Media UK

BBCi - news archive

This is an archive of news about BBCi. Some links may no longer work, due to the transient nature of the internet.

To keep its licence fee, the BBC needs to stop being so shy
From The Independent. Posted July 7 2008, 12.00am
Somewhere in Broadcasting House and down the road in Marylebone High Street they will be checking the proofs of the BBC's Annual Report. This document comes in two parts, one from the BBC Trust and one from the executive, but will either tell us what we most need to know – how the BBC is different to any other broadcaster? (more)

Press Gazette: BBC iPlayer to be available on third-party websites
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted July 4 2008, 6.22am
The BBC is to make its on-demand web TV and radio player, iPlayer, embeddable on other websites, according to TV news site Channel 21. The move means viewers will be able to watch clips of BBC programmes on third party websites such as Facebook. (more)

ArtsDiary poll: Has the BBC iPlayer changed your life?
From Media Guardian. Posted July 2 2008, 11.45am
The Beeb's hugely popular iPlayer, which integrates radio with on-demand TV claims to 'make the unmissable unmissable'. Yet it has been called a 'multi-million pound failure'. Has it made a difference to your daily viewing habits? (more)

BBC in dispute with Norway's TV2
From Media Guardian. Posted July 1 2008, 6.15am
The BBC is embroiled in a row with a Norwegian broadcaster over its Africa coverage and a documentary about the corporation's news output. By Roy Greenslade (more)

Tobacco giant 'breaks youth code'
From BBC News. Posted June 28 2008, 11.09pm
A UK tobacco firm is breaking its own marketing code covering cigarette sales to young Africans, a BBC investigation finds. (more)

Owen Gibson on how the BBC iPlayer is to be revamped
From Media Guardian. Posted June 26 2008, 7.32am
Owen Gibson, Guardian media correspondent, says that the BBC is starting a new version of the iPlayer service because of its success (more)

BBC under the weather
From Media Guardian. Posted June 26 2008, 1.33am
The BBC is to complain to host broadcasters in Switzerland about interruptions during its broadcast of the Euro 2008 semi-final between Germany and Turkey. By Matt Scott (more)

Next generation BBC iPlayer launches tomorrow
From Media Network Weblog. Posted June 25 2008, 2.34pm
The BBC today unveils a new-look BBC iPlayer* which fully integrates radio and TV in one interface, as the service records over 100 million requests to view programmes in the six months since its launch. The new-look service, which launches in beta tomorrow, will ‘dual run’ alongside the existing iPlayer for the next few weeks.   Audiences can [...] (more)

Watch promotional video for new-look iPlayer
From Media Guardian. Posted June 25 2008, 12.18pm
The BBC is set to relaunch its iPlayer catch-up service with a new look - and it will feature both TV and radio programmes for the first time (more)

BBC iPlayer: new-look 'radio and TV' service to launch
From Media Guardian. Posted June 25 2008, 11.43am
The BBC is to launch a new version of the iPlayer that will show TV and radio programmes. By Mark Sweney (more)

BBC offers to share resources with PSBs
From Digital Spy. Posted June 23 2008, 10.33am
The BBC is offering to share resources such as technology and news footage with other broadcasters. (more)

ARY OneWorld News launches website
From Biz Asia. Posted June 18 2008, 9.57pm
The long awaited website of ARY OneWorld News has launched today. Although the website is a beta version, a channel spokesperson said, "the full version will be launched very soon after taking feedback from our viewers." The ARY OneWorld news website hopes to become a news portal similar to other local news channels from Pakistan or CNN and BBC internationally. The website covers news stories from Pakistan and all across the globe and are further classified into sports, politics, health, business, entertainment etc. Other features include top news stories from around the world, hourly updates, special reports in PDF format, News in Pictures and for more avid fans, a forum to discuss the latest topics. The website can be viewed here. (more)

Dave challenges BBC in Channel of the Year Awards
From The Stage. Posted June 16 2008, 1.40pm
(more)

Coldplay singer quits BBC interview - briefly
From Media Guardian. Posted June 13 2008, 11.02pm
Chris Martin pressed on about lyrics and album name leaves studio but returns (more)

MediaGuardian: New BBC Future Media director needs ’serious editorial heft’
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted June 13 2008, 8.18am
The BBC is thought to be reviewing its list of potential candidates to replace Ashley Highfield, as the current controller of its Future Media and Technology department prepares to leave at the end of this month. Following the BBC Trust's review of bbc.co.uk, which criticised the department's lack of control over budgets, a source has said the replacement will require 'serious editorial heft' to avoid another 'debacle' like the £36 million overspend. (more)

BBC Trust: Top digital job needs editorial clout
From Media Guardian. Posted June 12 2008, 3.47pm
The BBC is understood to be reviewing its list of candidates to replace Ashley Highfield as director of future media and technology, in a possible blow to leading contender Erik Huggers. By Jemima Kiss (more)

Sunday Business Post: RTE launches 24-hour online news channel
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted June 12 2008, 11.02am
Irish broadcaster RTE launches its 24-hour online news channel today. RTE News Now will feature a mixture of live simulcasted and repeated news programming from the broadcaster, as well as original coverage of breaking news stories and special events. The channel is being developed along similar lines as the BBC iPlayer, the Post reports, and talks with mobile network operators are underway. (more)

London-Centric Criticism Expected to be Levelled at BBC
From allmediascotland - Spike. Posted June 11 2008, 8.11am
The BBC is expected to be criticised today for being too London-centric, in a new report. Commissioned by the BBC, the report - by Anthony King, professor of government at Essex University - is understood to strongly criticise the corporation's national news and current affairs programmes... (more)

BBC uncovers lost Iraq billions
From BBC News. Posted June 10 2008, 3.06pm
A BBC investigation estimates that about $23bn may have been lost, stolen or not properly accounted for in Iraq. (more)

