set for victory, with sources suggesting the Chancellor will announce the scheme in next week’s Budget. -
C4 Education switches focus from gaming to TV
Channel 4 Education is to begin commissioning TV content again after 18 months of “bearing the weight of games innovation” for the broadcaster. -
C4 orders Short History of Everything
Griff Rhys Jones is to host a new Channel 4 comedy panel show that provides an alternative view on social history using TV archive clips. -
C4 poaches CBBC's Kavanagh
Channel 4 has poached CBBC controller Damian Kavanagh to head the department behind Big Fat Gypsy Weddings and Embarrassing Bodies. -
C4 poised to snatch Grand National rights from BBC
Channel 4 has emerged as the frontrunner to win TV horse racing rights to the Derby, Royal Ascot and Aintree from the BBC. -
C4 reveals thinking behind 4seven plan
Channel 4 is to buy a Freeview slot for forthcoming repeats channel 4seven, which will be populated by its most popular shows but have the flexibility to air content that has stirred up discussion. -
C4 sets May deadline to revamp entertainment
Channel 4 is planning a major overhaul of its entertainment output by the middle of May and is making more money and hours available to the genre. -
C4 to meet with Gambling Commission
Channel 4 is to meet with the Gambling Commission (GC) after the independent regulator contacted the broadcaster about teatime gameshow Deal or No Deal. -
Cameramen to celebrate work in warzones
The Guild of Television Cameramen will run a one-day workshop/seminar on 31 March, which will celebrate the work of TV cameramen in warzones and riots. -
Catch Phrase to be revamped
Classic gameshow Catch Phrase could return with a revamped format following the acquisition of its rights by distributor DRG. -
Celebrity Juice takes 600k dip
THURSDAY: ITV2’s Celebrity Juice has lost 600k viewers since its return last month. -
Chelsea lifts ITV1's Champions League coverage
WEDNESDAY: ITV1 secured its biggest Champions League audience of the season as Chelsea progressed to the quarter final of the tournament. -
Closing the funding gap
Unless the campaign for tax credits bears fruit, drama producers will have to keep finding creative ways of piecing together budgets. -
Conferences and trade shows
All of the big trade shows, conferences, award ceremonies and events in the broadcast calendar -
Conrad takes reins in Shine restructure
Princess Productions chief executive Henrietta Conrad has emerged as the big winner in Shine Group’s UK overhaul. -
Crozier: Sky retransmission fees are wrong
ITV chief executive Adam Crozier has entered the retransmission fees debate, claiming the broadcaster should receive carriage fees from BskyB for appearing on its platform. -
DCD sells The Slap to Brazil
DCD Rights has sold award-winning Aussie drama The Slap to Brazil. -
Demographic Focus
Explore the ratings breakdown demographically across the main terrestrial and multichannel broadcasters from 5-11 March. -
Dirk Gently
Provide VFX and titles for the 3 x 60-minute series. -
Discovery gearing up for TLC UK launch
Discovery Communications’ plans to launch US lifestyle channel TLC in the UK are gathering momentum, according to industry sources. -
Disney: tax breaks would lure us back
The Walt Disney Company has written to the British government warning “it is unlikely to return to the UK” unless tax breaks for animation are introduced. -
Do we need a talent show tussle?
When the BBC wades into commercial territory, nobody wins. -
E4 takes Revenge from makers of Twilight
A US teen drama from the maker of the Twilight films has been snapped up by E4. -
E4 tops Europe imports chart
Digital channel E4 imported more foreign drama and comedy in 2011 than any other broadcaster in Europe, according to new research. -
EastEnders exec Kirkwood exits
EastEnders executive producer Bryan Kirkwood is to step down next month after two years in the position. -
England’s Six Nations victory tops 6m
SUNDAY: England’s narrow win over France in the penultimate match of the Six Nations Rugby tournament was seen by more than 40% of the viewing population. -
Ericsson makes broadcast play with Technicolor deal
Head of managed services Valter D’Avino: “Wireless and broadcast are moving in the same direction”. -
Ericsson to acquire Technicolor's broadcast arm
Ericsson has agreed a deal for Technicolor’s broadcast services division. -
Families swap lives for Atlantic
Sky Atlantic has ordered a culture swap series in which two families from the US and UK cross the Atlantic to visit the other’s home city. -
Fast Train casting workshop to aid Expert Women
TV Fast Train, the free training event for freelancers, is running a masterclass to tackle the issues raised by Broadcast’s Expert Women campaign. -
FME secures Hulu deal
FremantleMedia Enterprises has struck a first look deal with VoD service Hulu for the international distribution rights to its original programming. -
Focal Awards 2012 nominations revealed
Senna is in pole position at this year’s Focal International Awards, with the documentary nominated in three categories. -
Former Daybreak exec joins Icon Films
Daybreak’s former deputy editor Paul Connolly has joined River Monsters indie Icon Films as development series producer. -
From bands to brands
Gary Davies has teamed up with the brains behind Foster’s Funny to bring brands and content creators together. -
Genre Overview
