Warner Bros. Discovery’s (Wbd) boss in the UK has said the streaming industry has moved “smartly” away from a “subscriber growth almost at any cost” approach.
“Scale is important but profitable growth with responsible spending is much more important,” Andrew Georgiou, who was promoted last year, told the Deloitte and Enders Media & Telecoms 2024 and Beyond Conference in London.
He talked up Wbd and others’ commitment to bundling as a way to battle against the issue of subscriber churn, which is having big knock-on impacts on the business.
“Netflix is a mainstay but we are starting to see real SVoD churn, people cycling in and out at an increasing rate,” he added. “That phenomenon is a huge cost to business and reducing that churn, increasing engagement and reducing the cost of ‘winbacks’ is something we all need to focus on.”
He was speaking on a panel after Netflix Co-CEO Greg Peters...
“Scale is important but profitable growth with responsible spending is much more important,” Andrew Georgiou, who was promoted last year, told the Deloitte and Enders Media & Telecoms 2024 and Beyond Conference in London.
He talked up Wbd and others’ commitment to bundling as a way to battle against the issue of subscriber churn, which is having big knock-on impacts on the business.
“Netflix is a mainstay but we are starting to see real SVoD churn, people cycling in and out at an increasing rate,” he added. “That phenomenon is a huge cost to business and reducing that churn, increasing engagement and reducing the cost of ‘winbacks’ is something we all need to focus on.”
He was speaking on a panel after Netflix Co-CEO Greg Peters...
- 6/4/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Fears over the future of the UK’s film and high-end TV inquiry have emerged due to the upcoming general election.
Culture, Media & Sport Committee (Cmsc) chair Caroline Dinenage has written today to Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer urging the Cmsc’s “successor committee” to keep up its work exploring the issues impacting the industry.
When a general election is called, committees such as the Cms are dissolved. Once a new government is in place, a different chair and group of cross-party MPs will be appointed to the new committee but it is under no obligation to continue the work of the previous one.
“We hope that the next government will continue to champion and support all facets of our screen industries,” wrote Dinenage. “Given the huge value that film and Hetv contributes, and the deep questions that remain about its resilience, we strongly urge our successor committee to revisit the...
Culture, Media & Sport Committee (Cmsc) chair Caroline Dinenage has written today to Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer urging the Cmsc’s “successor committee” to keep up its work exploring the issues impacting the industry.
When a general election is called, committees such as the Cms are dissolved. Once a new government is in place, a different chair and group of cross-party MPs will be appointed to the new committee but it is under no obligation to continue the work of the previous one.
“We hope that the next government will continue to champion and support all facets of our screen industries,” wrote Dinenage. “Given the huge value that film and Hetv contributes, and the deep questions that remain about its resilience, we strongly urge our successor committee to revisit the...
- 5/24/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The UK government’s culture secretary, Lucy Frazer was in the hot seat this morning (May 22) as the cross-party culture, media and sport committee challenged her on the government’s response to key issues including protection for the creative industries in the face of artificial intelligence (AI) and the need for a more flexible apprenticeship scheme.
Caroline Dinenage, the Conservative MP who is chair of the committee, asked Frazer for reassurance that the government was not prioritising its interest in advancing AI and tech over the of protection of the creative sectors, in light of the breakdown of the working...
Caroline Dinenage, the Conservative MP who is chair of the committee, asked Frazer for reassurance that the government was not prioritising its interest in advancing AI and tech over the of protection of the creative sectors, in light of the breakdown of the working...
- 5/22/2024
- ScreenDaily
The UK government’s culture secretary, Lucy Frazer was in the hot seat this morning (May 22) as the cross-party culture, media and sport committee challenged her on the government’s response to key issues including protection for the creative industries in the face of artificial intelligence (AI) and the need for a more flexible apprenticeship scheme.
Caroline Dinenage, the Conservative MP who is chair of the committee, asked Frazer for reassurance that the government was not prioritising its interest in advancing AI and tech over the of protection of the creative sectors, in light of the breakdown of the working...
Caroline Dinenage, the Conservative MP who is chair of the committee, asked Frazer for reassurance that the government was not prioritising its interest in advancing AI and tech over the of protection of the creative sectors, in light of the breakdown of the working...
- 5/22/2024
- ScreenDaily
The UK Culture Secretary has said she lobbied the BBC during a private board meeting to refer to Hamas as “terrorists” in its news coverage.
Lucy Frazer, who has previously said publicly that the corporation should use the term when referring to the group, was put under pressure this morning at a Culture, Media & Sport Committee hearing by committee member John Nicolson over the meeting with BBC head honchos including the Director General that took place late last year.
Nicolson quoted people who attended the meeting and told him they had been “baffled” by Frazer’s insistence to eschew discussing issues like the licence fee settlement and instead continue to “repeat points about Gaza.” “I am told you kept coming back to it,” said Nicolson.
Frazer stressed that a range of points were discussed at the meeting including the license fee settlement but recalled urging the BBC to change its tack on Hamas.
Lucy Frazer, who has previously said publicly that the corporation should use the term when referring to the group, was put under pressure this morning at a Culture, Media & Sport Committee hearing by committee member John Nicolson over the meeting with BBC head honchos including the Director General that took place late last year.
Nicolson quoted people who attended the meeting and told him they had been “baffled” by Frazer’s insistence to eschew discussing issues like the licence fee settlement and instead continue to “repeat points about Gaza.” “I am told you kept coming back to it,” said Nicolson.
Frazer stressed that a range of points were discussed at the meeting including the license fee settlement but recalled urging the BBC to change its tack on Hamas.
- 5/22/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
An open letter has been sent to culture secretary Lucy Frazer by commercial media and content businesses warning of the negative effects if the BBC includes ads in podcasts. The 20 signatories of broadcasters, audio producers and publishers who joined as a coalition to send the letter, highlighted the disastrous impact of such a change for consumers, licence fee payers and the creative economy.
- 5/13/2024
- by PodcastingToday
- Podcastingtoday
SXSW will host its inaugural London edition in June 2025, festival brass said on Wednesday.
The event will take place over one week across multiple spaces in Shoreditch in East London, and will feature keynotes, music showcases, tech, gaming, and screen, placing an emphasis on creative talent from around Europe.
The announcement comes after the festival expanded to Sydney last year and the initiative was welcomed on Wednesday by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and culture secretary Lucy Frazer.
Khan called the initiative “a historic opportunity for London to once again bring the world’s most exciting talent together as part...
The event will take place over one week across multiple spaces in Shoreditch in East London, and will feature keynotes, music showcases, tech, gaming, and screen, placing an emphasis on creative talent from around Europe.
The announcement comes after the festival expanded to Sydney last year and the initiative was welcomed on Wednesday by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and culture secretary Lucy Frazer.
Khan called the initiative “a historic opportunity for London to once again bring the world’s most exciting talent together as part...
- 5/9/2024
- ScreenDaily
South by Southwest is heading to London.
The event, which bills itself as “the world’s leading festival celebrating the convergence of creativity, culture and technology,” is expanding with SXSW London in June 2025.
The move gives SXSW, which was founded in 1987 in Austin, a presence in Europe. SXSW previously expanded into the Asia Pacific region, with SXSW Sydney, in 2023. Organizers said each of these events will feature “their own distinct flavor,” making SXSW “an indispensable three-stop tour for the global creative community.”
“As a lifelong fan of SXSW, I truly believe that it’s more than an event — it’s a movement, a platform where the world’s greatest minds, musicians and motivators come to share their passion and their vision of the future,” said Randel Bryan, managing director of SXSW London. “SXSW London will build on Austin’s incredible legacy, presenting an event that underpins why SXSW is the...