BBC to build web page for every TV show, says Jana Bennett
From Media Guardian. Posted June 10 2008, 12.53pm
The BBC is to create a web page for every episode of every television programme it has ever produced as part of a huge online archive that will span nearly 80 years. By Leigh Holmwood (more)

Media giants protest about BBC internet TV service
From Daily Telegraph. Posted June 8 2008, 12.01am
The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 are facing opposition to their plan to launch a joint online television service, codenamed Kangaroo, from media groups concerned about its potential to stifle competition. (more)

BBC website signals greater interactivity
From Media Guardian. Posted June 4 2008, 2.25pm
The BBC is developing an extensive personalisation system on bbc.co.uk this year as part of a wider plan to improve interactivity. By Jemima Kiss (more)

'No terror checks' on directors
From BBC News. Posted June 3 2008, 2.37pm
A BBC investigation hears claims that alleged terrorists are able to be UK company directors. (more)

Trust says BBC is paying its stars the market rate
From The Independent. Posted June 3 2008, 12.00am
There are about 40 television and radio stars who earn more than £1m a year, an independent report into how much the BBC pays talent has revealed. (more)

BBC iPlayer content enters Virgin EPG
From Digital Spy. Posted May 30 2008, 2.48pm
The BBC's iPlayer VOD service is now fully integrated with the Virgin Media electronic programme guide. (more)

BBC.co.uk in pictures
From Media Guardian. Posted May 29 2008, 5.12pm
The BBC website homepage has been through numerous relaunches over the past decade or so, with its branding switching from BBC Online to BBCi and now bbc.co.uk (more)

BBC pledges 'renewed commitment' to out-of-London production
From Media Guardian. Posted May 28 2008, 4.17pm
The BBC is to make a 'significant' boost to network television production in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. By Leigh Holmwood. (more)

BBC iPlayer to join Virgin EPG next week
From Digital Spy. Posted May 28 2008, 4.05pm
BBC shows will be available on demand via an iPlayer section of the Virgin Media EPG from next week. (more)

Gallery: Virgin Media's iPlayer installation
From Media Guardian. Posted May 28 2008, 11.30am
Virgin Media has commissioned an edible installation at its HQ to promote the BBC iPlayer becoming available on its digital cable TV offering. It features a series of works by food artist Prudence Emma Stait based on familiar BBC shows (more)

BBC iPlayer to roll out on Virgin Media cable next week
From Media Guardian. Posted May 28 2008, 11.05am
The BBC's broadband video catch-up service iPlayer will be available through Virgin Media's digital cable TV offering from Monday. By Jemima Kiss (more)

BBC in hot water over Blackpool swearing
From Digital Spy. Posted May 27 2008, 12.39pm
BBC One allows "one of the most offensive words" to slip out pre-watershed in a fly-on-the-wall doc. (more)

BBC defends Eurovision funding
From Digital Spy. Posted May 26 2008, 10.51am
The BBC insists that the Eurovision Song Contest is "great value for money". (more)

BBC to take part in Super Hi-Vision trials
From Digital Spy. Posted May 23 2008, 5.12pm
The BBC is to take part in groundbreaking trials of the Super Hi-Vision video format later this year. (more)

CBBC food show to encourage kids to stew worms, catch farts in jars and bake toenail cakes
From Media Guardian. Posted May 22 2008, 9.02am
CBBC is to make a 13-part food series called Gastronuts that will encourage children to stew worms, catch farts in jars, and bake toenail cakes. By Ben Dowell (more)

The Register: BBC’s Today programme to close message boards
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted May 22 2008, 7.55am
The BBC is to close the online message boards for its Today programme at the end of the month, according to an announcement on the forum. Users are dismayed by the lack of consultation over the closure, says this report. According to the programme, the move is a step towards better integrating Today's site with BBC News' online offering. In the mean time users will be directed towards the Have Your Say section. (more)

Ben Whishaw to star in BBC thriller Criminal Justice
From Media Guardian. Posted May 22 2008, 6.16am
The BBC is to broadcast a drama from Hawking writer Peter Moffat, starring Ben Whishaw as a young man imprisoned for murder despite protesting his innnocence. By Ben Dowell (more)

Even more viewers log on to BBC iPlayer
From Media Guardian. Posted May 20 2008, 12.54pm
Traffic to the BBC iPlayer service has continued to rise, with 21 million requests for streamed and downloaded shows during April. By Jemima Kiss (more)

Culture gets a new definition in a BBC promo for The Culture Show
From Media Guardian. Posted May 19 2008, 3.18pm
The BBC is launching a TV campaign to promote the 101st episode of The Culture Show, featuring personalities including Boris Johnson discussing what is culture. By Mark Sweney (more)

21st-century comeback for Late Night Line-Up
From Media Guardian. Posted May 19 2008, 6.46am
The BBC is planning to resurrect live discussion show Late Night Line-Up for a one-off special after 36 years off air. By Owen Gibson (more)

BBC to make on air Burma picture apology
From Media Guardian. Posted May 16 2008, 2.29pm
The BBC is to make an on air apology after admitting that it broadcast the wrong picture during a report about the Burma cyclone. By Leigh Holmwood (more)

Who's your Euro 2008 team, asks BBC in promo campaign
From Media Guardian. Posted May 16 2008, 6.22am
The BBC is to launch a promotional campaign for next month's Euro 2008 football tournament in which viewers say which foreign team they will be supporting. By Mark Sweney (more)

Sky adds streaming to online VOD service
From Digital Spy. Posted May 15 2008, 5.38pm
Sky responds to the success of the BBC iPlayer by renaming its VOD service and introducing streaming. (more)

Letters: The BBC is not 'wasting millions'
From Media Guardian. Posted May 14 2008, 11.43pm
Letters: It is misleading to say that the BBC is 'wasting millions of pounds every year' (Report, May 13) (more)

