Pay-radio broadcaster SiriusXM has exceeded its own guidance for its 2016 expectations in terms of subscribers. However, comments from SiriusXM’s CFO David Frear, speaking at a Citigroup financial conference on January 5th, said he had “doubts” as to any possible move on music streaming site Pandora. Shares in Pandora had moved ahead during December on […]
Investment by new digital services such as Spotify, Sky, Amazon, Apple Music and Google has resulted in sales of music, video and games running £1 billion ahead of where they were just four years ago, according to data compiled by the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA). Preliminary figures from ERA indicate that booming digital services helped […]
TiVo has announced the availability of SongConnect, a music metadata package that relates versions of a song to a single master work. SongConnect is powered by TiVo’s unique song ID. This new level of identifier allows providers to collect together alternate variations of a song including live, studio, acoustic and remix versions, enabling music fans […]
Pan-European broadcaster RTL Group plans to regroup its French radio operations into Groupe M6. With a 48.26 per cent shareholding, RTL Group is the controlling shareholder of the publicly-listed French TV broadcaster Groupe M6. RTL Group’s Board of Directors and Groupe M6’s Supervisory Board unanimously approved the planned transaction on 7 December 2016 and 13 […]
Music streaming service Pandora Internet Radio is on the verge of being bought by US pay-radio operator SiriusXM. A CNBC report notes that Pandora’s share price rose last week almost 16 per cent on the news of the probable sale, and adding that Pandora’s directors were happy to have discussions with SiriusXM. SiriusXM’s chairman Greg […]
SiriusXM, the satellite subscription radio, is to pay up to $99 million to settle a group of lawsuits over a music copyright issue for recordings made before 1972. Federal copyright only began to be applied to recordings in 1972, and three years ago members of the 1960s band the Turtles filed lawsuits against SiriusXM for […]
Starz and Spotify, the music streaming service, have revealed plans to launch the first-ever streaming music integration into the Starz premium video streaming service app. Starz has launched an upgraded version of its free Starz app that immerses the Spotify music experience into its video experience for Starz Original series and other Starz premium movie […]
Zee Entertainment (ZEEL), backed by Subhash Chandra’s Essel Group, is to take control of Reliance Broadcast Network, the largest operator of FM stations in India. The somewhat complex deal will see ZEEL acquire 100 per cent of the Anil Ambani-owned General Entertainment Broadcasting business, with Chandra’s Zee Media taking back Ambani’s 49 per cent holding […]
Tony Hall, Director-General of the BBC, has suggested that with the Corporation’s output and rich content archive, it could create what he described as “a Netflix of the spoken word”, suggesting that it could be one of the things that would help the BBC carry the full weight of Britain’s culture and values, knowledge and […]
US pay-radio operator SiriusXM reported better than expected Q3 subscriber and revenue numbers on October 27th, and said it would shortly start paying a dividend to shareholders. SiriusXM also told analysts that it would start a Howard Stern video service featuring notorious ‘shock-jock’ Stern. SiriusXM, controlled by John Malone’s Liberty Media, added 345,000 net new […]