The event, which bills itself as “the world’s leading festival celebrating the convergence of creativity, culture and technology,” is expanding with SXSW London in June 2025.
The move gives SXSW, which was founded in 1987 in Austin, a presence in Europe. SXSW previously expanded into the Asia Pacific region, with SXSW Sydney, in 2023. Organizers said each of these events will feature “their own distinct flavor,” making SXSW “an indispensable three-stop tour for the global creative community.”
“As a lifelong fan of SXSW, I truly believe that it’s more than an event — it’s a movement, a platform where the world’s greatest minds, musicians and motivators come to share their passion and their vision of the future,” said Randel Bryan, managing director of SXSW London. “SXSW London will build on Austin’s incredible legacy, presenting an event that underpins why SXSW is the...
- 5/8/2024
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The South by Southwest festival, held annually in Austin, Texas, will launch a European edition in London in June 2025.
SXSW London will feature the mix of keynotes conversations, film and TV events, music showcases and showcases for innovations in digital and gaming that have defined SXSW since the festival began in 1987. The London festival will emphasize visual arts, design and fashion with exhibitions and immersive experiences that will be held in the Shoreditch area of east London. SXSW is owned by Variety parent company Pmc.
“As a life-long fan of SXSW, I truly believe that it’s more than an event — it’s a movement, a platform where the world’s greatest minds, musicians and motivators come to share their passion and their vision of the future,” said Randel Bryan, managing director of SXSW London. “SXSW London will build on Austin’s incredible legacy, presenting an event that underpins why...
SXSW London will feature the mix of keynotes conversations, film and TV events, music showcases and showcases for innovations in digital and gaming that have defined SXSW since the festival began in 1987. The London festival will emphasize visual arts, design and fashion with exhibitions and immersive experiences that will be held in the Shoreditch area of east London. SXSW is owned by Variety parent company Pmc.
“As a life-long fan of SXSW, I truly believe that it’s more than an event — it’s a movement, a platform where the world’s greatest minds, musicians and motivators come to share their passion and their vision of the future,” said Randel Bryan, managing director of SXSW London. “SXSW London will build on Austin’s incredible legacy, presenting an event that underpins why...
- 5/8/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety Film + TV
The South by Southwest festival is expanding to London in June, 2025.
The SXSW brand, which originated in Austin, Texas almost four decades ago, has grown to become synonymous with the celebration of the convergence between creativity, culture and technology. London is the latest expansion outpost, after SXSW launched a branded festival in Sydney, Australia last year.
Like the festivals in Austin and Sydney, SXSW London will combine entertainment, music and technology, and the debate and discussion of challenging issues including AI, climate change, politics and society.
Since 1987, SXSW has hosted leading speakers and participants across a multitude of disciplines, including Christiane Amanpour, Deepak Chopra, Mark Cuban, Melinda Gates, Dave Grohl, Sadiq Khan, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Steven Spielberg, Dr. Lisa Su, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, Tilda Swinton, Taika Waititi, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Webb, Michelle Yeoh, and Mark Zuckerberg.
SXSW also provided early showcases for musical acts including Amy Winehouse,...
The SXSW brand, which originated in Austin, Texas almost four decades ago, has grown to become synonymous with the celebration of the convergence between creativity, culture and technology. London is the latest expansion outpost, after SXSW launched a branded festival in Sydney, Australia last year.
Like the festivals in Austin and Sydney, SXSW London will combine entertainment, music and technology, and the debate and discussion of challenging issues including AI, climate change, politics and society.
Since 1987, SXSW has hosted leading speakers and participants across a multitude of disciplines, including Christiane Amanpour, Deepak Chopra, Mark Cuban, Melinda Gates, Dave Grohl, Sadiq Khan, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Steven Spielberg, Dr. Lisa Su, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, Tilda Swinton, Taika Waititi, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Webb, Michelle Yeoh, and Mark Zuckerberg.
SXSW also provided early showcases for musical acts including Amy Winehouse,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Jeff Zucker and Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Imi, the new Abu Dhabi-backed owner of All3Media, has pulled out of its deal to buy the UK’s Daily Telegraph following press freedom concerns.
RedBird Imi will now have to effectively sell the Telegraph as it had already taken control of the British paper plus Spectator Magazine in December when it repaid owner the Barclay family’s debts, including a £600M ($753M) loan against the titles.
“RedBird Imi has today confirmed that it intends to withdraw from its proposed acquisition of the Telegraph Media Group and proceed with a sale,” a RedBird Imi spokesperson told Reuters. “We have held constructive conversations with the government about ensuring a smooth and orderly sale for both titles.”
The move comes months after RedBird Imi was prevented from bringing the deal home due to regulatory roadblocks amid concern at the upper echelons of UK government around press freedom.
RedBird Imi will now have to effectively sell the Telegraph as it had already taken control of the British paper plus Spectator Magazine in December when it repaid owner the Barclay family’s debts, including a £600M ($753M) loan against the titles.
“RedBird Imi has today confirmed that it intends to withdraw from its proposed acquisition of the Telegraph Media Group and proceed with a sale,” a RedBird Imi spokesperson told Reuters. “We have held constructive conversations with the government about ensuring a smooth and orderly sale for both titles.”
The move comes months after RedBird Imi was prevented from bringing the deal home due to regulatory roadblocks amid concern at the upper echelons of UK government around press freedom.
- 4/30/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The UK Labour Party has set out its plan for the film and TV industries, drawing a dividing line between itself and the ruling Conservatives as it slams the government for “getting themselves all tied up in culture wars of their own making and failing to support a pipeline of talent.”
Delivering her first major set-piece at the Creative Cities Convention, Shadow Culture Secretary Thangam Debbonaire said she will “not be fighting culture wars” but instead will focus on arts and culture being central to Labour’s “Phase One” plan if it gets into office. Her boss, Labour leader Keir Starmer, is plotting “a decade of national renewal in Britain.” The election is expected later this year and Labour is currently sitting around 20 points ahead of the Conservatives in the polls.
Debbonaire set out Labour’s position in thorny areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), the BBC and the ailing freelance workforce.
Delivering her first major set-piece at the Creative Cities Convention, Shadow Culture Secretary Thangam Debbonaire said she will “not be fighting culture wars” but instead will focus on arts and culture being central to Labour’s “Phase One” plan if it gets into office. Her boss, Labour leader Keir Starmer, is plotting “a decade of national renewal in Britain.” The election is expected later this year and Labour is currently sitting around 20 points ahead of the Conservatives in the polls.
Debbonaire set out Labour’s position in thorny areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), the BBC and the ailing freelance workforce.
- 4/24/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Pierce Brosnan will star with Amir El-Masry in the sports drama “Giant,” based on the true-life story of British-Yemeni boxer Prince Naseem “Naz” Hamed and his rags to riches ascent to a world championship under the tutelage of his Irish-born boxing trainer Brendan Ingle.
El-Masry will play Naz and Brosnan is set to portray Ingle. The film will be written and directed by Rowan Athale, and produced by Mark Lane of Tea Shop Productions and Kevin Sampson of White Star Productions. AGC chairman and CEO Stuart Ford will also produce.
AGC Studios and BondIt Media Capital are financing the film.
On board to executive produce are Sylvester Stallone and Braden Aftergood of Balboa Productions, AGC Studios’ Miguel Palos, Zach Garrett and Anant Tamirisa, BondIt’s Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor and Tyler Gould, Michael Ewing and True Brit’s Zygi Kamasa.
Kamasa’s True Brit Entertainment has taken U.K. distribution...
El-Masry will play Naz and Brosnan is set to portray Ingle. The film will be written and directed by Rowan Athale, and produced by Mark Lane of Tea Shop Productions and Kevin Sampson of White Star Productions. AGC chairman and CEO Stuart Ford will also produce.
