Search results matching tag 'BSkyB'

ITV drops the Ball. Or he fails to make the Grade. So no new Dawn. Etc.

1704826 — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:03:00 GMT

There. I think that's all the TV management-related cliched headlines that are wheeled out with disappointing regularity.

Personally I'm sorry that Tony Ball won't be joining ITV. While the remuneration package that he reportedly was demanding looked eye-wateringly out of touch with the mood of Brown's austerity Britain, I'm all for rewarding success.

And Ball has proven that he has got the ability - and the fight in him - to deliver this in buckets.

Also, what's so wrong with knowing your worth? BSkyB paid him £10m over three years not to work for a rival so they obviously are aware - and scared - of his talents.

So the opportunity (and perhaps the final one) to breathe life back into ITV and return it to its righful place in the pantheon of successful worldwide media companies has now passed.

And where does that leave it? Possibly with some no-mark ex-retailer that they didn't want and whose only plan is selling it off to a foreign media conglomerate when the economy improves. In fact let's hope his name is in fact Mark (but not Thompson) to keep the headline writers happy.

Terrrifying BBC trailer watch at your own peril

255762 — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:48:00 GMT

Have you seen the TV trailer for BBC Radio 4's Science Fiction series? It is a fine piece of scary advertising. The complaints are bound to rack up thick and fast for this cardiac arrest inducing trailer.

Other than the Today Programme, I never listen to Radio 4 despite some reasonably good intentions, but hearing the promo for this yesterday and seeing this I'm more than half inclined to listen to what the BBC has planned with programmes appearing on Radio 3, Radio 4 and Radio 7.

You can check out the full listings on the BBC website, but highlights include an adaption of HG Wells' The Time Machine by Philip Osment; 'Salmonella Man on Planet Porno' (a group of male researchers, on a quest to discover the secret of the bizarre planet Porno, become sexual objects themselves) on Radio 3, which sounds totally mad. There's an adaptation of Arthur C Clarke's classic novel 'Rendezvous with Rama' and an adaptation of J.G. Ballard's novel 'The Drowned World' about a London that becomes a primordial swamp as global warming melts the ice-caps.

Better still there is also 'Bring Me The Head of Philip K Dick', which is described as a darkly disturbing story (well it would be wouldn't it being Philip K Dick') telling of a contemporary America where faith, national security and the very fabric of time are under attack from an unlikely and terrifying weapon invented by a shadowy research unit inside the Pentagon while the android head of Philip K. Dick is on the loose and wreaking havoc. His head clearly escaped from 'Futurama'.

More quality comes in the shape of 'The Sofa of Time'. A new comedy series starring Nick ('Shaun of the Dead') Frost. Apparently, it is said that those who sit on the Sofa of Time can be transported anywhere and to any time. That happens to me all the time.

Maybe best of all is a re-imaging of the classic British sci-fi series 'Blake's 7'. That's on BBC Radio 7 - well it had to be didn't it? That comes ahead of the show being remade for TV by Sky One. It made that announcement last year, but nothing recent has been heard on that front.

Talking of re-imaging have you been watching the final episodes of 'Battlestar Galactica'? Sadly, there are only four episodes left ever and it has been a hell of a ride. Dark, bumpy and full of twists and surprises. Plus there was a reckoning, which turned out not to be a good thing if you only have one leg. Having been glued to it I have no idea who they are going to end it. Ellen Tigh though? What a shocker.

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20 Years of Sky Ads

1153896 — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 00:57:05 GMT

Sky celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and to celebrate we've launched http://sky.com/20years.

The site includes a collection of 20 of our memorable ads and promos, that we think you'll enjoy.

We've also launched a viral promo, a snapshot of some of our advertising highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6Uwi_ZrCTI&feature=channel_page

Let us know what you think.

The blue skies over Osterley just turned positively tropical

2182355 — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 17:48:00 GMT

Having written about the good times Sky execs are enjoying in my last post, today's news that they have landed a fifth (of the six) live football TV rights packages in the latest Premier League auction tops off the week quite nicely, thank you very much.

Murdoch's pay-TV powerhouse has paid a princely £1.6bn for the rights, but to secure the driving force behind the company's solid performance this year (and for the last 17 years) it's a price worth paying.

The cost will no doubt grate with the subsequent victims of BSkyB major shareholder News Corp's rigirous cost-cutting, but it's those at rival pay-TV operator Setanta who must now be shifting most uneasily on the bench.

The lost package may only be 23 games, but it amounts to half Setanta's live Premier League output. Yes, it has lower league, Scottish football and some exclusive internationals, and when its full sports offering is taken into consideration, the broadcaster still has a decent roster. But when it comes to football, it's not the Blue Square Premier League that gets punters parting with their cash - just ask any chairman of a Blue Square Premier League club.

