Advanced Television

West One acquires TV rights for Earth Emergency

Global distribution agency, West One International has signed an international TV distribution rights agreement with Moving Still Productions for the climate change documentary Earth Emergency. Narrated by Richard Gere and including contributions from student climate change activist, Greta Thunberg and His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, the one-hour film follows […]

January 25, 2021

Mediaset ups ProSiebenSat.1 stake

Mediaset Spain has increased its share in the German TV group ProSiebenSat.1 by 3.43 per cent to a total of 13.18 per cent, in an investment estimated at €104 million. Mediaset Spain initially acquired a 5.5 per cent stake in the group in November 2019. Then, an additional 4.25 per cent in March 2020. The […]

January 22, 2021From David Del Valle in Madrid

UK shelves BBC licence decriminalisation

UK government has shelved its plans to decriminalise non-payment of the TV licence fee but will keep the issue under “active consideration”. DCMS secretary, Oliver Dowden, has been persuaded said switching to a civil enforcement risked being seen as an invitation to evade the fee and could reward those who declined to pay. But he […]

January 22, 2021

ProSiebenSat.1 “exceeds FY financial outlook”

ProSiebenSat.1 Group has achieved revenues of around €4.040 billion and an adjusted EBITDA of around €700 million for the full-year of 2020. These figures are preliminary and unaudited. The German broadcasting group says its has “clearly exceeded its full-year financial outlook” last published in the context of the Q3 2020 results release, as well as […]

January 22, 2021

MPs criticise BBC’s £1m legal fees

The BBC has disclosed it paid more than £1 million (€1.29m) to external barristers and solicitors to deal with tribunal claims brought by staff in equal pay and race discrimination cases. The BBC was unable to put a figure on additional costs of using in-house lawyers to deal with staff allegations concerning equal pay or […]

January 22, 2021By Colin Mann

Netflix UK pays £3.2m 2019 tax

Netflix paid £3.2 million (€4.1m) in UK corporation tax in 2019. It billed an estimated £940 million (according to Ampere Analysis) to British subscribers in the period. It reported £120 million of revenue and pre-tax profit of £13 million on its operations here; the Netflix services for Europe and production. Subscriber fees from its 11 […]

January 22, 2021

Google deflates Project Loon

Google’s Alphabet parent company has closed down its Project Loon which contemplated launching giant stratosphere balloons to beam and reflect broadband signals. Evidently Google could not get the project’s overall costs low enough to make the concept viable. “While we’ve found a number of willing partners along the way, we haven’t found a way to […]

January 22, 2021By Chris Forrester

Departing FCC Chair issues China warning

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai used his departing comments to issue a warning about China’s role in potential espionage and threats to networks. Pai stepped down from his role just hours before new US President Joe Biden was sworn in. In his final statement he told the Reuters press agency that there is a wide array […]

January 22, 2021By Chris Forrester

Portugal sets up working group on DTT future

The Portuguese Government has announced it will set up an inter-ministerial working group to gather opinions and studies on the future of DTT in the country. The news was announced by the Secretary of State for Cinema, Audiovisual and Media, Nuno Artur Silva, during a Parliamentary hearing. He said that the group will prepare a […]

January 22, 2021From Branislav Pekic in Rome

Rosenworcel named acting FCC Chair

As anticipated following his election victory, US President Biden has designated FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel as Acting Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission following the resignation of Ajit Pai. “I am honoured to be designated as the Acting Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission by President Biden,” said Rosenworcel. “I thank the President for the […]

January 22, 2021By Colin Mann