AGC Studios and BondIt Media Capital are financing the film.
On board to executive produce are Sylvester Stallone and Braden Aftergood of Balboa Productions, AGC Studios’ Miguel Palos, Zach Garrett and Anant Tamirisa, BondIt’s Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor and Tyler Gould, Michael Ewing and True Brit’s Zygi Kamasa.
Kamasa’s True Brit Entertainment has taken U.K. distribution...
- 4/15/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Pierce Brosnan and Amir El-Masry will star in AGC’s Naseem Hamed boxing drama Giant, which starts shooting later this month in the UK after the producers relocated from Malta to benefit from the country’s recently announced Independent Film Tax Credit.
Zygi Kamasa’s True Brit has acquired UK distribution rights to the project which Rowan Athale, whose credits include Gangs Of London, will direct from his screenplay.
Strike-induced production delays meant the producers had to reconfigure the cast after Paddy Considine and Mena Massoud were originally announced as the leads.
Principal photography will take place in Leeds. Brosnan...
Zygi Kamasa’s True Brit has acquired UK distribution rights to the project which Rowan Athale, whose credits include Gangs Of London, will direct from his screenplay.
Strike-induced production delays meant the producers had to reconfigure the cast after Paddy Considine and Mena Massoud were originally announced as the leads.
Principal photography will take place in Leeds. Brosnan...
- 4/14/2024
- ScreenDaily
Former ITV and Channel 5 bosses will examine the future funding model of the BBC.
The UK government has just set out the panel that will advise on the future of the license fee, which could be culled in 2027 after more than 100 years. The panel will assess the sustainability of the current model and examine alternative options for funding the national broadcaster, while exploring new ways for the broadcaster to increase commercial income and how it could transition to any potential new funding model.
Panelists include Sir Peter Bazalgatte, a storied former chair of ITV, and David Elstein, the former CEO of Channel 5.
Others include Amber de Botton, who worked at Sky News and then was ITV’s Head of UK News, and Lorna Tilbian, the Executive Chairman of investment and wealth management firm Dowgate Capital. Full list is below.
The panels will be chaired by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer,...
The UK government has just set out the panel that will advise on the future of the license fee, which could be culled in 2027 after more than 100 years. The panel will assess the sustainability of the current model and examine alternative options for funding the national broadcaster, while exploring new ways for the broadcaster to increase commercial income and how it could transition to any potential new funding model.
Panelists include Sir Peter Bazalgatte, a storied former chair of ITV, and David Elstein, the former CEO of Channel 5.
Others include Amber de Botton, who worked at Sky News and then was ITV’s Head of UK News, and Lorna Tilbian, the Executive Chairman of investment and wealth management firm Dowgate Capital. Full list is below.
The panels will be chaired by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer,...
- 3/21/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here taking you through what has been a whirlwind of a week in international TV and film. Do not stop here — please do read on. And sign up here.
Indie Movie “Game-Changer”
£1B worth of sweeteners: It was a potentially “game-changing” week for a floundering British indie film sector with the unveiling of a 40% tax relief on movies with budgets less than £15M ($19M) — a relief that trade body Pact says it has been calling for in some form or another since 2017 and which answers the prayers of Culture, Media & Sport Committee boss Caroline Dinenage. Jeremy Hunt’s budget was perhaps the most listened-to and most celebrated for a decade by the creative industries after the UK Chancellor unveiled the relief with fanfare alongside 40% business rates relief for big studios and improved VFX relief. All in all, Hunt and the UK treasury said that the...
Indie Movie “Game-Changer”
£1B worth of sweeteners: It was a potentially “game-changing” week for a floundering British indie film sector with the unveiling of a 40% tax relief on movies with budgets less than £15M ($19M) — a relief that trade body Pact says it has been calling for in some form or another since 2017 and which answers the prayers of Culture, Media & Sport Committee boss Caroline Dinenage. Jeremy Hunt’s budget was perhaps the most listened-to and most celebrated for a decade by the creative industries after the UK Chancellor unveiled the relief with fanfare alongside 40% business rates relief for big studios and improved VFX relief. All in all, Hunt and the UK treasury said that the...
- 3/8/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: UK Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has said the 40% indie film tax relief will bring balance to a movie sector that has swung too far towards big-budget fare in recent years.
The Conservatives unveiled the relief yesterday on films below £15M ($19M) budget, which was celebrated as a “game-changer” by figures ranging from Christopher Nolan to Ridley Scott to Gurinder Chadha.
Frazer said the latest set of tax reliefs brought in by the government, which it predicts will be worth £1B in additional relief over the next five years, are the “continuation” of a decade’s worth of work and will level the playing field between big-budget U.S. movies like Barbie that filmed in the UK and smaller indie fare.
“We’re supporting big productions and big international films on British soil but we need to do both and help indie films as well,” she said, as she sat...
The Conservatives unveiled the relief yesterday on films below £15M ($19M) budget, which was celebrated as a “game-changer” by figures ranging from Christopher Nolan to Ridley Scott to Gurinder Chadha.
Frazer said the latest set of tax reliefs brought in by the government, which it predicts will be worth £1B in additional relief over the next five years, are the “continuation” of a decade’s worth of work and will level the playing field between big-budget U.S. movies like Barbie that filmed in the UK and smaller indie fare.
“We’re supporting big productions and big international films on British soil but we need to do both and help indie films as well,” she said, as she sat...
- 3/8/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Producers alliance Pact has played a key role in lobbying for the UK Independent Film Tax Credit (Iftc) that was announced in the budget yesterday by chancellor Jeremy Hunt.
Pact CEO John McVay tells Screen how the Iftc, which offers an effective 40% tax relief for UK-qualifying films costing up to £15m, was secured and how it will work in practice.
What is your reaction to the news today about the UK Independent Film Tax Credit?
I’m absolutely delighted. This is a journey we started in 2017. We proposed then a 40% tax credit for films within a certain budget range. We...
Pact CEO John McVay tells Screen how the Iftc, which offers an effective 40% tax relief for UK-qualifying films costing up to £15m, was secured and how it will work in practice.
What is your reaction to the news today about the UK Independent Film Tax Credit?
I’m absolutely delighted. This is a journey we started in 2017. We proposed then a 40% tax credit for films within a certain budget range. We...
- 3/7/2024
- ScreenDaily
Producers alliance Pact has played a key role in lobbying for the UK Independent Film Tax Credit (Iftc) that was announced in the budget yesterday by chancellor Jeremy Hunt.
Pact CEO John McVay tells Screen how the Iftc, which offers an effective 40% tax relief for UK-qualifying films costing up to £15m, was secured and how it will work in practice.
What is your reaction to the news today about the UK Independent Film Tax Credit?
I’m absolutely delighted. This is a journey we started in 2017. We proposed then a 40% tax credit for films within a certain budget range. We...
Pact CEO John McVay tells Screen how the Iftc, which offers an effective 40% tax relief for UK-qualifying films costing up to £15m, was secured and how it will work in practice.
What is your reaction to the news today about the UK Independent Film Tax Credit?
I’m absolutely delighted. This is a journey we started in 2017. We proposed then a 40% tax credit for films within a certain budget range. We...
- 3/7/2024
- ScreenDaily
Children’s TV has joined the growing list of UK genres jostling for government intervention after an emergency summit attended by the biggest players in the game.
The Children’s Media Foundation (Cmf), which convened the summit earlier this month and was attended by YouTube, has forged a list of “possible interventions” required to help a genre in crisis and sent them to the UK culture department and regulator Ofcom. “Time is not on our side given the known impact on UK children,” said the Cmf.