How Setanta deals with its loss will be interesting. No doubt it will come out fighting, whether through reduced package deals or a revised business plan that offsets lower subscription revenue against the cost-savings of paying for and producing fewer live matches. Or it may use the cash saved to ramp up its other sports output.

Whatever happens in the long run, today's loss to rival Sky will not have Setanta execs reaching for the Champagne. Meanwhile, Sky is proving that it will not easily be parted from the crown jewels of its Pay-TV offering.

No one is going to pay for PSB on ITV

255762 — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:40:00 GMT

Ofcom's proposals published today on public service broadcasting seem largely sensible, but its research claiming that people are willing to pay to see public service TV on a network other than the BBC holds no water. I don't buy it. No one is going to pay anything.

Even in better economic times I would find it hard to believe that people would part with extra cash, on top of the licence fee and the cash they no doubt pay to either BSkyB or Virgin Media, for any TV service.

But Ofcom says quite clearly in its report today that: "Audiences value highly PSB alternatives to complement the BBC." Okay, I can buy that, I am sure they do.

Then Ofcom goes on to say that: "Three quarters of people are willing to pay on average up to £3.50 per month for PSB services on ITV, Channel 4 and five".

While I can believe the first sentence, the second sentence that three quarters of people are willing to pay up to £3.5 or £42 a year to receive PSB on a channel other than the BBC I don't believe in the slightest. Who are these people?

Besides what people tell researchers and what they do with their cash are two different things. Getting that £42 would prove very hard if not impossible.

If Ofcom bases any future policy on insisting there is a place for public service broadcasting outside of the BBC then that would be a mistake.

Do not under any circumstances free the Noel Edmonds one

255762 — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:16:00 GMT

The TV presenter and general figure of derision that is Noel Edmonds should be behind bars. There are many reasons for this most of which relate to crimes committed during his television career. He should have been there long ago and now there is a real chance he might go as having been paid by the BBC for years he has now decided like the grande fromage he is that he will not pay his licence fee.

I'm sorry, but he makes me really angry he is a grade A Muppet, but so much worse.

Just to think of 'Noel's House Party' makes me nauseous. I can barely type. His snake oil pseudo mystical cosmic gifting crappola is worse. He asks and therefore his blond highlightednesss gets. Grrrgh. Don't even get me started on his Sky One Channel 4 crap 'Are You Smarter Than A Ten Year Old?' and 'Deal or No Deal' respectively. Trash, trash and more trash.

Noel has decided that having happily taken great piles of cash from the BBC and the licence payer for his services he doesn't have to pay as he doesn't like the fact that he finds the ads "hectoring and threatening".

On that basis he is withholding his £139.50 licence fee. This is, of course, a criminal offence and he could now be stripped of his ceremonial title of Deputy Lieutenant of Devon. See what I mean he is the type of ninkinpoop who covets such a title in the first place. He should definitely lose it.

He says he is prepared to be prosecuted for evading the tax which he owned up to grandly not paying on the Breakfast show on BBC One on Saturday. Great what are we waiting for it seems an open and shut case.

"I worked for the BBC for 30 years. When I was there it promoted the licence fee by saying how wonderful it was. But now Auntie’s put boxing gloves on. I am not going to have the BBC or any other organisation threatening me. I’ve cancelled my TV licence and they haven't found me. Nobody’s coming knocking on my door. There are too many organisations that seem to think it is OK to badger, hector and threaten people."

The BBC ads are not great, maybe the tone is not right, but what is he talking about? He isn't being threatened he is being a pompous arselike thing. There is a difference.

He knows he needs a TV licence as do most people. He doesn't and shouldn't need to be reminded.

I'm not sure you can go to prison, but maybe it is possible to increase the fine for people with extraordinary large egos to far beyond the maximum fine of £1,000. Sadly he also needs to denied oxygen or maybe just the oxygen of publicity. I really can't decide.

Yes, of course I have one and I simply pay be direct debit as should we all as the BBC provides a quite excellent service for very little money. It produces qulality programmes - last night's Tess of the du'bervilles' was a case in point.

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"We hate Setanta" on YouTube

255762 — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:33:00 GMT

Not me, personally, but it's on YouTube and it's what England fans are singing on the terraces about the digital sports channel that scored an almighty own goal with its failure to sell the highlights package to the England v Croatia game. Millions of pounds in marketing undone. Nice work.

Setanta has been accused of holding fans to ransom after it paid a ridiculous amount of money for the rights for England World Cup away match qualifiers.

It paid £5m alone for England's 4-1 win in Croatia and refused to sell the highlights package for anything less than £1m.

Both figure are crazy money and it seems a pretty dumb thing to reject ITV's offer of £500,000, which seems a more than generous sum for the highlights to an England game.

