Satellite news 12.06.06

Satdude

Satellite news 24.04.06

News

Ofcom clears the way for pay TV on Freeview

Media regulator Ofcom has cleared the way for pay TV channels to be carried on the digital terrestrial TV service, Freeview, overturning access restrictions that until now have allowed only subscription-free channels to be carried on the platform. The move means that subscription-based channels such as Sky One, MTV, Cartoon Network and Disney Channel can now bid for carriage on the 30-channel platform, which is now in almost six million homes. Ofcom said the decision to lift the restriction was influenced by the rapid development of digital terrestrial TV, which is now in more than one in three digital homes.

ITV Play channel comes to Freeview

ITV has launched its ITV Play channel on Freeview, with programming including the first show spawned from the broadcaster's purchase of the Friends Reunited website. Friends Reunited – The School Run builds on the interest in nostalgia that is at the heart of the Friends Reunited website, which ITV bought last December. Based on a huge interactive board game, the show brings classmates together to test their knowledge of facts and trivia from a particular year.

New Cartoon Network channel launches on Sky

Cartoon Network's brand new second channel has launched this week on Sky channel 622. With a brand-new look and totally original schedule, Cartoon Network Too claims to be the destination for anyone in search of a good giggle. The channel is aimed at "kids of all ages" and is available on Sky channel 622.

Brand new film channel TCM2 to launch in May

Brand new film channel TCM2 is to launch on May 2nd. A spokesman at Turner Broadcasting said: "Having TCM2 will allow scope to explore further sponsorship opportunities for its bespoke themed seasons and offer the many advertisers on TCM (EPG 319) a far greater variety of options as well as attracting new brands to both of the channels."
New film channel coming to UK later this year?

The TV company which bought the international business of the Hallmark Channel in February last year is planning to launch a second channel in the UK. Sparrowhawk reportedly wants its new channel to be dedicated to "made-for TV movies." No date is yet available for the launch.

BBC Three commissions new drama series

BBC Three has commissioned a new six-part drama series called Sinchronicity about the sexual misadventures of a group of 20-somethings. Written by Julian Jones, the show will be directed by Brian Grant, Executive Producers for BBC Three are Julie Gardner and Bethan Jones (BBC Wales). Sinchronicity was commissioned by Julian Bellamy, Controller of BBC Three. Filming begins next month.


UKTV People timeshift channel shuts down

The UKTV People one-hour timeshift channel has ceased broadcasting and been removed from the Sky line-up. The main UKTV People is unaffacted but it is believed poor audience figures meant the timeshift channel was not viable. It ban on air for just over one year.

Sky takes TV to the masses with city festival

Sky is taking TV to the people with the launch of its first Sky Festival. Sky Networks head Dawn Airey has announced that the event will run from August 11-13 in Manchester. The three-day festival will promote 25 of Sky's most popular pay TV channels including LivingTV, MTV, Sky News and Paramount Comedy. Residents will be able to strut the catwalk in a bid to be the city's "Next Top Model," learn to read an autocue with a team from Sky News, have their vehicle transformed in MTV "Pimp my Ride" style, try their luck as stand-up comics with the Paramount Comedy channel and test their cricket bowling with a team from Sky Sports.

New gambling channel from Sky launches

A new second casino-style gambling channel from Sky Vegas has launched on the Sky EPG. Called Sky Vegas 846, it broadcasts on sky digital channel 846 and shows interactive poker and roulette games. At the same time, sister channel Sky Vegas 1 has been renamed Sky Vegas 845.


Treasury to investigate digital TV quiz channels

Concerns expressed by a number of organisations including the Gambling Commission has prompted the Treasury to examine the regulation of TV quiz channels. ITV has launched its first such service on Freeview, ITV Play, where viewers dial a premium-rate number to play for big cash prizes. A Treasury spokesman said it would consider if such shows should adopt the same rules as other types of gambling. There are approximately 15 dedicated quiz channels on digital TV, including Channel 4-owned Quiz Call.

Sci-Fi unleashes marketing blitz for 'Medium'

The Sci-Fi Channel has begun a six-figure marketing campaign to promote its forthcoming primetime TV series, Medium. The month-long activity has just gone live and revolves primarily around multi-channel TV advertising with extensive online activity. Sky One, Hallmark, Living and ITV2 and will carry the campaign in three bursts until early May. The online activity includes expandable banners with the capability to stream the TV ad on Yahoo!, wanadoo/icircle, ITV.com, radiotimes.com and Livingtv.co.uk, and moving picture units on MSN.co.uk.

Ofcom plans to limit Sky's charges

Media regulator Ofcom has said it plans to cap the charges that Sky imposes on companies using its satellite service. Ofcom said its decision was based on Sky's dominant position in Britain's pay TV sector. "With 8 million households now signed up to Sky's retail platform service, Sky is now in a much stronger negotiating position vis-a-vis TPS (technical platform services)," Ofcom said in a statement.

ITV keeps hold of Bond terrestrial TV rights

ITV has snapped up exclusive terrestrial TV rights to the upcoming James Bond movie Casino Royale as well as new runs of the complete 22-title archive in a deal with Sony Pictures and MGM. ITV head of acquisitions Jay Kandola secured the deal in what is reported to have been a tough bidding contest with Channel 4, ensuring ITV continues its legacy as the traditional home of Bond in the U.K. "ITV is delighted to have secured the rights to this hotly contested catalog of movies," ITV director of television Simon Shaps said. "Films form a key part of the ITV schedules in both peak and off-peak hours, and we are looking forward to building upon the hugely successful relationship we have with Sony Pictures Television International and MGM."