The eight proposals start with the government “needing to address the reality of the children’s media market as it is now, characterised by the loss of audience from UK broadcasters to online streaming and video sharing services.”
Backing up recent comments made by BBC kids boss Patricia Hidalgo, the Cmf said that “while there is UK-originated and international content of value on these platforms,...
The Children’s Media Foundation (Cmf), which convened the summit earlier this month and was attended by YouTube, has forged a list of “possible interventions” required to help a genre in crisis and sent them to the UK culture department and regulator Ofcom. “Time is not on our side given the known impact on UK children,” said the Cmf.
The eight proposals start with the government “needing to address the reality of the children’s media market as it is now, characterised by the loss of audience from UK broadcasters to online streaming and video sharing services.”
Backing up recent comments made by BBC kids boss Patricia Hidalgo, the Cmf said that “while there is UK-originated and international content of value on these platforms,...
- 2/28/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
For lots of professionals in the UK screen industry, the work simply hasn’t come back since last year’s strikes. Bectu is calling on the government to step in.
Last year was a difficult time for people in the UK screen sector. Lots of talented people found themselves out of work, given that so much of our service-based screen industry is dependent on investment and projects from across the Atlantic, where a series of damaging strikes shut down the US industry for months on end.
As if the shutdown wasn’t bad enough, the knowledge that these strikes would in no way improve the pay and conditions for these British workers was a source of further frustration. If that wasn’t bad enough, the creative sector trade union Bectu has now revealed that the majority of these UK professionals are yet to find work, months after the strikes have ended.
Last year was a difficult time for people in the UK screen sector. Lots of talented people found themselves out of work, given that so much of our service-based screen industry is dependent on investment and projects from across the Atlantic, where a series of damaging strikes shut down the US industry for months on end.
As if the shutdown wasn’t bad enough, the knowledge that these strikes would in no way improve the pay and conditions for these British workers was a source of further frustration. If that wasn’t bad enough, the creative sector trade union Bectu has now revealed that the majority of these UK professionals are yet to find work, months after the strikes have ended.
- 2/28/2024
- by Dan Cooper
- Film Stories
UK creative industries union Bectu has called for the government to summon an urgent industry summit to address a “crisis” among film and TV freelancers.
The creative industry union’s head Philippa Childs wrote an open letter to the government’s culture secretary Lucy Frazer, asking for a summit “bringing together broadcasters, industry stakeholders and government, to discuss the crisis and possible solutions”.
Childs continued: “The future of our much loved and globally revered film and TV industry, and one of the UK’s economic heavyweights, depends on urgent and joined up action. The workforce, who underpin the sector’s success,...
The creative industry union’s head Philippa Childs wrote an open letter to the government’s culture secretary Lucy Frazer, asking for a summit “bringing together broadcasters, industry stakeholders and government, to discuss the crisis and possible solutions”.
Childs continued: “The future of our much loved and globally revered film and TV industry, and one of the UK’s economic heavyweights, depends on urgent and joined up action. The workforce, who underpin the sector’s success,...
- 2/27/2024
- ScreenDaily
“Urgent and joined up action” has been demanded from the UK government by broadcasting union Bectu, which has called for an industry-wide summit and criticized the culture secretary for saying the creative industries are “booming.”
Philippa Childs has written a letter to Lucy Frazer this morning saying the “current picture for the UK screen industries is deeply concerning.”
She called for the summit with haste, which she said should bring together “broadcasters, industry stakeholders and government to discuss the crisis and possible solutions.”
“The future of our much loved and globally revered film and TV industry, and one of the UK’s economic heavyweights, depends on urgent and joined up action,” said Childs. “The workforce, who underpin the sector’s success, must have a seat at the table.”
She was writing on behalf of the thousands of UK freelancers. A Bectu survey last week found that 68% of UK film and TV freelancers are not working,...
Philippa Childs has written a letter to Lucy Frazer this morning saying the “current picture for the UK screen industries is deeply concerning.”
She called for the summit with haste, which she said should bring together “broadcasters, industry stakeholders and government to discuss the crisis and possible solutions.”
“The future of our much loved and globally revered film and TV industry, and one of the UK’s economic heavyweights, depends on urgent and joined up action,” said Childs. “The workforce, who underpin the sector’s success, must have a seat at the table.”
She was writing on behalf of the thousands of UK freelancers. A Bectu survey last week found that 68% of UK film and TV freelancers are not working,...
- 2/27/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Christopher Nolan was presented with his BFI Fellowship last night (Feb 14) at the Rosewood London by his Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy, who introduced the director he has worked with on six films as “the most important bromance of my career” and “one of the greatest directors in the world”.
The visibly moved filmmaker paid tribute to his wife and long-time producer Emma Thomas in front of a packed industry audience.
“I was asked if in all of those years fighting to shoot on film, did you ever feel alone doing that?” said Nolan. “I was able to say I did...
The visibly moved filmmaker paid tribute to his wife and long-time producer Emma Thomas in front of a packed industry audience.
“I was asked if in all of those years fighting to shoot on film, did you ever feel alone doing that?” said Nolan. “I was able to say I did...
- 2/15/2024
- ScreenDaily
Cillian Murphy presented Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan with the BFI Fellowship, the British Film Institute’s highest honor, Wednesday evening at a London dinner event hosted by BFI chair Tim Richards.
“The BFI Fellowship recognizes Nolan’s extraordinary achievements and enormous contribution to cinema as one of the world’s most innovative and influential film directors,” the organization said.
Nolan received the honor at the annual BFI Chair’s Dinner at the Rosewood Hotel in central London. Murphy, who has worked with Nolan on the likes of the Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Dunkirk and Oppenheimer, was in attendance along with such film industry guests as NBCUniversal Studio Group chair and chief content officer Donna Langley, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thomas, Michael Caine, Josh Hartnett, Hans Zimmer, Hoyte van Hoytema, Barbara Broccoli, Tom Hiddleston, Michelle Dockery, Gurinder Chadha, Misan Harriman, Molly Manning Walker, BFI CEO Ben Roberts, as well as U.K. Prime...
“The BFI Fellowship recognizes Nolan’s extraordinary achievements and enormous contribution to cinema as one of the world’s most innovative and influential film directors,” the organization said.
Nolan received the honor at the annual BFI Chair’s Dinner at the Rosewood Hotel in central London. Murphy, who has worked with Nolan on the likes of the Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Dunkirk and Oppenheimer, was in attendance along with such film industry guests as NBCUniversal Studio Group chair and chief content officer Donna Langley, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thomas, Michael Caine, Josh Hartnett, Hans Zimmer, Hoyte van Hoytema, Barbara Broccoli, Tom Hiddleston, Michelle Dockery, Gurinder Chadha, Misan Harriman, Molly Manning Walker, BFI CEO Ben Roberts, as well as U.K. Prime...
- 2/15/2024
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The UK’s film and high-end TV production (Hetv) spend reached over £4.23bn in 2023, 32% down on 2022 in a year in which UK production was heavily impacted by the Hollywood strikes, but almost level with 2019 pre-covid production spend, according to statistics published (February 1) by the British Film Institute (BFI) .
Total film production reached £1.36bn, 31% down on 2022, while high-end TV stood at almost £2.9bn, 33% down on the record-breaking 2022 but still third highest annual spend since tax relief was introduced in 2013.
The £2.9bn spend on high-end TV includes £379m from 18 film productions made for streaming platforms.
US features in production in the UK...
Total film production reached £1.36bn, 31% down on 2022, while high-end TV stood at almost £2.9bn, 33% down on the record-breaking 2022 but still third highest annual spend since tax relief was introduced in 2013.