The BBC has been criticised for not offering more than the £200,000 it did, but it was right to do so. Setanta can't expect other broadcasters to shell out because it overpaid.

Now Gordon Brown has waded in and expressed his disappointment that millions of fans were unable to see any of Wednesday's game other than those who picked up on the Irish broadcaster's late announcement that it was to offer its channel free to air so people could see the highlights. But even when it did this it made it as hard as it possibly could by putting them on at 11:30pm. By that time most knew the score and had given up hope. In the end the number who saw the highlights was around 222,000 viewers. Typically on BBC One or ITV you would expect as many as 4m to tune in.

The "We hate Satanta" chant (you have to give it to the terraces, it might not be inspired, but as is so often it is spot on) started after Setanta failed to sign a terrestrial highlights package for England's dull game against Andorra at the weekend. Not only were fans chanting "We hate Setanta", but they were also singing in support of the BBC.

For a broadcaster that wants to sell its sports packages to fans it is an absolutely terrible own goal and damaging to its brand. Just read what one Mark Johnson wrote in our forums: "I hope they go bust. I hope the government passes a law insisting that all national sport is available on a pay-per-view basis, at the very least. I have Sky, and I hate the brand all the more for having it. They have captured my cash, not my loyalty. Mark Johnson, researcher, planner @ www.manwith3heads.com". That's not the kind of publicity that you want. I don't remember Sky Sports ever making it to the terraces in the way that Setanta has done in its short association with top flight international football.

If this happens again Setanta's reputation will sink and it will damage the game as millions are missing out. The BBC and ITV are both said to be interested the highlights for upcoming away games, I hope they doen't over pay.

A source at ITV told the Daily Mail: "Setanta were ill advised, and have misjudged the mood of the nation. You end up just making enemies of the nation when you do this. I think they have been stung and I am sure it will get sorted now but it should not have come to this. The feeling in the industry is that this can't happen again."

The fiasco again highlights the role the FA has played in all of this. The decision should not be in the hands of broadcasters to sign side deals like this. These are national sporting events that belong to the nation (at a reasonable price, fair enough) and I’d quite like to see the goals thanks very much.

UpdateOkay, I just finished this post when news came in that ITV has signed a deal to show the highlights of the game, but does the phrase "a day late and a dollar short" mean anything to anyone??? Thought not.

Thinkbox research doesn't tally with my reality

255762 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:24:00 GMT

I've been reading Thinkbox's latest research into how many people are watching TV ads. I have to say that it the findings don't tally with my television viewing habits or those of my friends and family.

Let me say, for starters, I think television advertising is a wonderful thing. There are ads out there that are truly quite memorable, but in the last couple of years you can count them on one hand (Cadbury's Gorilla, Tesco, Stella, Skoda, Carling and VW - maybe one or two other campaigns). Beyond that some is okay, but a vast amount is totally average and forgettable.

As a consumer I try to watch as few ads as humanly possible. I don't think I'm alone. I'll say again that I appreciate good advertising (as I write about it), but I don't want to watch most of it and nor does anyone else.

So I can't help but take Thinkbox's figures today with a slight pinch of salt when it reports that the total number of commercial impacts, or ads seen, rose by 6% compared with the same period in 2007. I just don't buy it.

The best bit is that it claims in part that the increase in TV ad viewing is down, in part, to what it calls a 'creative renaissance' in UK advertising. OMFG. A creative renaissance? Is it just me or is the body that promotes TV advertising in the UK being a bit overly generous about the quality of TV advertising that the industry is producing?

I can see it now at a lunch in the Wolseley: "I think we're witnessing a creative renaissance. A wonderful time to be in advertising."

Sorry, maybe I'm just a twisted cynic, but I don't think I am.

The report also says that new technologies are boosting television hours and commercial impacts, and includes data from Sky's Skyview panel, with the eyebrow-raising claim that households watch 5% more ads on television when they get the Sky+ service.

Again, I just do not buy it. I have Sky + and the beauty of it is that I watch next to no ads. Okay I might notice a logo, but thinking of the one bit of TV, I watched last night I don't remember any of the brands that were advertising.

Last night I watched 'Dexter' which airs on FX late on Sunday night. I fast forwarded through each ad break at 30+ and didn't touch the sides. I don't remember a single commercial message, for which I am grateful. It makes it feel almost like I am watching a show on the BBC, for which I am also grateful.

Who are these people I wonder who own Sky + boxes and have taken it upon themselves to watch more advertising as I don't think I know any of them.

The one bit of research from Thinkbox with which I wholeheartedly agree is that our lovely British weather keeps us stuck in front of the television. Now if only we could organise a climate renaissance...

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ECB throws cricket ball out of pram boo hoo

255762 — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:30:00 GMT

It's rich of the English Cricket Board to have a go at the BBC for failing to put a bid in for domestic and international cricket TV rights when it was asking for huge amounts of cash. The ECB has priced cricket off of terrestrial TV.