MPs demand test of BBC accounts
From Financial Times. Posted May 13 2008, 3.00am
A senior committee of MPs will today call for the BBC's spending to face the same scrutiny as other public bodies. The BBC is the only public authority that decides... (more)

Homeowners 'favour' price falls
From BBC News. Posted May 11 2008, 11.38pm
More people want house prices to fall than to rise, research from the BBC indicates. (more)

Fall in house prices 'welcomed'
From BBC News. Posted May 11 2008, 11.38pm
More people want house prices to fall than to rise, research from the BBC indicates. (more)

BBC kept phone-in cash
From Media Guardian. Posted May 9 2008, 11.11am
The BBC is to apologise on-air for keeping £106,000 made from premium-rate phone calls that should have been given to charity. By Leigh Holmwood (more)

BBC sorry for keeping phone-in cash intended for charity
From Media Guardian. Posted May 9 2008, 11.11am
The BBC is to apologise on-air for keeping £106,000 made from premium-rate phone calls that should have been given to charity. By Leigh Holmwood (more)

Don't turn BBC into a ghetto, warns Stephen Fry
From Media Guardian. Posted May 7 2008, 11.43pm
Broadcaster and writer warns that 'ghetto-ising' its programming could fatally undermine it (more)

Obituary: Jim Biddulph
From Media Guardian. Posted May 7 2008, 11.11pm
Obituary: Correspondent for the BBC in Africa and south-east Asia (more)

BBC in talks with Aherne and Cash over Royle Family return
From Media Guardian. Posted May 7 2008, 2.43pm
The BBC has confirmed it is in talks with Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash, the creators of the Royle Family, about bringing the hit comedy back for one more episode. By Leigh Holmwood (more)

Fiona Bruce turns action hero in BBC HD ad
From Media Guardian. Posted May 6 2008, 10.56am
The BBC is promoting the launch of its HD TV channel with an ad featuring newsreader Fiona Bruce as an action hero. By Mark Sweney (more)

Virgin Media and BBC partner to bring BBC iPlayer to TV
From Media Network Weblog. Posted April 30 2008, 11.17am
Virgin Media today announced a partnership with the BBC to launch BBC iPlayer onto its platform, making its 3.5 million TV customers the first in the UK to get the popular service via a TV platform. Viewers using BBC iPlayer on Virgin Media will be able to watch full screen pictures at full quality on their television [...] (more)

BBC iPlayer launches on Virgin Media
From Digital Spy. Posted April 30 2008, 9.41am
A version of the BBC's iPlayer service specifically designed for digital cable launches on Virgin Media. (more)

BBC iPlayer launched on Virgin Media
From Media Guardian. Posted April 30 2008, 7.28am
Cable network's customers will be able to catch-up on missed episodes of their favourites BBC shows direct through their TV sets (more)

BBC uses Ordinance Survey maps for traffic jam mashup
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted April 29 2008, 3.21pm
The BBC is using Ordinance Survey maps to display traffic hotspots based on info from its Jam Cams. Clicking through the flash-generated map takes you through to a live Jam Cam video feed which is updated every 10 minutes. The bigger the circles on the map, the more cameras are available in that area. The BBC formerly [...] (more)

James Murdoch attacks BBC iPlayer service
From Daily Telegraph. Posted April 26 2008, 12.01am
A new service delivering television over the internet has become a fresh battleground between the BBC and satellite broadcaster BSkyB. (more)

James Murdoch says BBC iPlayer cramps competition
From The Times. Posted April 24 2008, 11.50pm
James Murdoch, the chief executive of News Corporation in Europe and Asia, the parent company of The Times, last night accused the BBC of crowding out its competitors with its iPlayer television-over-internet service. (more)

BBC joins OpenID Foundation
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted April 24 2008, 4.05pm
The BBC is to join the OpenID foundation - the body behind the system where website users can have one username across different participating sites. The decision, announced by Jem Stone, portfolio executive for the BBC Future Media and Technology (FM&T) department's social media group, on the BBC Internet blog, puts the corporation alongside Google and [...] (more)

BBC introduces registration scheme for blog comments
From Journalism.co.uk. Posted April 18 2008, 10.59am
The BBC has opted for a registration system for comments on blogs and forum areas citing protection against spam as a deciding factor in making the change. "It [registration] seems to be an effective balance between maintaining access to the blog and the standard of debate," Giles Wilson, editor of the BBC News blogs, wrote in [...] (more)

CBeebies prepares season of programming for environment campaign
From Media Guardian. Posted April 14 2008, 5.49am
The BBC is launching an Eco-Beebies campaign with special green episodes of Bob the Builder, plus a new year-long children's season of programming about the environment. By Tara Conlan (more)

BBC rebrands its TV news services
From Media Network Weblog. Posted April 13 2008, 12.42pm
Jonathan Marks writes: Seems the BBC is rolling out a £550,000 rebranding exercise as part of the broadcaster’s biggest attempt yet to repackage its core output. News 24, its rolling news channel, is being renamed BBC News. The corporation will rebrand BBC World, its international news channel, as BBC World News. Viewers will be able to [...] (more)

Tiscali: BBC iPlayer comments 'inflamatory'
From Digital Spy. Posted April 10 2008, 9.08am
Tiscali responds to the views of the BBC's technology chief about how to handle iPlayer traffic. (more)

Online video troubles service providers
From Financial Times. Posted April 10 2008, 3.00am
With the BBC iPlayer moving to new platforms, such as the Nintendo Wii, usage is expected to grow rapidly. The prospect alarms some internet service providers (ISPs)... (more)

BBC iPlayer risks overloading the internet
From The Times. Posted April 10 2008, 12.00am
The success of the BBC's iPlayer is putting the internet under severe strain and threatening to bring the network to a halt, internet service providers claimed yesterday. (more)