The £2.9bn spend on high-end TV includes £379m from 18 film productions made for streaming platforms.
US features in production in the UK...
- 2/1/2024
- ScreenDaily
The UK’s film and high-end TV production (Hetv) spend reached over £4.23bn in 2023, 35% down on 2022 in a year in which UK production was heavily impacted by the Hollywood strikes, but almost level with 2019 pre-covid production spend, according to statistics published (February 1) by the British Film Institute (BFI) .
Film production reached £1.36bn, 31% down on 2022, while high-end TV stood at almost £2.9bn, 33% down on the record-breaking 2022 but still third highest annual spend since tax relief was introduced in 2013.
The £2.9bn spend on high-end TV includes £379m from 18 film productions made for streaming platforms.
US features in production in the UK in...
Film production reached £1.36bn, 31% down on 2022, while high-end TV stood at almost £2.9bn, 33% down on the record-breaking 2022 but still third highest annual spend since tax relief was introduced in 2013.
The £2.9bn spend on high-end TV includes £379m from 18 film productions made for streaming platforms.
US features in production in the UK in...
- 2/1/2024
- ScreenDaily
Spend on UK film and high-end TV slid sharply to £4.23B ($5.3B) in the strike-hit 2023, according to the BFI’s latest annual stats.
The figure was 35% down on a record 2022, the BFI said, while floating the silver lining of £4.3B being nearly level with 2019’s pre-Covid spend. There were other green shoots such as a small rise in cinema admissions.
It will come as little surprise that the figures fell so starkly given that the latter half of the year saw film and high-end TV production severely dented due to the writers and actors strikes across the pond.
Film production in the UK fell to £1.36B in 2023 spend, a 31% drop on 2022’s figure, while high-end TV was down by the larger 38% to £2.9B. As with the past few years, high-end TV made up the brunt of overall production spend at around two-thirds.
Of the total £1.36B spent on 207 film productions,...
The figure was 35% down on a record 2022, the BFI said, while floating the silver lining of £4.3B being nearly level with 2019’s pre-Covid spend. There were other green shoots such as a small rise in cinema admissions.
It will come as little surprise that the figures fell so starkly given that the latter half of the year saw film and high-end TV production severely dented due to the writers and actors strikes across the pond.
Film production in the UK fell to £1.36B in 2023 spend, a 31% drop on 2022’s figure, while high-end TV was down by the larger 38% to £2.9B. As with the past few years, high-end TV made up the brunt of overall production spend at around two-thirds.
Of the total £1.36B spent on 207 film productions,...
- 2/1/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The BBC director general has held “listening meetings” with staff as the British broadcaster seeks to address internal unrest over perceived bias in its coverage of the Israel-Gaza war.
Several BBC insiders said Tim Davie and other senior managers have sat down with employees in recent weeks, giving them the space to air concerns about the corporation’s output since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
Deadline can reveal that one such meeting took place on January 12, when around two dozen employees, including senior presenters, challenged Davie with allegations that the BBC was being biased against Palestinians.
Similar meetings have taken place with workers who feel the BBC’s output has been unfavorable to Israel. The Daily Telegraph reported last week that at least 22 Jewish staff members have submitted formal complaints about antisemitism and the social media activity of presenter Gary Lineker, who recently reposted (and later deleted) a call...
Several BBC insiders said Tim Davie and other senior managers have sat down with employees in recent weeks, giving them the space to air concerns about the corporation’s output since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
Deadline can reveal that one such meeting took place on January 12, when around two dozen employees, including senior presenters, challenged Davie with allegations that the BBC was being biased against Palestinians.
Similar meetings have taken place with workers who feel the BBC’s output has been unfavorable to Israel. The Daily Telegraph reported last week that at least 22 Jewish staff members have submitted formal complaints about antisemitism and the social media activity of presenter Gary Lineker, who recently reposted (and later deleted) a call...
- 1/31/2024
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
If you spent Monday morning watching or listening to the news in the UK, you would be forgiven for thinking that the BBC was getting it badly wrong on impartiality.
Lucy Frazer, Britain’s Culture Secretary, was interviewed by almost every major news show in the country, ostensibly to speak about some uncontroversial reforms the government is making to the BBC’s regulatory arrangements.
As she was paraded in front of a variety of presenters, Frazer was repeatedly pressed on whether the BBC was biased. She answered yes, on behalf of both the government and the BBC’s millions of viewers and listeners
“There is a perception amongst the public that the BBC is biased,” Frazer told Sky News. She went further in an interview with Gb News: “Audiences are feeling like the BBC is not performing that role in relation to impartiality and they are getting less impartial...
Lucy Frazer, Britain’s Culture Secretary, was interviewed by almost every major news show in the country, ostensibly to speak about some uncontroversial reforms the government is making to the BBC’s regulatory arrangements.
As she was paraded in front of a variety of presenters, Frazer was repeatedly pressed on whether the BBC was biased. She answered yes, on behalf of both the government and the BBC’s millions of viewers and listeners
“There is a perception amongst the public that the BBC is biased,” Frazer told Sky News. She went further in an interview with Gb News: “Audiences are feeling like the BBC is not performing that role in relation to impartiality and they are getting less impartial...
- 1/23/2024
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
The U.K. government is giving more power to the BBC and media regulator Ofcom to handle complaints as part of its mid-term review into the corporation’s functioning.
The Royal Charter is the constitutional basis for the BBC. The current Charter began on Jan. 1 and ends on Dec. 31 2027. The U.K. government’s mid-term review of the Charter, which began in May, 2022, focused on governance and regulatory arrangements.
The review states that audiences will be given greater certainty that their complaints about BBC TV, radio and on demand content – including concerns about bias – are dealt with fairly, through greater scrutiny of its complaints process, which is to be made more independent from program makers. A new legally binding responsibility on the BBC board will require it to actively oversee the BBC’s complaints process to assure audiences that their concerns are being fairly considered.
In addition, Ofcom oversight will be...
The Royal Charter is the constitutional basis for the BBC. The current Charter began on Jan. 1 and ends on Dec. 31 2027. The U.K. government’s mid-term review of the Charter, which began in May, 2022, focused on governance and regulatory arrangements.
The review states that audiences will be given greater certainty that their complaints about BBC TV, radio and on demand content – including concerns about bias – are dealt with fairly, through greater scrutiny of its complaints process, which is to be made more independent from program makers. A new legally binding responsibility on the BBC board will require it to actively oversee the BBC’s complaints process to assure audiences that their concerns are being fairly considered.
In addition, Ofcom oversight will be...
- 1/22/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Ofcom and the BBC Board are to be handed more powers to oversee complaints about BBC content including on its website and YouTube channel, as the government’s mid-term review into the corporation focuses intensely on the issue of complaints and impartiality.
The BBC has agreed to undertake “major reforms to boost audience confidence in its impartiality,” the Culture, Media & Sport (Cms) department said, with the organization taking on all recommendations from the review that takes place at the approximate mid-point of each 11-year-long BBC charter.
This includes extending Ofcom oversight to complaints about the BBC website and YouTube channel, handing Ofcom a legally binding responsibility to review more of the BBC’s complaints decisions and forging a similar responsibility for the BBC Board – newly chaired by Samir Shah – to oversee the complaints process.
A subcommittee of the board, which will benefit from “outside perspectives provided by independent advisors,” will...
The BBC has agreed to undertake “major reforms to boost audience confidence in its impartiality,” the Culture, Media & Sport (Cms) department said, with the organization taking on all recommendations from the review that takes place at the approximate mid-point of each 11-year-long BBC charter.