The ECB only has itself to blame that the only people who can afford to watch an entire cricket match on TV in the UK are Sky Sports customers who pay hundreds of pound of year for the privilege.

Just look at the deal the ECB signed yesterday with Sky: a £300m four-year deal starting in 2010. It allows Sky to show all live domestic and international cricket. That is all the big games and just highlights on Five.

Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman said that the board had been prepared to listen to all offers, no matter how small, for any part of the package. If that was the case and it wanted cricket on the BBC it should have come up with a package itself. It only has itself to blame.

It is no use quoting statistics about there being "19m cricket fans" as Clarke put it (a figure that is hugely inflated, I believe) when the ECB was interested in raking in as much money as it possibly could.

This exercise in shooting his mouth off is an effort to deflect the real problem and the reason why there is next to no cricket on terrestrial TV and that is the ECB (highlights on Five hardly count when what you really want to do is sit down and watch a game).

Worse than that Clarke had the cheek to criticise the BBC's decision to buy Formula 1 for which it paid £40m. "After all, just how many people play Formula One?" Clarke asked.

We can all be facetious. It is incredibly easy. Besides coverage and interest in all things motoring such as top rated BBC Two Show 'Top Gear' is at a high.

Jeremy Clarkson was yesterday named the man other blokes most admire. He beat actor Ray Winstone, 51, as the ultimate man's man in a new poll. Third was chef Gordon Ramsay, 41, followed by Apprentice boss Sir Alan Sugar, 61.

All the ECB has is a South African as Captain of the losing England cricket squad. Big deal. F1 has a British star who grabs headlines for winning not losing.

The BBC was right to respond to the criticism and to rightly say that the price of cricket is now beyond terrestrial broadcasters.

The Battlestar effect

255762 — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:31:34 GMT

I can't tell you how disappointed I am. You go away for a few days and back home earth shattering news rocks the TV world. No not Dawn Airey, but the return of 'Blake's 7'.

Anyone who has been here before will know that I am of the firm belief that 'Battlestar Galactica' is some of the best television ever made and that reimagining the show as a dark and desperate struggle for survival in a post 9/11 world has made for compelling viewing.

While at the end of the 1970s the US was enjoying the camp original of 'Battlestar Galactica' we had 'Blake's 7', which was as dark as British sci-fi gets.

A band of rebels on the run in a cool ship from the totalitarian Federation regime, and now it is on its way to Sky One.

Actually that was two cool ships, and one after the other they all ended up in small pieces. First the Liberator.

...and then Scorpio, each with their distinctive onboard computers.

Slight worry as the station has little track record with drama (it did some sub-'Buffy the Vampire' show called 'Hex', but it had short bumpy, cast-changing run). But Sky also had a co-production role in the "re-imagining" of 'Battlestar Galactica' so it does know TV magic when it sees it.

'Blake's 7' has already made a little comeback with audio stories, but a move to TV is what fans have really wanted. Sky has commissioned two 60-minute shows and six scripts have in all been mapped out. I just hope it doesn't go the way of Sky's botched remake of the 'The Prisoner', which got dropped.

For a Big Brother/1984 set-in-space story about a society that controlled the lives of its civilians, 'Blake's 7' is perfect for a return. The only shame is that they did not do it sooner because it looks unlikely that any of the cast will make a reappearance -- retired as most are.

Oddly enough, like the new 'Battlestar Galactica', now in its fourth and final season, 'Blake's 7' only ran for four years until Paul Darrow's Avon shot dead the eponymous Blake in the final episode in a spectacular shootout.

Why the BBC hasn't moved on this before, after the success of revamping 'Doctor Who', is anyone's guess, but as a broadcaster it has never handled sc-fi very well -- even now (softening Doctor who with earlier timeslots and the awful Catherine Tate).

Oddly enough, it is making a 'Blake 7' -alike show about outcasts from Earth looking for a new home... which is odd, but very BBC like.

The success of the show will depend on whether Sky One can sell it, as the BBC has done with 'Doctor Who', in the US. First time around, the BBC sold 'Blacke's 7' in 40 countries around the world and that was in the 70s/80s, when most of the ships and props were made along strict guidelines set by 'Blue Peter'.

Sky has already said that Blake will be back as a character and you have to hope Federation boss Servalan will also return. She brought a dark touch of glamour to the show and Daniela Nardini, Anna from 'This Life' fame, would be a shoe-in -- she has been playing the role in the audio dramas.

The best role and the best lines belonged to Avon. The cool, cold and calculating cynic, who pretty much always dressed in black, and much will rely on who gets cast there.

There's so much to look forward. In the meantime, there is always YouTube. My favourite line: "Staying with your requires a level of stupidity I'm not capable of", but here are some more of top quips.