BBC iPlayer 'risks overloading the internet'
From The Times. Posted April 10 2008, 12.00am
The success of the BBC's iPlayer is putting the internet under severe strain and threatening to bring the network to a halt, internet service providers claimed yesterday. (more)

Special delivery Pat to get helicopter
From Media Guardian. Posted April 9 2008, 11.23pm
Popular children's TV postman to be given new series on BBC in the autumn (more)

Postman Pat to get helicopter
From Media Guardian. Posted April 9 2008, 11.23pm
The popular children's TV postman is to be given a new series on the BBC in the autumn. By Richard Wray (more)

Internet firms clash with BBC over iPlayer
From Media Guardian. Posted April 9 2008, 11.03pm
Internet companies voice concerns that BBC iPlayer could halt broadband connections (more)

BBC in hot water over Live Earth swearing
From Digital Spy. Posted April 9 2008, 3.42pm
The BBC broke the broadcasting code by airing pop stars swearing at the Live Earth charity gig. (more)

BBC iPlayer for Wii launches tonight
From Digital Spy. Posted April 9 2008, 3.38pm
Nintendo signs deal with the BBC to offer content through its Wii games console. (more)

BBC launches iPlayer on the Wii
From Financial Times. Posted April 9 2008, 1.52pm
Users of the BBC iPlayer will be able to watch programmes on their televisions as well as their PC under a new agreement that brings the popular catch-up service to the TV for the first time. (more)

Top shows on the BBC iPlayer
From Media Guardian. Posted April 9 2008, 1.05pm
Most popular shows on the BBC catch-up TV service for the first three months of 2008 (more)

Soft launch for BBC iPlayer on cable
From Digital Spy. Posted April 8 2008, 2.59pm
A version of the BBC's iPlayer service for cable will soft launch in May. (more)

BBC plans big-budget Biblical dramas
From Digital Spy. Posted April 3 2008, 9.24pm
The BBC is planning a big-budget series of Bible story dramas. (more)

Ben Elton: 'BBC is scared of Islam'
From Digital Spy. Posted April 2 2008, 11.21am
Ben Elton says the BBC is too scared to make jokes about Islam. (more)

The BBC is too 'scared' to allow Islam jokes, says Ben Elton
From Media Guardian. Posted April 2 2008, 9.30am
The comedian and writer Ben Elton has accused the BBC of being too 'scared' to allow jokes about Islam. By Chris Tryhorn (more)

BBC revamps news and sport sites with embedded video service
From Media Guardian. Posted March 26 2008, 5.02pm
The BBC is to roll out the next phase in the relaunch of its internet offering, giving its news and sport websites a new embedded video service. By Jemima Kiss (more)

C4 warned of ‘squalid squabble’ with BBC
From Press Gazette. Posted March 24 2008, 12.00am
Channel 4 risks setting itself up for a battle with the BBC if it does not clarify how it would like to receive the public service funding it claims it needs to survive in a digital age, according to MPs. (more)

Channel 4 warned of ‘squalid squabble’ with BBC over funding
From Press Gazette. Posted March 24 2008, 12.00am
Channel 4 risks setting itself up for a battle with the BBC if it does not clarify how it would like to receive the public service funding it claims it needs to survive in a digital age, according to MPs. (more)

Nail, Quentin join new BBC comedies
From Digital Spy. Posted March 19 2008, 12.45pm
Jimmy Nail, Caroline Quentin and Roger Lloyd Pack are returning to the BBC in three new comedies. (more)

BBC will screen Minghella's final drama
From Media Guardian. Posted March 18 2008, 5.21pm
The BBC is to go ahead with its transmission of The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in spite of the sudden death of its director and co-writer Anthony Minghella. By Ben Dowell (more)

Sugar moots junior Apprentice show
From Media Guardian. Posted March 18 2008, 3.04pm
The BBC is in discussions with Sir Alan Sugar about creating a teen version of hit business reality show The Apprentice. By Leigh Holmwood (more)

Can BBC brand Champions League too?
From Daily Telegraph. Posted March 16 2008, 12.01am
Rivals claim the BBC is overstepping the mark in its on-air branding, but the row appears really about the fight to win rights to Champions League football, writes Juliette Garside. (more)

Is this drama make-or-break for beleaguered BBC3?
From The Independent. Posted March 16 2008, 12.00am
The BBC is making a desperate effort to bolster viewing figures on its ailing BBC3 digital channel with a series of dramas written and directed by and starring young artists. (more)

Rights and wrongs of the BBC iPlayer
From Media Guardian. Posted March 14 2008, 12.16am
Letters: That the BBC iPlayer has been 'hacked' is unremarkable (Report, March 13). But most people won't have the wherewithal, or time and energy, to take advantage of such a hack (more)

Thompson Seeks to Further Assure Scottish TV Programme-makers
From allmediascotland - Spike. Posted March 13 2008, 8.50pm
Scottish TV programme-makers have received a further assurance that the BBC intends commissioning more network productions from Scotland - and not just in name alone. BBC Director-General, Mark Thompson reiterated comments made last year - when he attended the official opening of BBC... (more)

BBC website to be sponsored by Rolex
From Media Network Weblog. Posted March 13 2008, 1.53pm
Concerns have been raised that the BBC is becoming commercialised by stealth after signing watchmaker Rolex as an official sponsor of its international website. Rolex will be the “exclusive launch partner” of BBC.com, a new version of the corporation’s website that has been developed to generate revenue from non-licence fee payers outside the UK. The Swiss [...] (more)

BBC delivers DRM-free iPlayer to iPhone
From Digital Spy. Posted March 13 2008, 9.23am
The BBC is delivering non-DRM protected content to iPhone and iPod Touch devices. (more)

