Journalistic heavyweight Andrew Neil this week “resigned” as chairman and lead presenter of GB News, just 3 months into the broadcaster’s existence. Neil was very much the face of the station, sparking questions around his future when taking an extended summer break shortly after helping develop, launch and lead programming for the station. During GB […]
GB News launch: dividing opinions but driving “great” viewing figures
The UK news broadcasting landscape experienced a shake-up this week as GB News launched. It is the biggest news channel debut since Sky News back in 1989. The brainchild of veteran journalist and broadcaster Andrew Neil, the new station commenced at 8pm on Sunday 13 June. It’s available on all major broadcasting platforms, including Freeview, […]
7 key facts from the UK TV advertising market in 2020
TV ad spend in 2020 was £3.7 billion, down from £4.2 billion in 2019 (-11%) The initial COVID-19 lockdown in Q2 delivered the most severe negative blow for broadcasters. Demand from a large swathe of advertisers disappeared almost overnight. Traditionally higher demand and revenue months in Q4 helped close the gap and limit the overall […]
New exclusive content on Britbox: madness or masterstroke?
Readers of a certain vintage will likely remember Spitting Image. The iconic, satirist, TV puppet show aired between 1984 and 1996. It returned to our screens on the 3rd October this year, with the reboot featuring modern-day politicians and celebrities including Boris Johnson and Donald Trump. Chances are you wouldn’t have seen much of it […]
How will agency and media owner relationships change in the near future?
Recent updates from both Channel 4 Sales and Sky suggest significant changes to TV trading are on the near horizon in the UK. Both broadcasters are dialling up their propaganda around ‘selling audiences however and wherever they choose to watch.’ What do they mean by that? For Sky in particular, from 2021, they have outlined […]
Sky… The TV audience alchemists
How much are individual TV spots worth when no-one is watching them? It’s not a trick question! The UK TV audience measurement panel, BARB, records millions of spots as ‘zero-rated’: officially, no-one is watching them. In the traditional TV trading world, they’re worth zero. Zilch. Nada. But, in Sky’s world, they’re worth much, much more… […]