This includes extending Ofcom oversight to complaints about the BBC website and YouTube channel, handing Ofcom a legally binding responsibility to review more of the BBC’s complaints decisions and forging a similar responsibility for the BBC Board – newly chaired by Samir Shah – to oversee the complaints process.
A subcommittee of the board, which will benefit from “outside perspectives provided by independent advisors,” will...
- 1/22/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: UK Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer is expected to hail the biggest selling film of 2023 being “made and recorded in Hertfordshire – not Hollywood” at a glitzy parliament reception hosted by Warner Bros. Discovery (Wbd) tonight.
TV talent, lawmakers and Wbd execs will attend the private Speaker’s House reception in a few hours’ time, we understand, one in a long line of recent events and coming as Wbd gets closer to the UK government. A number of stars of Wbd shows are expected to be there, along with the likes of its new UK and Ireland boss Andrew Georgiou.
Deadline is told Frazer is expected to shower praise on the U.S. conglomerate’s contribution to the UK sector, as she points out that it has produced more than 300 television series, 27 feature films and 23 video games over the past five years. She will also flag a major expansion of Wbd’s Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire,...
TV talent, lawmakers and Wbd execs will attend the private Speaker’s House reception in a few hours’ time, we understand, one in a long line of recent events and coming as Wbd gets closer to the UK government. A number of stars of Wbd shows are expected to be there, along with the likes of its new UK and Ireland boss Andrew Georgiou.
Deadline is told Frazer is expected to shower praise on the U.S. conglomerate’s contribution to the UK sector, as she points out that it has produced more than 300 television series, 27 feature films and 23 video games over the past five years. She will also flag a major expansion of Wbd’s Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire,...
- 1/17/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Jay Hunt, the creative director for Apple TV+ in Europe, has been named chair of the British Film Institute for a term of four years starting on Feb. 16, the organization and the U.K. government said on Wednesday.
She has been a governor of the BFI since 2020 and served on the board of the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Before joining Apple, Hunt served as chief creative officer of British broadcaster Channel 4. “She is the only person to have run three terrestrial broadcast channels, also serving as controller of BBC One and director of programs at Channel 5,” the BFI said.
Her commissions have included such global hits as Bad Sisters, Slow Horses, Luther, Sherlock, Black Mirror, and Catastrophe. She started her career at BBC News. In 2023, she was named one of the Top 20 Most Powerful Women in Global Entertainment by The Hollywood Reporter.
“Film is at the heart of the U.
She has been a governor of the BFI since 2020 and served on the board of the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Before joining Apple, Hunt served as chief creative officer of British broadcaster Channel 4. “She is the only person to have run three terrestrial broadcast channels, also serving as controller of BBC One and director of programs at Channel 5,” the BFI said.
Her commissions have included such global hits as Bad Sisters, Slow Horses, Luther, Sherlock, Black Mirror, and Catastrophe. She started her career at BBC News. In 2023, she was named one of the Top 20 Most Powerful Women in Global Entertainment by The Hollywood Reporter.
“Film is at the heart of the U.
- 1/10/2024
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Apple TV+ exec will take over from Vue CEO Tim Richards.
Jay Hunt, AppleTV+ European creative director, has been confirmed as the next chair of the British Film Institute (BFI).
She will take over from Vue CEO Tim Richards for a four year-term on February 16.
The BFI chair is appointed by the UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms) and ratified by culture secretary Lucy Frazer.
Australia-born Hunt will be the first female chair since Joan Bakewell, who was in post from 1999-2002, and the first chair to come from a streaming platform.
“The BFI plays...
Jay Hunt, AppleTV+ European creative director, has been confirmed as the next chair of the British Film Institute (BFI).
She will take over from Vue CEO Tim Richards for a four year-term on February 16.
The BFI chair is appointed by the UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms) and ratified by culture secretary Lucy Frazer.
Australia-born Hunt will be the first female chair since Joan Bakewell, who was in post from 1999-2002, and the first chair to come from a streaming platform.
“The BFI plays...
- 1/10/2024
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: The British government has blocked a woman of color from being appointed to Channel 4’s board for a third time, raising further questions about ministers meddling in media appointments.
TV regulator Ofcom recruits Channel 4 board members, but preferred candidates must be signed off by culture secretary Lucy Frazer. Rozina Breen, the BBC’s former head of north, was put forward by Ofcom, but ministers rejected her appointment without providing reasons for the decision.
Deadline can reveal the veto after Channel 4 chairman Ian Cheshire appeared to criticize the diversity of five new board members approved by the government on Monday. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (Dcms) said it was committed to “advancing equality” in public appointments.
Breen, now CEO and editor-in-chief of The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, praised the six-month recruitment process run by Ofcom, but was concerned by the approach taken by ministers.
“There were clear...
TV regulator Ofcom recruits Channel 4 board members, but preferred candidates must be signed off by culture secretary Lucy Frazer. Rozina Breen, the BBC’s former head of north, was put forward by Ofcom, but ministers rejected her appointment without providing reasons for the decision.
Deadline can reveal the veto after Channel 4 chairman Ian Cheshire appeared to criticize the diversity of five new board members approved by the government on Monday. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (Dcms) said it was committed to “advancing equality” in public appointments.
Breen, now CEO and editor-in-chief of The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, praised the six-month recruitment process run by Ofcom, but was concerned by the approach taken by ministers.
“There were clear...
- 1/9/2024
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
The AppleTV+ exec is emerging as the frontrunner to take over from Tim Richards.
Jay Hunt is the name doing the industry rounds as the frontrunner to succeed Tim Richards as the next chair of the British Film Institute (BFI).
Screen understands that Hunt, Apple TV+’s creative director for Europe, is in pole position to replace Vue CEO Richards when he steps down next year.
The BFI chair is appointed by the UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms) and ratified by culture secretary Lucy Frazer. Interviews are understood to have taken place in November, with...
Jay Hunt is the name doing the industry rounds as the frontrunner to succeed Tim Richards as the next chair of the British Film Institute (BFI).
Screen understands that Hunt, Apple TV+’s creative director for Europe, is in pole position to replace Vue CEO Richards when he steps down next year.
The BFI chair is appointed by the UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Dcms) and ratified by culture secretary Lucy Frazer. Interviews are understood to have taken place in November, with...
- 12/15/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Good afternoon Insiders, here we go again with a busy old week in TV and film. Max Goldbart penning the newsletter. Read on and sign up here.
Bad Times For The BBC
Déjà vu: When you’ve been doing this for a little while, nothing gives off more of a sense of déjà vu than BBC budget woes. It always starts the same way. A downtrodden UK Prime Minister desperately seeks a distraction hook and latches on to the nation’s favorite (ish) broadcaster, in this case saying over the weekend that the public cannot afford the previously-agreed inflationary rise to the licence fee next year that would have seen the fee shoot up by nearly £15 ($18.90). Several days and one new chair appointment later, and the sentiment was confirmed by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, who said the fee will instead rise by just more than £10, as the government shifted the goalposts.
Bad Times For The BBC
Déjà vu: When you’ve been doing this for a little while, nothing gives off more of a sense of déjà vu than BBC budget woes. It always starts the same way. A downtrodden UK Prime Minister desperately seeks a distraction hook and latches on to the nation’s favorite (ish) broadcaster, in this case saying over the weekend that the public cannot afford the previously-agreed inflationary rise to the licence fee next year that would have seen the fee shoot up by nearly £15 ($18.90). Several days and one new chair appointment later, and the sentiment was confirmed by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, who said the fee will instead rise by just more than £10, as the government shifted the goalposts.
- 12/8/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The annual license fee for the BBC will rise by £10.50 ($13.20) to £169.50 ($213.35), lower than what the corporation expected, causing a funding gap of £90 million ($113 million).