Bobbie Johnson on hacking the iPlayer
From Media Guardian. Posted March 13 2008, 12.06am
Technology correspondent Bobbie Johnson on how iPhone users have managed to hack the BBC iPlayer (more)

BBC restricts staff online networking
From Media Guardian. Posted March 12 2008, 5.01pm
Changing Media Summit: The BBC is to launch a set of guidelines governing what staff may post on social networking websites. By Mark Sweney (more)

BBC is accused of rewriting Gospels
From The Independent. Posted March 11 2008, 12.00am
The BBC was accused last night of attempting to rewrite the Gospels after the makers of a drama about Jesus Christ's death said they were introducing "context" and "psychological reality" into the roles of Judas Iscariot and Pontius Pilate. (more)

BBC plans push into mobile sport content
From Digital Spy. Posted March 10 2008, 10.48am
The BBC is to make its sport coverage more accessible on mobile devices. (more)

BBC keeps studios in Resources sale
From Digital Spy. Posted March 7 2008, 1.30pm
The BBC is to keep its studios business at Television Centre as it splits BBC Resources for sell-off. (more)

BBC's iPlayer goes mobile
From Media Guardian. Posted March 7 2008, 1.24pm
The BBC is to make its programmes available to users of Apple's iPhone and iPod (more)

And now, a word from the sponsor . . . BBC accused of advert dodge
From The Times. Posted March 7 2008, 12.00am
The BBC is being accused of making money by inviting companies to promote their brands in the middle of live programmes such as <i>Children in Need </i>and <i>Saving Planet Earth </i>in contravention of advertising rules. (more)

BBC and NFTS work together to put new documentary talent on TV
From BBC Press Ofice. Posted March 6 2008, 10.15am
The BBC is awarding development deals to three National Film and Television School NFTS documentary filmmakers it was announced last night. (more)

BBC iPlayer leaves ITV trailing
From Media Guardian. Posted February 26 2008, 7.16am
Traffic for ITV's broadband TV service has remained flat, while the the BBC's rival iPlayer has seen significant growth. By Mark Sweney (more)

Rivals predict BBC will bid 'whatever it takes' to win Champions League
From The Times. Posted February 26 2008, 12.00am
The BBC is ready to tackle ITV and BSkyB for the right to broadcast Champions League football. (more)

BBC ordered to reveal exec salary
From Press Gazette. Posted February 24 2008, 12.00am
The Information Commissioner has ruled that the BBC is entitled to refuse to disclose the salaries of its on-air talent following a request under the Freedom of Information Act, but ordered it to name its highest-paid executive in Northern... (more)

Extras producer - BBC is still hideously white
From The Stage. Posted February 20 2008, 1.35pm
(more)

Drama programmes fuel BBC iPlayer growth
From The Stage. Posted February 20 2008, 12.30pm
(more)

BBC expands into eco-friendly soft toys
From Digital Spy. Posted February 20 2008, 11.20am
The BBC is expanding into soft toys with a line of Planet Earth-branded eco-friendly products. (more)

BBC iPlayer growth continues as bbc.co.uk records 29% increase
From Media Network Weblog. Posted February 20 2008, 10.55am
Over 17 million programmes have been streamed or downloaded on demand on BBC iPlayer* in the first seven weeks since its marketing launch, according to the latest figures from the BBC. Daily volumes have been increasing strongly during January and February and last week the total number of streams and downloads in a single day broke [...] (more)

BBC iPlayer top 10
From Media Guardian. Posted February 20 2008, 7.06am
The 10 most watched shows on BBC iPlayer from December 25 to February 12 (more)

BBC viewers switching to watch online
From Financial Times. Posted February 20 2008, 2.00am
The BBC iPlayer is changing the way we watch television, BBC executives said yesterday, as they disclosed that 500,000 programmes are now being viewed over the online... (more)

Can Five News’s relaunch break the mould again?
From Press Gazette. Posted February 18 2008, 12.00am
The new-look Five News, launching on Monday, will imbue a more accessible style, with BBC import Natasha Kaplinsky presenting a wider menu of stories, as Colin Crummy reports (more)

Sale or flotation of BBC Worldwide is back on the agenda
From The Times. Posted February 16 2008, 9.55pm
THE BBC is eyeing fresh plans for the partial sale or stock-market flotation of BBC Worldwide, its commercial division, by 2012. (more)

BBC developing 'Palliser' series
From Digital Spy. Posted February 7 2008, 4.53pm
The BBC is developing a series based on adaptations of Anthony Trollope's Palliser novels. (more)

BBC developing epic Palliser TV series
From Media Guardian. Posted February 7 2008, 7.19am
The BBC is developing an epic drama based on the six Palliser novels by Victorian writer Anthony Trollope and adapted by Andrew Davies. By Ben Dowell (more)

BBC iPlayer boosts Free TV
From Rapid TV News. Posted February 6 2008, 1.34pm
The BBC iPlayer streaming service is dramatically changing the way viewers consume network TV. (more)

BBC expels Grange Hill
From Media Guardian. Posted February 6 2008, 12.47pm
The BBC is to axe children's drama Grange Hill after 30 years. By Tara Conlan (more)

Collinson to head new BBC drama arm
From Media Guardian. Posted February 1 2008, 11.00am
The BBC is ramping up its plan to make more shows in the north-west with the appointment of Doctor Who producer Phil Collinson to head a newly formed Manchester drama department. By Tara Conlan (more)

BBC: ‘We need less HDTV handbrakes’
From Rapid TV News. Posted January 31 2008, 2.49am
UK regulator Ofcom’s consultation period for the introduction of HDTV services closed at 5pm on January 30. But the senior BBC official responsible for HDTV at the public broadcaster implies that the BBC is being held back as far as HDTV is concerned. (more)

