Saturday Sitdown: Public media played key role during Covid, says STV boss May 22, 2021 The UK’s public service broadcasters played a vital role during the Covid-19 pandemic and should be protected, the chief executive of STV has said. In an interview with Morning Wire, Simon Pitts threw his weight behind traditional TV channels, insisting they were still relevant despite the rise of streaming heavyweights such as Netflix. “I don’t [...]
Monzo quietly introduces paid leave for loss of pregnancy May 10, 2021 Online bank Monzo has introduced paid leave for employees who are impacted by the loss of a pregnancy, as one of the first companies in the UK to do so. The pioneering policy forms part of the bank’s new mental health focus, which followed its founder and former chief executive, Tom Blomfield, step down from [...]
Jon Snow to leave Channel 4 News after 32 years April 29, 2021 Jon Snow is stepping down as a Channel 4 News presenter after more than three decades at the helm. The veteran broadcaster, who is the longest-serving presenter on the channel’s flagship news programme, will leave his role at the end of the year. Snow will continue to work with Channel 4 in 2022, fronting long-form [...]
GB News: What is the new TV channel and when will it launch? April 22, 2021 There’s been a flurry of announcements in recent weeks ahead of the launch of GB News, a new opinion-led channel promising the biggest shakeup of British broadcast media for 30 years. The venture has caused a stir, with no shortage of controversy over its promise to take a “boldly different” approach. Plans are still being [...]
ITN warns of UK ‘news desert’ without broadcasting revamp March 26, 2021 The UK could be at risk of a digital “new desert” where audiences are unable to access high-quality news online unless effective regulation is brought in by Ofcom, ITN has warned. The production giant, which produces news programmes for ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, warned against a situation where “significant numbers of people can [...]
Screenshot: Will nightclubs really reopen in June? March 5, 2021 This week: **Media Moment of the Week: Telly’s still got welly **Will nightclubs really reopen on 21 June? **The BBC turns back time Media Moment of the Week: Telly’s still got welly In the age of Silicon Valley streaming giants and relentless references to “content” and “eyeballs”, it’s easy to forget that TV can, sometimes, [...]
Why Test cricket is back on Channel 4 and what it means for the future of sport on terrestrial TV February 2, 2021 For the first time since the heady 2005 Ashes series, Test cricket is returning to British terrestrial television. Channel 4 has bought the rights to show England’s tour of India, which begins on Friday in Chennai. But why is cricket back on a free-to-air broadcaster? Who stands to gain? And what does this mean for [...]
Mast giant Arqiva pulls out of Freeview venture amid streaming row December 1, 2020 British mast giant Arqiva is pulling its investment in digital TV platform Freeview in the wake of a row over how to stave off pressure from streaming rivals. The telecoms group said it will step down as a shareholder in Digital UK, the company that controls its joint venture with the BBC, ITV and Channel [...]
Screenshot: Is price comparison the Future of publishing? November 27, 2020 A weekly column from Morning Wire bringing you all the biggest stories and trends in technology, media and telecoms This week **Media Moment of the Week: A baking bonanza **Future’s flirtation with Go Compare: Insane or inspired? **Baby boomer radio beats Media Moment of the Week For many of us, The Great British Bake Off [...]
Selling like hot cakes: Bake Off final smashes Channel 4 ratings record November 25, 2020 Channel 4 last night smashed its ratings records after millions of Brits tuned in to the final of The Great British Bake Off. The final baked up a storm with a record-breaking average audience of 9.2m viewers, taking an almost 40 per cent slice of the audience pie. Viewing numbers for the baking bonanza peaked [...]