As revealed in the BBC’s annual report, the bulk of its income was from the license fee paid for by the public, which accounted for £3.74 billion, £60 million down from last year. The licence fee was frozen for two years at £159.50. The license fee rise was linked to September’s rate of inflation, which was lower than preceding months, rather than an average of the past year and is lesser that the 15% anticipated. The fee, which will come into effect from April, 2024, has risen by 6.6%. This is expected to cause a funding gap of £90 million.
The BBC board said: “We note that the government has restored a link to inflation on the licence fee after two years of no increases during a time of high inflation.
As revealed in the BBC’s annual report, the bulk of its income was from the license fee paid for by the public, which accounted for £3.74 billion, £60 million down from last year. The licence fee was frozen for two years at £159.50. The license fee rise was linked to September’s rate of inflation, which was lower than preceding months, rather than an average of the past year and is lesser that the 15% anticipated. The fee, which will come into effect from April, 2024, has risen by 6.6%. This is expected to cause a funding gap of £90 million.
The BBC board said: “We note that the government has restored a link to inflation on the licence fee after two years of no increases during a time of high inflation.
- 12/8/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: BBC insiders have voiced alarm over a funding deal that has blown a £90M ($113M) hole in the UK broadcaster’s finances and sources say potentially threatens its independence.
The British government announced on Thursday that it would increase the BBC’s income in line with inflation, but ministers have ripped up the agreed way of measuring this price hike and the timetable for future funding settlements. A senior BBC insider said it was an “unhealthy way to do business.”
Culture secretary Lucy Frazer said the license fee, a levy that all UK households must pay to access BBC services, will increase by 6.7% from April 2024. This was the spot rate of inflation in September this year. Traditionally the government has pegged licence fee increases to an annual average of inflation, which would have been 9% in 2024 had this calculation been kept in place.
It means the £159 fee, which has been frozen for two years,...
The British government announced on Thursday that it would increase the BBC’s income in line with inflation, but ministers have ripped up the agreed way of measuring this price hike and the timetable for future funding settlements. A senior BBC insider said it was an “unhealthy way to do business.”
Culture secretary Lucy Frazer said the license fee, a levy that all UK households must pay to access BBC services, will increase by 6.7% from April 2024. This was the spot rate of inflation in September this year. Traditionally the government has pegged licence fee increases to an annual average of inflation, which would have been 9% in 2024 had this calculation been kept in place.
It means the £159 fee, which has been frozen for two years,...
- 12/7/2023
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Your TV licence will go up by a tenner in 2024, which is less than the feared £14.50 increase, but still not great.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has launched a review into how the BBC is funded. The cost of living crisis has been hitting Britons rather hard of late, and an increase in the TV licence isn’t exactly welcome news.
A TV licence now costs you £159 a year – or £53.50 if you own a black and white TV. This will remain unchanged until April 2024, but will then go up by a tenner and you’ll be paying £169.50 – or £57 if you like your programmes in black and white. The fee will remain the same for the next three years.
“This is a fair deal that provides value for money for the licence fee payer while also ensuring that the BBC can continue to produce world leading content,” Frazer said in a statement.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has launched a review into how the BBC is funded. The cost of living crisis has been hitting Britons rather hard of late, and an increase in the TV licence isn’t exactly welcome news.
A TV licence now costs you £159 a year – or £53.50 if you own a black and white TV. This will remain unchanged until April 2024, but will then go up by a tenner and you’ll be paying £169.50 – or £57 if you like your programmes in black and white. The fee will remain the same for the next three years.
“This is a fair deal that provides value for money for the licence fee payer while also ensuring that the BBC can continue to produce world leading content,” Frazer said in a statement.
- 12/7/2023
- by Maria Lattila
- Film Stories
The BBC’s license fee will not rise by as much as previously promised, the UK government has confirmed, condemning the corporation to a difficult year that could see more cuts and less shows commissioned. The government has, meanwhile, launched a review into the BBC’s funding model.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer announced in parliament in the past few minutes that the annual fee will rise by around £10.50 ($12.50) to £169.50, below the previous £14.50 increase that was tied to a higher rate of inflation. The license fee has been frozen for the past two years, leading to difficult decisions for the BBC, and the government had initially said it would return to rising with Cpi inflation from 2024. The license fee will rise in April 2024 by 6.7%, the figure of inflation from September 2023 that is the same measure linked with state pensions and benefits.
The news was expected after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said...
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer announced in parliament in the past few minutes that the annual fee will rise by around £10.50 ($12.50) to £169.50, below the previous £14.50 increase that was tied to a higher rate of inflation. The license fee has been frozen for the past two years, leading to difficult decisions for the BBC, and the government had initially said it would return to rising with Cpi inflation from 2024. The license fee will rise in April 2024 by 6.7%, the figure of inflation from September 2023 that is the same measure linked with state pensions and benefits.
The news was expected after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said...
- 12/7/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Juniper TV CEO Samir Shah is set to become the new chair of the BBC, the U.K.’s culture secretary Lucy Frazer said today.
Shah, who has worked in broadcasting for more than 40 years, will appear before the Culture, Media and Sport committee in the U.K. for what’s known as “pre-appointment scrutiny” before officially taking up the role, which is worth £160,000 a year.
The BBC is one of the U.K.’s public service broadcasters and is also publicly owned, effectively held in trust by the government for the U.K. public. Convention dictates that the candidate for chair is “recommended” to King Charles II and the Lord President of the Council (currently Penny Mordaunt) by the secretary of state for culture (currently Lucy Frazer) and the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, following a hearing with the Cms committee and subsequent report.
“With a career spanning more than...
Shah, who has worked in broadcasting for more than 40 years, will appear before the Culture, Media and Sport committee in the U.K. for what’s known as “pre-appointment scrutiny” before officially taking up the role, which is worth £160,000 a year.
The BBC is one of the U.K.’s public service broadcasters and is also publicly owned, effectively held in trust by the government for the U.K. public. Convention dictates that the candidate for chair is “recommended” to King Charles II and the Lord President of the Council (currently Penny Mordaunt) by the secretary of state for culture (currently Lucy Frazer) and the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, following a hearing with the Cms committee and subsequent report.
“With a career spanning more than...
- 12/6/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
The 71-year-old, who owns Juniper TV, will appear before MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee for pre-appointment scrutiny.
The Department for Culture, Media & Sport has confirmed that TV exec Samir Shah is the culture secretary’s preferred candidate to replace Richard Sharp as BBC chair.
The 71-year-old, who owns Juniper TV, will appear before MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee for pre-appointment scrutiny. No date for the session has been set yet.
Shah’s new role will be worth £160,000 per year for three to four days per week, working to uphold the BBC...
The Department for Culture, Media & Sport has confirmed that TV exec Samir Shah is the culture secretary’s preferred candidate to replace Richard Sharp as BBC chair.
The 71-year-old, who owns Juniper TV, will appear before MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee for pre-appointment scrutiny. No date for the session has been set yet.
Shah’s new role will be worth £160,000 per year for three to four days per week, working to uphold the BBC...
- 12/6/2023
- by Ellie Kahn Broadcast
- ScreenDaily
British TV vet Samir Shah has been unveiled as the new BBC Chair, coming with a major decision on the licence fee imminent.
Shah, who runs production company Juniper TV and used to be a senior BBC News exec, has been appointed by the government several months after the resignation of Richard Sharp, who left the corporation after just two years amidst the conflict-of-interest scandal involving the facilitation of a potential loan for Boris Johnson.
Shah has been working on and off in TV for four decades and is well known in industry circles. He used to run the BBC’s political journalism shows and was a non-exec director during the ‘Crowngate’ affair involving Queen Elizabeth II, at which point he advised Director General Mark Thompson over a scandal that led to the resignation of BBC One Controller Peter Fincham. He bought Juniper in 1998 and has made shows for the likes of the BBC,...