BBC: ‘We need less HDTV handbrake’
From Rapid TV News. Posted January 31 2008, 2.49am
UK regulator Ofcom’s consultation period for the introduction of HDTV services closed at 5pm on January 30. But the senior BBC official responsible for HDTV at the public broadcaster implies that the BBC is being held back as far as HDTV is concerned. (more)

Rajar: BBC increases lead over commercial radio
From Press Gazette. Posted January 31 2008, 12.00am
The BBC strengthened its dominance of speech radio over commercial broadcasters in 2007 according to newly released listening figures from industry measurement body Rajar. (more)

BBC working on HD interactivity
From Digital Spy. Posted January 30 2008, 3.36pm
The BBC is investigating how to provide interactive content to accompany high definition TV services. (more)

BBC Trust approves Gaelic Digital Service with conditions
From Media Network Weblog. Posted January 28 2008, 1.19pm
At its meeting on 24 January the BBC Trust gave its approval, subject to certain conditions, for the BBC in partnership with the Gaelic Media Service (GMS), to launch a Gaelic Digital Service (GDS). Following a full Public Value Test, the Trust has approved the service to launch now on cable, satellite and broadband, but [...] (more)

BBC boss unveils strategy
From Rapid TV News. Posted January 26 2008, 3.47pm
Roly Keating, the BBC's controller responsible for BBC1 and BBC2 has revealed the latest thoughts from within Television centre. He talks candidly about the fall-out over the Peter Fincham (the previous BBC1 controller) and the now notorious Queengate affair, and confidence within the BBC and the public perception of what the BBC is doing. Listen to a complete audio recording of his comments, given at a lunch for the Broadcasting Press Guild.  {mgmediabot2}path=images/sto ... (more)

BBC thought to have paid Leeson £2k
From Media Guardian. Posted January 25 2008, 3.04pm
The BBC is thought to have paid around £2,000 for an exclusive interview with convicted former trader Nick Leeson. By Tara Conlan (more)

BBC freedom of information exemption challenged at Court of Appeal
From Press Gazette. Posted January 25 2008, 12.00am
The BBC is facing a renewed legal attempt to force public disclosure of the Balen Report, an internal review of its Middle East reporting. (more)

BBC plans dramas on run-up to Iraq war
From Media Guardian. Posted January 24 2008, 11.55pm
The BBC is planning a controversial dramatisation of the runup to the war in Iraq to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the conflict. By Owen Gibson (more)

Episodes from a dispute
From Financial Times. Posted January 24 2008, 2.00am
*"Money spent by the BBC is money coerced from people under legal sanction, ultimately under the threat of jail. Such coercion is not ideal in a free society." Tony... (more)

Soros warns of global slump
From BBC News. Posted January 23 2008, 9.55am
Billionaire investor George Soros tells the BBC it will be very difficult to avoid recessions in the UK and US. (more)

UK Freesat questioned by MPs
From Rapid TV News. Posted January 22 2008, 1.52pm
The BBC is investing in a free-to-air satellite transmission system, Freesat, and British MPs don’t much care for the secrecy that surrounds the project. (more)

BBC internal spat humiliates BBC Trust
From Rapid TV News. Posted January 21 2008, 12.30pm
What does the BBC Trust do? The question is increasingly being asked by BBC staffers. (more)

Stephen Fry Breaks Arm While Filming
From Merry Media. Posted January 18 2008, 10.00pm
Stephen Fry has broken his arm while filming in Brazil for the Last Chance To See series for the BBC it has been confirmed. . (more)

Director-General calls for new dialogue to restore trust in British public life
From BBC Press Ofice. Posted January 15 2008, 11.50am
Mark Thompson DirectorGeneral of the BBC is calling for a new dialogue aimed at restoring trust in British public life. (more)

BBC iPlayer bursts through user target
From Media Guardian. Posted January 15 2008, 7.19am
More than 3.5m programmes were viewed on the BBC's iPlayer catch-up TV service over the Christmas period. By Mark Sweney (more)

3.5m shows accessed on iPlayer since Xmas
From Digital Spy. Posted January 15 2008, 12.02am
3.5m programmes have been accessed on BBC iPlayer since Christmas Day. (more)

BBC Comic Relief contest ruled unfair
From Media Guardian. Posted January 14 2008, 2.59pm
Ofcom has found the BBC in breach of the broadcasting code for staging a competition for primary schoolchildren that some had no chance of winning. By Leigh Holmwood (more)

More BBC staff to move to Salford
From Media Guardian. Posted January 11 2008, 4.59pm
The BBC is to shift a further 10% of its London-based posts to its new media centre in Salford in a surprise move. By Leigh Holmwood (more)

BBC to move additional jobs to Salford
From BBC Press Ofice. Posted January 11 2008, 12.45pm
The BBC is moving additional posts to mediacityuk the new media centre in Salford Caroline Thomson the BBCs Chief Operating Officer announced today Friday 11 January. (more)

Visits to BBC iPlayer soar
From Media Guardian. Posted January 9 2008, 2.24pm
The BBC iPlayer has seen a 14-fold increase in visits following its relaunch and first marketing campaign, according to traffic figures. By Mark Sweney (more)

BBC 'may shrink licence fee spending'
From Digital Spy. Posted January 7 2008, 10.07am
The BBC is considering restricting licence fee spending to a "core" of public service programming, it is suggested. (more)

BBC statement on compulsory redundancies
From BBC Press Ofice. Posted January 4 2008, 11.10am
The BBC issued the following statement at 11.10am today Friday 4 January 2008. (more)

BBC ageism a myth, says new face of 'Crimewatch'
From The Independent. Posted January 2 2008, 1.00am
The television presenter Kirsty Young has denied claims that the BBC is ageist as she prepares to take over as the new face of Crimewatch, replacing Fiona Bruce. (more)