Browse the top ten children’s, factual, drama, entertainment, sport and current affairs programmes from 5-11 March. -
Gently does it for BBC4’s Dirk
As the Large Hadron Collider gears up its latest search for the Higgs Bosun, maybe it can also look out for whatever it was that made Douglas Adams’ brain. His Dirk Gently stories do make you wonder if it was created somewhere other than here. -
Hairy Bikers cooking UKTV debut
The Hairy Bikers are making their first show for UKTV’s Good Food with a series exploring soul food. -
Harris updates Videotek range
Harris has made several new additions to its Videotek test and measurement portfolio. -
HTI to sell Scrapheap Orchestra
Hat Trick International (HTI) has acquired international distribution rights to Love Productions’ Scrapheap Orchestra. -
Indies to benefit from BBC pay download plans
The BBC’s plans to create a paid-for download service will open up a new revenue stream for specialist factual and fact ent indies, Pact has said. -
Ireland victory peaks with 4.5m
SATURDAY: BBC1’s coverage of Six Nation’s Rugby peaked with 4.59m (23%) viewers at 6.30pm as a late try from Fergus McFadden sealed an Irish victory over Scotland. -
ITV1 heads to Corfu for Brits abroad series
ITV1 will continue to mine its Brits abroad agenda with a new series about expats on the Greek island of Corfu. -
ITV1 orders Morrison adaptation from Carnival Films
ITV1 has ordered its first drama from Carnival Films since Downton Abbey, commissioning an adaptation of Blake Morrison novel The Last Weekend. -
ITV1 orders Richie and O’Connor specials
ITV1 is to celebrate the careers of Lionel Richie and Des O’Connor in two entertainment specials. -
Jane Mote joins short film firm
Jane Mote former managing director of Current TV has been appointed non-executive director of short film community The Smalls. -
JCA inks content deal with Shine
Content management firm JCA has signed a deal to provide Shine International with services including tape duplication, encoding, digital delivery and quality control of both tape and file assets. -
Jewish mums lined-up to compete on C4
A competitive new series to crown the Jewish Mum of the Year has been ordered by Channel 4. -
Lime in talks for US TOWIE
Lime Pictures has held discussions over a US version of The Only Way is Essex. -
Mad Bad Ad Show pulled from Friday night
The Mad Bad Ad Show, Micky Flanagan’s first Channel 4 project since signing an exclusive deal with the broadcaster, has been pulled from the Friday night schedule. -
Making money from TV
VoD, drama investment, branded entertainment and funding masterclass. -
MasterChef final peaks at 6.2m
THURSDAY: The MasterChef final scorched the competition with series high of 5.6m, beating the debut of ITV1’s new drama Love Life. -
Morse prequel goes to series
ITV1 is to turn Inspector Morse prequel Endeavour into a full series following an “enthusiastic” response to the special in January. -
Motive raises £550,000
TV technology firm Motive Television has raised £550,000 through the placing of 366m shares. -
Munro and Smith in shock exit from Shine
Karen Smith and Jamie Munro have left Shine TV with immediate effect following a group restructure. -
My Birthday Shook The World / Cilla’s Unswung Sixties / Whisker Wars
Somethin’ Else’s Trevor Klein and Firecracker’s Alex Hay on 9/11 birthdays, mundane 60s and beards. -
No change to Terms of Trade, Hunt hints
Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has given the clearest indication yet that the Terms of Trade will remain largely intact in the forthcoming Communications Act. -
O’Connor joins Big Brother exec team
Denis O’Connor is joining the Big Brother executive producer team following the departure of creative director Gavin Henderson who is returning to the BBC Natural History Unit to oversee Planet Earth Live. -
Off Cuts: Friday Dinner is served
It’s the personal touch that counts. As filming begins on series two of Friday Night Dinner, writer Robert Popper was delighted to discover C4 comedy execs Shane Allen and Nerys Evans had sent a motivational message via the medium of cake. -
One World nominations revealed
The One World Media Awards has introduced two new categories for its 2012 ceremony on 8 May, covering hard hitting news and sustainability. -
Outnumbered duo writing family comedy film
Writer-directors Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin are developing a comedy film with similar techniques and themes to their hit BBC series. -
Pact chair Manners named Keo MD
Keo Films has hired Pact chair and former Hat Trick Productions chief operating officer Debbie Manners as its managing director, replacing Zam Baring, who has held the role for the past seven years. -
Police arrest fraudsters over kit theft
A gang of fraudsters has been arrested in connection with the theft of £600,000 worth of cameras and accessories from HotCam after attempting to steal more kit from reseller CVP. -
Procam adds production truck
Procam Television has taken delivery of a new mobile production vehicle. -
Procam switches on lighting division
Procam Television has launched a new lighting division. -
Product placement fails to hit £1m mark
Experts believe there have been just 10 standalone product placement deals, generating less than £1m in total, in the 12 months since the new revenue stream was made legal in the UK. -
Radio 4 to pilot News Quiz USA
