Advanced Television

Oliver Dowden

Dacre drops out of ‘fixed’ Ofcom bid

Paul Dacre, the government’s preferred candidate, has ruled himself out of reapplying for the Ofcom chair in a process widely seen as being re-run specifically to get him elected. It was no secret Dacre, long time editor of right-leaning Daily Mail and major BBC critic, was ministers’ preferred pick. Indeed the ‘independent’ interview panel they […]

November 22, 2021

Dorries new DCMS Secretary; Dowden demoted

Nadine Dorries, MP for Mid Bedfordshire, has been appointed Secretary of State at the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) following a wider than expected reshuffle by Prime Minister Boris Johnson of his Cabinet. She replaces Oliver Dowden, who has been named Minister without Portfolio within the Cabinet Office, effectively a demotion. Dorries […]

September 16, 2021By Colin Mann

UK Culture Secretary defends C4 sell-off

In a speech meant to be delivered to the Royal Television Society Convention before his unexpected demotion from the role, former UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden set out his support for the ongoing success of commercial public service broadcaster Channel 4 and the benefits a potential change in ownership could bring to the service and […]

September 15, 2021By Colin Mann

ITN: “Status of Channel 4 should be preserved”

ITN has submitted its response to the government’s consultation into a change of ownership of Channel 4. Due to its unique position as the supplier of the channel’s independent news service, ITN saus it remains impartial on the ownership model of Channel 4. While recognising that audience habits are changing and broadcasters are adapting their […]

September 15, 2021

UK consults on VoD audience protection

The UK government is considering how better to level the regulatory playing field between mainstream VoD services and traditional broadcasters and is seeking views on the matter in a consultation. This could mean aligning the content standards rules for on-demand TV services with those for traditional linear TV such as BBC 1 and Sky. Now […]

September 1, 2021By Colin Mann

The Orwellian Ofcom appointment

George Orwell’s dystopian future world of a sinister, mind-controlling dictatorship is often called upon as an analogy for political shenanigans in ‘the real world’. Usually, the comparison is overblown and inaccurate, and I’m not going to break with that tradition. However, the UK government’s manipulation of the ‘independent’ appointment of the chair of the media […]

August 31, 2021

UK seeks ‘post Brexit’ data deals

Britain is pursuing data partnerships with countries including the US, Australia, South Korea ‘and other fast-growing markets’ to boost trade after Brexit. ‘Data adequacy partnerships’ mean organisations would not have to implement costly compliance measures to share personal data internationally when doing business, the UK’s DCMS said, reports Reuters. Exiting the European Union’s GDPR regs […]

August 26, 2021

Sunset Studios plots £700m UK complex

Plans to build £700 million (€820m) film and TV studios facility in the UK have been revealed by the owners of Sunset Studios in Los Angeles. An investment firm has already purchased a 91-acre site in Hertfordshire for £120 million and, subject to planning permission, the facility will be built in Broxbourne. The area is […]

August 2, 2021

Broadband boost for rural England

Millions of people in rural England will get access to the fastest broadband speeds on the market as part of a £5 billion (€5.8bn) plan to level up Internet access across the UK. The UK government’s Project Gigabit fund to upgrade digital infrastructure in hard-to-reach areas will accelerate the country’s recovery from covid, fire up […]

August 2, 2021

640 UK films, TV shows in production in past year

More than 600 feature films and television productions have gone into production in the UK since the scheme was announced in July last year as the industry has moved into pandemic recovery thanks to the Government funded Film and TV Production Restart Scheme. The scheme was launched by the Government backed by £500 million to […]

July 28, 2021