BBC caps call costs at 15p as contests return after scandals
From Media Guardian. Posted December 31 2007, 12.03am
The BBC is to introduce a cap on the cost of calling premium phone lines as it prepares to reintroduce two of its most popular competitions, it announced yesterday (more)

Stringent new policies on premium rate phone calls precede a phased return of BBC competitions
From BBC Press Ofice. Posted December 30 2007, 10.10am
The BBC is to introduce a new policy this week to bring greater clarity to audiences in the way programmes which use premium rate phone calls are priced. (more)

BBC issues 'Upstaged' casting call
From Digital Spy. Posted December 24 2007, 12.07pm
The BBC issues a casting call for its new cross-platform variety show. (more)

Broadband firms want BBC to share iPlayer costs
From Daily Telegraph. Posted December 23 2007, 12.01am
The BBC is working on a hitherto secret plan to share the cost of broadcasting its iPlayer internet TV service, which receives its first marketing blitz on Christmas Day (more)

Newsnight lets facts get in the way of a think-tank
From Media Guardian. Posted December 22 2007, 11.55pm
Daily Telegraph savages BBC is much like Dog bites Man. It's not news: it happens day after day (more)

BBC censors lyrics in Pogues song
From Digital Spy. Posted December 18 2007, 11.21am
The BBC is cutting the word 'faggot' out of a song by The Pogues to avoid upsetting the gay community. (more)

Video: Planet Earth BBC iPlayer ad
From Media Guardian. Posted December 17 2007, 5.56pm
David Attenborough talks about the moment his camera team captured a snow leopard on camera in an advert for the BBC's iPlayer (more)

Video: Top Gear BBC iPlayer ad
From Media Guardian. Posted December 17 2007, 5.55pm
The Top Gear team relive the episode when they rode through Alabama with 'Man love rules UK' daubed on their car in an advert for the BBC's iPlayer (more)

BBC backs better broadband to prevent digital divide
From Financial Times. Posted December 15 2007, 2.00am
The BBC is throwing its weight behind Ofcom, the communications watchdog, in pushing for a faster broadband network to be built across Britain. Ashley Highfield, the... (more)

iPlayer expected to bring peace at Christmas
From Financial Times. Posted December 15 2007, 2.00am
Christmas day is a challenging time to launch any new service, but the BBC is hoping that its iPlayer - a service that provides TV programmes over the internet - will... (more)

iPlayer opens up to Mac and Linux users
From Digital Spy. Posted December 13 2007, 11.50am
Windows, Mac and Linux users are now able to stream programmes from the BBC iPlayer website. (more)

Yo, here's da news
From Financial Times. Posted December 13 2007, 2.00am
The BBC is introducing a new 90-second news bulletin on its main channel in an attempt to engage with younger viewers. "Yo. Here is your 90-second news, so fast... (more)

Video journalism trainer and BBC in career break dispute
From Press Gazette. Posted December 13 2007, 12.00am
Lisa Lambden, who had national responsibility for training the BBC's video journalists, is headed for a High Court showdown with the Corporation after discovering that her old job was not available when she returned from a six-month career... (more)

BBC could pay to sign Hunt sooner
From Media Guardian. Posted December 11 2007, 11.03am
The BBC is in talks to try to buy BBC1 controller-designate Jay Hunt out of her Channel Five contract. By Tara Conlan (more)

Mark Thompson: Licence fee should not fund ITV news
From Press Gazette. Posted December 10 2007, 12.00am
The BBC is to resist demands that it hands over some of its licence fee to fund ITV regional news. (more)

BBC fears its staff are being targeted after Moscow attacks
From Media Guardian. Posted December 6 2007, 11.55pm
The BBC is investigating the possibility that three of its staff who were beaten up in Moscow last week had been targeted because of their work for the corporation (more)

Three’s not a crowd for the BBC in a digital era
From The Times. Posted December 6 2007, 11.10pm
The BBC hopes that Lily Allen will become, at least for a while, the face of its underfire digital channel BBC Three. The pop star, who is lined up to host a chat show next spring, has just the right credentials: she’s interesting and human, but not too risky. Think about Joss Stone or Amy Winehouse as possible alternatives and you get the idea why she has been chosen. (more)

BBC probes attacks on its Moscow staff
From Media Guardian. Posted December 6 2007, 2.49pm
The BBC is investigating the possibility that three of its journalists beaten up in Moscow were deliberately targeted. By Luke Harding (more)

High Court blasphemy bid fails ? BBC statement
From BBC Press Ofice. Posted December 5 2007, 11.20am
The BBC issued a statement this morning following a High Court decision in relation to the broadcast of Jerry SpringerThe Opera (more)

BBC to retell Jesus Christ's last week
From Digital Spy. Posted December 4 2007, 11.41am
The BBC is to retell the story of Jesus Christ's last week in The Passion. (more)

Laim Keelan to start at BBC in February
From Media Guardian. Posted December 3 2007, 6.35am
The BBC has confirmed that its new controller of daytime, Liam Keelan, will finally take up his post at the beginning of February. By Leigh Holmwood (more)

BBC statement on ballot for strike action
From BBC Press Ofice. Posted November 22 2007, 4.15pm
The BBC issued a statement at 4pm today following an announcement that unions are to ballot for strike action. (more)

BBC strike threat after shortfall in redundancy volunteers
From Press Gazette. Posted November 21 2007, 12.00am
The BBC is facing the threat of a strike by journalists and broadcasting staff after failing to attract enough volunteers for redundancy. (more)

Joint statement: BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five agree approach for HD channels on Freeview
From BBC Press Ofice. Posted November 20 2007, 3.55pm
The BBC ITV Channel 4 and Five have today announced that they have signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding that if agreed would deliver High Definition HD channels on Freeview by the projected completion of Digital Switchover in 2012. (more)

