Advanced Television

BBC

Sky unveils biggest ever slate of original content

Sky and NOW TV will air over 125 new Sky Originals throughout 2021. Sky will bring its subscribers 30 new Sky Original films and 30 new Sky Original documentaries, on top of a number of drama, comedy, entertainment and arts series. Altogether, Sky says there will be 50 per cent more original TV and film […]

January 25, 2021By Nik Roseveare

BBC launches Soundscapes for Wellbeing

BBC has launched its Soundscapes for Wellbeing initiative which aims to bring nature to everyone during lockdown. Soundscapes for Wellbeing aims to connect audiences with nature through creative programming on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Sounds and BBC Two’s Winterwatch, as well as through new access to the BBC Sound Effects archive. […]

January 25, 2021

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

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

Netgem: Xmas TV viewing up 27% from 2019

In a Christmas period like no other, Netgem, the end-to-end TV service for the UK’s growing ‘Altnets’ and challenger ISPs, reveals the busiest ever Christmas season on record, with a 27 per cent year-on-year increase in TV viewing compared to Christmas  2019. This is across Freeview live and on demand as well as additional services […]

January 22, 2021

Record numbers for BBC Lockdown Learning

Last week (January 11th to 17th), children’s programming on BBC iPlayer was requested a record breaking 40.8 million times as children turn to the BBC for education and entertainment during lockdown. The figures are the highest BBC Children’s has ever achieved on iPlayer, beating last year’s record of 40.2 million requests. The BBC’s education offer, […]

January 21, 2021

Glastonbury cancelled again

The Glastonbury music festival has been cancelled for a second year running due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The expected news was confirmed on the Worthy Farm event’s Twitter page. “With great regret, we must announce that this year’s Glastonbury Festival will not take place,” the tweet read. “And that this will be […]

January 21, 2021By Nik Roseveare

BT increases support for lockdown learning

BT has announced it will increase support for families learning from home by adding zero rating of Oak National Academy content to its ‘Lockdown Learning’ support scheme by the end of January. The content will be free for all EE, BT Mobile, and Plusnet Mobile customers, while face to face teaching is paused. The partnership […]

January 20, 2021

Study: Nick Jr has most educational content

A study by UK broadband comparison site Cable.co.uk has uncovered the TV channels and services with the most educational content as a guide for parents attempting to home school children during lockdown. For the study, the team looked at the most popular children’s TV channels in the UK across the span of two weeks (Monday […]

January 19, 2021

Peaky Blinders to end, spin-offs teased

The upcoming sixth season of Peaky Blinders will be the last, writer and creator Steven Knight has confirmed. The popular BBC crime drama has resumed filming after being hit by Covid-related production delays last year. Knight said the show is “back with a bang” and warned fans that the mobsters would face “extreme jeopardy” in […]

January 19, 2021