BBC Radio 4 is to record a US version of topical panel show The News Quiz - the first time it has embarked on an American spin-off. -
Red or Black? gets second spin
ITV1 has commissioned a second series of Simon Cowell’s big-money roulette gameshow Red or Black? – ending months of rumours about the show’s return. -
Scott & Bailey returns with 6.8m
MONDAY: ITV1 crime drama Scott & Bailey returned with its second biggest audience on record - more than double the crowd of BBC1’s Empire. -
Scott backs Richard Bacon’s indie
Presenter Richard Bacon and former Princess Productions exec Sebastian Scott have joined forces to establish factual and fact ent indie Mox Productions. -
Secret Policeman's Ball drops to audience low
FRIDAY: The Secret Policeman’s Ball entertained its lowest TV audience in at least six years as it was staged outside of the UK for the first time. -
Shine Australia hires rival's former boss
Shine Australia has appointed Rory Callaghan, the former chief exec of rival Aussie producer Southern Star, as its first executive director. -
Sian Williams leaves BBC Breakfast on a high
THURSDAY: Sian Williams’ final appearance on BBC Breakfast helped the show to its biggest audience of the year. -
Sky and STV plan launches on YouView
Sky is preparing to launch its forthcoming internet TV service via YouView as the connected TV platform gears up for launch. -
Sky eyes some VoD Net gains
BSkyB initiative shows growing value of VoD, says Kate Bulkley. -
Sky hires Tiger’s Sargeant for ent commissioning
Tiger Aspect’s Deborah Sargeant has been appointed Sky’s commissioning editor for entertainment as the latest addition to Phil Edgar Jones’ team. -
Smiths drummer fronts online pilot
Mike Joyce, former drummer for The Smiths, is to make an online video pilot of radio feature ‘Blueprint Studio Sessions.’ -
SNP: Scottish BBC is “entirely feasible”
The SNP is “seriously considering” attempting to carve up the BBC to create a Scottish Broadcasting Corporation as part of plans for devolution. -
Spray tans given boost
ITV1’s Benidorm is being recorded by nearly a million viewers while Geordie Shore, the Walking Dead, Glee and Homeland all recieved a PVR boost. -
STV plots Braveheart drama
STV Productions has embarked on an ambitious project to turn the story that inspired Oscar-winning film Braveheart into a Game of Thrones-style series. -
Technology trade shows and events
All the must-attend trade shows and conferences for the first few months of 2013 -
That end of term feeling
With Sport Relief and BGT looming, a number of shows ended and football dominated. -
The Foundry launches Hiero
The Foundry has launched its shot management, conform and VFX software Hiero. -
The Power List event
On International Women’s Day we celebrated the launch of the Women In Film and Television Power List 2012 with a breakfast event – and the odd glass of Buck’s Fizz – at the House of St Barnabas in Soho. -
The price is right for VoD
Indies are set to cash in this year as on-demand rivals such as Lovefilm, Netflix and Hulu try to outbid each other for content. But how long will this bonanza last. -
The Voice and BGT to overlap... just
BBC1 entertainment show The Voice will launch with a 20 minute overlap with the returning Britain’s Got Talent on ITV1. -
Thompson named BBCW chairman
BBC director general Mark Thompson has been named non-executive chairman of BBC Worldwide. -
Timeline TV to open Salford premises
London-based sports post-production and OB specialist Timeline TV is mid-way through the build of a new base at MediaCityUK. -
Titanic, ITV1
Recreating the Titanic’s fateful voyage for TV had its challenges. Jake Kanter went on set to find out how the project was steered. -
Top 100 network programmes
Find out who topped the ratings league table for network programming from 5-11 March and browse the top 100. -
Top 30 BBC2, Channel 4, Channel 5
Find out the top 30 programmes on BBC2, Channel 4 and Channel 5 from 5-11 March as well as the performance of all the terrestrials across week 10. -
Top 30 multichannel programmes
Find out the top 30 multichannel programmes for 5-11 March as well as the share of viewing across digital homes. -
Top consolidated programmes
Find out which programmes gained the biggest audience through recording from 27 February to 4 March and browse the top titles. -
TV ad market to remain flat
TV advertising is to remain steady with a predicted growth of 1% for 2012 while radio ads have been forecast to increase from 1% to 1.7%, according to media buyer ZenithOptimedia. -
TV tax credit: opportunity that must not be missed
Incentive can boost economy and industry, say Charles Moore and Stephen Bristow. -
Wallace joins Envy as senior colourist
Soho post house Envy has recruited Blair Wallace as a senior colourist. -
Will drama and animation survive without tax breaks?
24% said Yes / 76% said No -
You Deserve This House
Full post for the 40 x 60-minute Channel 4 series in which Amanda Lamb oversees the makeover of an unsung hero’s home. -
YouView to order players by popularity
Connected TV service YouView will rank non-PSB services in order of popularity, it has revealed. -
Zeebox hires Time Warner exec to lead US push
Zeebox has appointed Time Warner senior vice president Jason Forbes to head the second screen companion app’s business in America. -
Zodiak USA boss quits; returning to UK
Zodiak USA chief executive Grant Mansfield is leaving the company after just over two years.