Baby report lands BBC in new fakery row
From Media Guardian. Posted November 15 2007, 5.21pm
The BBC has become embroiled in another fakery row after BBC news added the sound of babies crying to footage of quintuplets. By Tara Conlan (more)

Murdoch attacks BBC ‘police powers’
From Rapid TV News. Posted November 11 2007, 8.18pm
James Murdoch launched a scathing attack on the BBC in Monte Carlo Friday. (more)

BBC increases its FM presence in Romania
From Media Network Weblog. Posted November 11 2007, 3.48pm
Text of press release from BBC on 9 November The BBC has expanded its availability in Romania with the launch of two 24-hour FM relays in Sibiu and Constanta. BBC 88.4FM in Sibiu and BBC 96.9FM in Constanta will broadcast BBC World Service news bulletins, sporting and current affairs programmes in Romanian and English 24 hours a [...] (more)

Concern over BBC news changes
From Media Guardian. Posted November 8 2007, 7.09am
The BBC is planning changes to the way it presents its news output that will see it covering fewer stories overall but with more live reports. By Leigh Holmwood. (more)

Contentious Queen series airs
From Financial Times. Posted November 6 2007, 2.00am
The BBC is to broadcast the controversial documentary on the Queen that cost Peter Fincham, the controller of BBC1, his job. A promotional tape Mr Fincham showed to... (more)

BBC to air Queen documentary
From Press Gazette. Posted November 5 2007, 12.00am
The BBC is to go ahead with its documentary on the Queen, which led to an inquiry and the resignation of BBC1 controller Peter Fincham. (more)

BBC accused of abandoning the regions
From Press Gazette. Posted October 30 2007, 12.00am
The BBC is abandoning its obligation to provide regional services at a time when ITV is already doing the same, the NUJ has claimed. (more)

Cuts Labour’s revenge for the WMD row, says Simpson
From Press Gazette. Posted October 30 2007, 12.00am
The £2bn budget shortfall at the BBC is the Labour Government’s punishment for the claims... (more)

Channel 4: After 25 years at the edge, Chairman Luke Johnson looks to the broadcaster's future
From The Independent. Posted October 29 2007, 12.20am
Channel 4 is a brilliant accident of history, and Britain's cultural life over the last quarter century has been all the richer for it. At its heart, the organisation exists to provide a forum for individual voices making one-off programmes that would otherwise never reach a national audience. And at its finest, Channel 4 can be sublime: stirring drama like It's a Free World, riotous comedy like The IT Crowd, compelling documentaries like Human Footprint, unbeatable current affairs like Dispatches. The BBC is a vast state-sponsored institution; ITV is a huge commercial business. Channel 4 sits between these goliaths, a quirky amalgam that aims to deliver public goods while retaining the verve of the private sector. (more)

BBC to send redundancy notices next month
From Digital Spy. Posted October 19 2007, 3.05pm
The BBC is to begin sending redundancy notices to staff on November 5. (more)

BBC invite unions to continue dialogue
From BBC Press Ofice. Posted October 19 2007, 12.05pm
The BBC has issued a statement following yesterdays announcement on the corporations sixyear plan (more)

BBC 2W to close
From Digital Spy. Posted October 18 2007, 1.12pm
The BBC is to close down BBC 2W in the run-up to digital switchover. (more)

BBC to cut 2,500 posts over five years
From Financial Times. Posted October 18 2007, 12.57pm
The BBC is to cut 2,500 positions in the next five years and make more than 10% cent of its 18,000 staff redundant as part of the broadcaster's 'reprioritisation' project (more)

BBC Future Plans Revealed Today
From Merry Media. Posted October 18 2007, 12.15pm
The BBC Trust have approved Director General Mark Thompson's plans for the future of the BBC in a bid to save money - with the details of his plan being made public today.. (more)

BBC to go ahead with ultra-local news online
From Press Gazette. Posted October 18 2007, 12.00am
The BBC is to press ahead with plans to develop local online news services, subject to approval by the BBC Trust. (more)

Strikes likely over BBC jobs threat
From Digital Spy. Posted October 17 2007, 9.18pm
Strikes are likely to hit the BBC in the run up to Christmas over plans to cut jobs, say unions. (more)

BBC enters strategic relationship with Adobe to enhance BBC iPlayer and bbc.co.uk
From Media Network Weblog. Posted October 16 2007, 4.10pm
The BBC and Adobe® Systems Incorporated today announced a strategic relationship around the delivery of Web video. By adopting the Adobe Flash® Player software, the BBC will make its free catch-up TV service – BBC iPlayer – available as a streaming service across Macintosh and Linux®, as well as Microsoft Windows®, by the end of [...] (more)

Lords to examine BBC's news provision
From Digital Spy. Posted October 16 2007, 10.23am
The House of Lords Communications Committee is to examine whether the BBC is providing sufficient news services. (more)

BBC adopts Flash for iPlayer, web video
From Digital Spy. Posted October 16 2007, 9.51am
The BBC is to make iPlayer compatible with Macs and Linux by adopting Flash. (more)

BBC to make iPlayer Mac-friendly by 2008
From Media Guardian. Posted October 16 2007, 1.00am
8am: The BBC is to make the iPlayer Apple Mac-compatible by the end of the year. By Mark Sweney. (more)

Panorama to investigate Fifa conduct
From Press Gazette. Posted October 16 2007, 12.00am
The BBC is planning to broadcast a Panorama programme investigating senior Fifa figures, in the run-up to England's proposed bid for the 2018 World Cup. (more)

Television Centre 'to be sold for £300m'
From Digital Spy. Posted October 15 2007, 12.02pm
The BBC is planning to sell Television Centre to raise £300m, a report indicates. (more)

BBC to dramatise the diary of Anne Frank
From Media Guardian. Posted October 15 2007, 1.00am
The BBC is to dramatise the diary of Anne Frank in a new series. By Leigh Holmwood.