Advanced Television

Catch Up

BET TV going digital-only on My5, Pluto TV

BET International has announced that My5, Channel 5’s on-demand streaming platform, will be the official home of BET UK as it transitions to a digital-first brand on April 8th in the UK. The global brand will also launch a dedicated BET channel on Pluto TV in the UK on April 5th, following recent launches in […]

March 30, 2021

BBC calls for “radical” role reappraisal

Clare Sumner, Director of Policy at the BBC, has called for a radical reappraisal of the role the Corporation plays in shaping the wider broadcast market to inform the debate about its future. Delivering a keynote speech – The evolving role of the BBC – to the Westminster Media Forum policy conference on ‘The future […]

February 24, 2021By Colin Mann

Formula E extends BBC FTA deal

With the start of Season 7 fast approaching,  all-electric racing series Formula E has confirmed another broadcast deal with the extension of its media partnership with BBC Sport to show the live in the UK. Comprehensive, live, free-to-air coverage will air on BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website, with some races […]

February 19, 2021By Colin Mann

My Mum Tracy Beaker sets CBBC iPlayer record

The BBC has reported large audience numbers for the return of iconic character Tracy Beaker. On iPlayer, My Mum Tracy Beaker was streamed 2.1 million times in its first three days of availability (February 12th to 14th), making it CBBC’s most successful programme launch ever on the streaming platform. On the CBBC channel, the premiere […]

February 16, 2021

TV licence fee increase confirmed

The UK Government has confirmed that from April 1st 2021, the cost of the annual television licence fee will increase from £157.50 (€178.90) to £159.00. The Government, which is responsible for setting the level of the licence fee, announced in 2016 it would rise in line with inflation for five years from April 1st 2017. […]

February 9, 2021By Colin Mann

ITV Management Board appointments

UK commercial PSB ITV has confirmed that Magnus Brooke, Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs, and Dan Colton, Group Strategy and Transformation Director, are to join the company’s Management Board with immediate effect. The appointments follow the announcement of ITV’s restructure of its broadcast business and completes its review of governance to ensure ITV and […]

February 8, 2021

BBC reveals financial transformation results

The BBC has set out how it has transformed its finances over the past decade to ensure it continues to deliver exceptional value for all audiences. The Corporation has faced an effective real-terms reduction in income of around 30 per cent since 2010/11 as a result of increased funding obligations, such as the World Service […]

February 3, 2021By Colin Mann

STV Player sees record-breaking start to 2021

STV Player, the free streaming service run by Scottish broadcaster STV, has kicked off 2021 with a record-breaking performance. The platform delivered 12.5 million streams in January, an increase of 115 per cent on the same month last year. Online viewing* was also up 100 per cent year-on-year, with a total of 6 million hours […]

February 3, 2021

Data: Strong growth for Oz BVoD

Data from research firm Roy Morgan shows 8.6 million Australians now watch Broadcast Video on Demand’(BVoD) services which include ABC iView, SBS On Demand, 7plus, 9Now and 10 Play. All five leading services have grown strongly during 2020 as Australians endured a nation-wide lockdown from late March until early June and Victorians experienced a second, […]

February 3, 2021

BBC iPlayer checks into Bate’s Motel

The BBC has acquired all five seasons of Bates Motel from NBCUniversal Global Distribution. The series, which aired between 2013 and 2017, is a prequel tale to Alfred Hitchcock’s seminal movie Psycho and depicts the lives of a young Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) and his mother Norma (Vera Farmiga). Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme […]

January 29, 2021By Nik Roseveare