A report from right-wing policy institute the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has described the BBC as “no longer fit for purpose,” suggesting that its market power – especially in terms of news provision – coupled with its compulsory funding method and its closeness to the political process is hugely problematic. According to the IEA, […]
Canal+ chairman Vincent Bolloré has threatened to close down the broadcaster’s loss-making premium pay-TV channels if their balance sheets fail to improve in the coming months. Talking at Vivendi’s general meeting of shareholders, Bolloré warned that Canal+ Group could divest the pay-TV unit to concentrate on its distribution activities (Canalsat, Canal Overseas, StudioCanal) with beIN […]
Abu Dhabi’s Media Zone Authority (MZA), which includes the twofour54 production facility, says it is streamlining its initiatives which support the film and TV industries. Image Nation Abu Dhabi, an MZA entity, will take the lead in supporting and investing in film and television productions through its current initiatives, which emphasise active partnership and local […]
Shadow Culture Secretary Maria Eagle has accused John Whittingdale of “bullying” the BBC as she launched a wide-ranging attack on the UK Culture Secretary. She also urged the government to “see sense” in respect of plans to privatise Channel 4. Eagle repeatedly accused Whittingdale of acting like a bully over a series of issues including […]
Back in November 2015, Liberty Media’s founder John Malone stated that he would be restructuring Liberty Media’s investments and holding, and converting them into tracking stocks. On April 15 he carried out his promise. The result is a recapitalised trio of businesses: a Liberty Braves tracker, a Liberty Media tracker, and a SiriusXM tracking stock. […]
Gray Television, a US TV broadcast company, has made a $3 million strategic equity investment in Syncbak, a technology company that replicates over-the-air broadcasts for delivery OTT of the Internet – live and on-demand. In addition, Gray’s Chief Digital and Technology Officer, Jason Effinger, has joined Syncbak’s Board of Directors. “We are excited to join […]
Playbuzz, a US-Israeli platform for distributing online content, has raised $15 million backing from Saban Ventures and Walt Disney. Existing investors 83North, Carmel Ventures and FirstTime Ventures also participated in the funding, which follows a $16 million investment round last year. Playbuzz says it will use the money to develop its platform and expand its […]
Beamr, an expert in media optimisation solutions, is acquiring Vanguard Video, a provider of HEVC and H.264 codec technologies, and raising a $15 million funding round led by Disruptive Growth, with the participation of Marker and Innovation Endeavors. Beamr says the transaction positions it as a global leader in H.264 and HEVC video encoding and […]
A report commissioned by UK public service broadcaster Channel 4 and produced by Ernst & Young (EY) examines the future of Channel 4 in a changing market environment. It finds Channel 4’s future to be sustainable, provided it retains the commercial and regulatory flexibility to respond to market developments and short-term change in the manner […]
Intelsat is raising $1 billion in fresh borrowing (via Senior Secured Notes) and due for repayment in 2024. The company already has some $14 billion in debt obligations. The terms of the debt offering have not been revealed as yet. The new cash is being raised through Intelsat’s parent company, the Luxembourg-based Intelsat Luxembourg SA, […]