Shah, who runs production company Juniper TV and used to be a senior BBC News exec, has been appointed by the government several months after the resignation of Richard Sharp, who left the corporation after just two years amidst the conflict-of-interest scandal involving the facilitation of a potential loan for Boris Johnson.
Shah has been working on and off in TV for four decades and is well known in industry circles. He used to run the BBC’s political journalism shows and was a non-exec director during the ‘Crowngate’ affair involving Queen Elizabeth II, at which point he advised Director General Mark Thompson over a scandal that led to the resignation of BBC One Controller Peter Fincham. He bought Juniper in 1998 and has made shows for the likes of the BBC,...
- 12/6/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The biggest players in UK children’s TV are being asked to attend a summit early next year to try and resolve grave funding issues amidst existential questions over the genre’s future.
The Children’s Media Foundation (Cmf) has been preparing the summit for months including via a series of consultative meetings with all the major broadcasters, producer groups and lobbyists from August to October. The likes of Netflix and YouTube, which have been hugely influential in shaping the modern children’s TV sector, will also be invited to attend. Organizers are concerned about the outsized impact these global behemoths are having on the local children’s TV sector.
Local children’s TV in the UK is in hot water, according to Cmf boss and summit organizer Greg Childs, due to stiff competition, the difficulties in attracting young audiences to broadcast TV, a sharp rise in production costs...
The Children’s Media Foundation (Cmf) has been preparing the summit for months including via a series of consultative meetings with all the major broadcasters, producer groups and lobbyists from August to October. The likes of Netflix and YouTube, which have been hugely influential in shaping the modern children’s TV sector, will also be invited to attend. Organizers are concerned about the outsized impact these global behemoths are having on the local children’s TV sector.
Local children’s TV in the UK is in hot water, according to Cmf boss and summit organizer Greg Childs, due to stiff competition, the difficulties in attracting young audiences to broadcast TV, a sharp rise in production costs...
- 12/6/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The BBC is staring down the barrel of another real terms funding cut after the UK government signaled its intention to peg the license fee below inflation.
Culture secretary Lucy Frazer told BBC Radio 4’s Today show that the government would announce the new level of the license fee “very soon.”
Under a deal struck with the BBC in 2022, the broadcaster’s funding was frozen for two years, but ministers agreed it could rise with inflation from April 2024.
This would guarantee the BBC a funding increase of around 9%, pushing the annual household fee up £15 to £173.30 ($219.53) — the biggest single increase for nearly 40 years.
Asked if the government will halt the 9% increase, Frazer told Today: “I think that is a lot of money and that is one of the things that we are considering.”
The culture secretary said she disagreed with the suggestion that the government was ripping up the deal...
Culture secretary Lucy Frazer told BBC Radio 4’s Today show that the government would announce the new level of the license fee “very soon.”
Under a deal struck with the BBC in 2022, the broadcaster’s funding was frozen for two years, but ministers agreed it could rise with inflation from April 2024.
This would guarantee the BBC a funding increase of around 9%, pushing the annual household fee up £15 to £173.30 ($219.53) — the biggest single increase for nearly 40 years.
Asked if the government will halt the 9% increase, Frazer told Today: “I think that is a lot of money and that is one of the things that we are considering.”
The culture secretary said she disagreed with the suggestion that the government was ripping up the deal...
- 12/4/2023
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Jeff Zucker, the former president of CNN and onetime CEO of NBCUniversal, is eying a push by right-leaning British newspaper The Daily Telegraph into the U.S. if his company’s bid to buy the title is successful.
An auction for the Telegraph Media Group, which includes magazine The Spectator, was halted this week when Zucker’s company RedBird Imi offered to clear the debts of the group’s previous owner, the Barclay family, totaling more than £1.1 billion ($1.38 billion), according to The Financial Times.
RedBird Imi is a joint venture between private-equity firm RedBird Capital, led by former Goldman Sachs partner Gerry Cardinale, and Abu Dhabi’s International Media Investments, a private investment fund run by Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan.
Other bidders for The Telegraph include Rupert Murdoch’s News U.K., owner of London newspapers The Times and The Sun; Lord Rothermere’s Dmgt, owner of London’s Daily Mail; and Paul Marshall,...
An auction for the Telegraph Media Group, which includes magazine The Spectator, was halted this week when Zucker’s company RedBird Imi offered to clear the debts of the group’s previous owner, the Barclay family, totaling more than £1.1 billion ($1.38 billion), according to The Financial Times.
RedBird Imi is a joint venture between private-equity firm RedBird Capital, led by former Goldman Sachs partner Gerry Cardinale, and Abu Dhabi’s International Media Investments, a private investment fund run by Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan.
Other bidders for The Telegraph include Rupert Murdoch’s News U.K., owner of London newspapers The Times and The Sun; Lord Rothermere’s Dmgt, owner of London’s Daily Mail; and Paul Marshall,...
- 11/24/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The UK government has been accused of interfering with the BBC’s independence after piling pressure on the broadcaster to grip the Huw Edwards scandal in July.
Within hours of The Sun newspaper publishing allegations that Edwards paid a teenager for sexual images, a high-ranking official all but ordered the BBC to investigate, according to emails obtained by Deadline under a Freedom of Information Act request.
The BBC is editorially and operationally independent of the government and people familiar with the corporation’s governance said it is the job of the board, not ministers, to police issues such as the Edwards firestorm.
This did not stop Robert Specterman-Green, the director of media for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (Dcms), from messaging BBC chief of staff Phil Harrold on Saturday, July 8, to set out the government’s expectations.
“While recognising this is a matter for the BBC to manage,...
Within hours of The Sun newspaper publishing allegations that Edwards paid a teenager for sexual images, a high-ranking official all but ordered the BBC to investigate, according to emails obtained by Deadline under a Freedom of Information Act request.
The BBC is editorially and operationally independent of the government and people familiar with the corporation’s governance said it is the job of the board, not ministers, to police issues such as the Edwards firestorm.
This did not stop Robert Specterman-Green, the director of media for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (Dcms), from messaging BBC chief of staff Phil Harrold on Saturday, July 8, to set out the government’s expectations.
“While recognising this is a matter for the BBC to manage,...
- 11/21/2023
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Tim Davie urged MPs to put themselves in the shoes of a Palestinian civillian last night in a rare address to the Conservative Party’s influential 1922 Committee.
Under questioning about the BBC’s refusal to label Hamas as “terrorists,” the Director General is understood to have said that lawmakers should consider what a Palestinian person would think to see the BBC taking a UK government line and therefore looking like an arm of the British state, according to Politico.
A BBC spokesman said: “We are impartial… it’s not about being neutral, it’s about being able to report in the UK, in Gaza, in the Middle East, whereas if the BBC is seen to be an arm of the UK government, that makes our journalism very difficult and it impacts the way it’s perceived and trusted.”
Davie’s rare address to 1922, the Conservative grouping that oversees administration of...
Under questioning about the BBC’s refusal to label Hamas as “terrorists,” the Director General is understood to have said that lawmakers should consider what a Palestinian person would think to see the BBC taking a UK government line and therefore looking like an arm of the British state, according to Politico.
A BBC spokesman said: “We are impartial… it’s not about being neutral, it’s about being able to report in the UK, in Gaza, in the Middle East, whereas if the BBC is seen to be an arm of the UK government, that makes our journalism very difficult and it impacts the way it’s perceived and trusted.”
Davie’s rare address to 1922, the Conservative grouping that oversees administration of...
- 10/26/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
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