INTEGRATED DIGITAL TV NEWS

Box TV sold for £6.12m
Date Published: December 9th, 2005
Gub Neal, the TV producer behind BBC1's upcoming Sweeney Todd adaptation starring Ray Winstone, has sold his company for £6.12m.Mr Neal sold Box TV to Digital Classics, the AIM-listed firm which operates a digital TV arts channel, with the £6.12m fee being paid equally in cash and...

BT steps into television market by signing up BBC and film studio
Date Published: December 8th, 2005
BT underlined the scale of its broadcasting ambitions yesterday by signing up the BBC, Warner Music and the Paramount film studio to spearhead its entry into the television market next year.The telecoms operator will launch a mass market television service next summer, combining pay-TV programming...

Allen explains ITV's logic in buying Friends Reunited
Date Published: December 7th, 2005
ITV laid out the strategic case for acquiring Friends Reunited yesterday after sealing a £175m takeover whose logic has been questioned by shareholders and analysts.Charles Allen, chief executive of ITV, said the deal reduced the company's dependence on its ITV1 channel - the source of 70% of...

FilmFour may go free
Date Published: December 6th, 2005
Channel 4 could scrap the subscription on its premium FilmFour service and put the movie channel onto Freeview next year.Such a move, which would see the FilmFour go from 400,000 subscription homes to 15m homes with digital TV, is being considered by the Channel 4 chief executive, Andy Duncan, but...

Branson to challenge Murdoch's dominance
Date Published: December 5th, 2005
Sir Richard Branson's mobile telephone business is in talks with the UK's largest cable business NTL about a deal which could see the Virgin brand extending to televisions, telephones and high-speed internet access.A takeover, if agreed, will create the first media group to offer mobile and...

Apace Media buys digital TV channels
Date Published: December 1st, 2005
Television production company Apace Media has acquired several Bulgarian digital TV channels with funds from a £7m share issue.Some of the money raised will be used to fund the acquisition of a 50% holding in Diema Vision, a Bulgarian cable satellite broadcaster. Over the next two years Apace...

3 becomes first mobile firm to own a TV station
Date Published: November 29th, 2005
Italian mobile phone operator 3 yesterday became the first mobile company to buy a TV station, snapping up regional Italian broadcaster Canale 7 as part of its plan to launch a nationwide digital TV service for mobiles.Canale 7, based in northern Italy with a network that reaches about 40% of the...

Channel 4 buys sixth slot on Freeview for £10m
Date Published: November 29th, 2005
Channel 4 will soon have six channels on the Freeview digital TV platform after paying an estimated £10m for a new slot. It is expected to use the channel for More4+1, a time-shifted version of its dramas and documentaries off-shoot.Channel 4 won the auction, held by Freeview shareholder...

Roll up, roll up for multichannel television's latest moneyspinner
Date Published: November 28th, 2005
It's primetime on channel 284 and the excitable presenter of Quiz Call is exhorting viewers to "count the diamonds and call" for a chance to win up to £5,500.On rival Quiz TV (channel 282), there is a £100 prize for anyone who can solve a number puzzle and get through to the studio. The...

BBC digital ad is a turn-off
Date Published: November 23rd, 2005
The BBC has defended its latest promotional campaign for digital TV following 400 complaints from viewers, who said it was "absolutely horrible" and made their skin crawl.Promotions have been broadcast on BBC TV channels in recent weeks featuring a giant animated head made up of hundreds of moving...