Five rival groups are competing for the contract to run British Satellite News (BSN) and London Radio Service (LRS) - the government-backed news and information service distributed to international broadcasters, writes Steve Clarke.
They are current contract holder APTN; Phoenix, an independent group headed by ex-APTN staffers Gerry O'Reilly and Steve Turner; United News; Medialink International and World TV, both of which are independent producers; and PR service companies.

The three-year contract, worth around£10 million, will be awarded in May by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

APTN, led by managing director Derek Taylor, and Phoenix are the favourites to win the service contract to provide video packages of British news stories.