CITV boosts schedule ahead of Sky launch

ITV's new childrens channel, CITV, is to launch on sky digital on May 8th and to mark its launch the broadcaster has announced new programming will be screened from that date. The line-up will include new episodes of Bratz, as well as the return of vintage classics like Rupert and Sooty and Sweep.

Digital TV news in brief...

On Sky channel 656, Myphone.tv is now called Shop Vector+... On Sky channel 671 Star Bazaar TV has been removed from the line-up... Sky Vegas Live is now called Sky Vegas 845 on channel 845... All eight Vectone channels which briefly ceased broadcasting last week have now re-joined the Sky line-up... Majestic TV has moved from Slky channel 275 to 886... On channel 541, UKTV People +1 has been removed... Sky One has confirmed it is to axe its drama series Dream Team after over 400 episodes next year... Nick Junior 2 has begun test transmissions and is expected to launch fully very shortly.

Regards Satdude.

Yeshi

Would this be itv?? doubt the situtation of the gold cards would arise again and i wonder who they will use to protect the channels.. Nagravision.. umm doubt it.. good ol james murdock can protect them

Satdude

Satellite news 08.05.06

News

Sky to begin HD installations from May 22

Sky will begin installing its high-definition television boxes in the UK and Ireland on 22 May, after receiving 40,000 advance orders since 13 April when it began taking bookings from the general public. The number of orders for the long-awaited service is higher than the total number of sales of the Sky+ personal video recorder in its first year. The expectation surrounding Sky HD has seen sales forecasts for this year rise from 1.4m units to 2m, with the cumulative total expected to be 2.7m at the end of 2006.

Sky HD announces launch-day schedule

Sky HD will formally start its HD programming line-up on 22 May. Highlights for the day and the rest of the month include live Test match cricket between England and Sri Lanka, and the Guinness Premiership rugby union final. There will also be US drama series 24 and Rescue Me, and a number of recent hit movies such as 2005's final Star Wars film, Revenge of the Sith, and the Oscar-winning Wallace & Gromit In The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Sky HD will cost £10 per month in addition to a sky digital subscription (currently priced between £15 and £42.50 per month). Subscribers will also pay £299 for set-top box.

New horse and country TV channel to launch

A new TV channel for equestrian and country enthusiasts called Home and Country TV will launch on sky digital later this year. Nick Ludlow, founder of the channel, said: "We have a great range of programming which will breathe fresh country air into digital TV and deliver a long-awaited platform for equestrian and country communities." He added that the channel had already exceeded its first year advertising sales targets with expressions of interest coming from many sources. The channel has also launched a Web site.

Sky loses exclusive rights to Premiership soccer

Sky's grip on TV coverage of the English Premiership has finally been broken after Irish broadcaster Setanta Sports won rights to two of the packages being auctioned by the FA Premier League. Ending 14 years of exclusively on Sky Sports, a total of 46 Premiership fixtures will go out live on Setanta Sports from the 2007/8 season through to 2009/10, after the second round Premiership bids were revealed. Sky also secured a fourth package of a further 23 games, having landed three packages – amounting to 69 games – in the first round. In total, Sky will air 92 games per season. Backed by private equity firm Benchmark Capital, Setanta reportedly paid £392m for its live matches over the three-year duration. Sky, backed by its own pay-TV subscription revenue, confirmed that it coughed up £1.314bn for its games over the same period.

New UKTV Drama channel launches on Sky

A brand new time-shifted version of UKTV Drama has launched on sky digital. Called UKTV Drama +1, the channel shows programmes an hour later that its sister station. The new channel is on Sky channel 134 and broadcasts between 3pm and 2am.

New TCM2 movie channel gets underway

Turner Classic Movies has launched a new second film channel called TCM2. It is available on sky digital channel 320 and offers an alternative schedule of classic films.

New ITV childrens channel launches on Sky

ITV's new children’s channel CITV has launched on Sky channel 624. CITV launched on March 11th earlier this year on Freeview, Homechoice and Telewest but a delay in obtaining an EPG number on Sky led to its satellite launch be stalled.

BBC World is here to stay, vows BBC boss

The director general of the BBC, Mark Thompson, said the broadcaster will retain global news TV channel BBC World, despite calls from an independent auditor to close the money-losing venture. Speaking at a Broadcast Press Guild lunch, the BBC boss said that BBC World, which is a commercially funded channel, should be kept running, despite losing more than £16 million a year. "BBC World had its best year ever last year in advertising terms and is a very important part of our global networks strategy," he said.

Lacklustre financial results unveiled by Sky

Sky has unveiled what city analysts called 'lacklustre' third-quarter finanicial results, announcing 40,000 new subscribers overall for the three months ending March 31st. The broadcaster announced net profits that were up £11 million to £151 million for the quarter, on revenue up 9% to £1.1 billion. Year-to-date revenue totaled £3.1 billion for the nine months through the end of March, with net profits for the period totaling £609 million. Churn (the percentage of customers to quit the service over the period) rose 0.8% to 11.4% for the quarter, also worse than expected.

'Little Britain' star fronts digital TV ad campaign

Little Britain star Matt Lucas has been signed up to raise digital TV awareness in a £200 million campaign about the analogue TV switch-off. The campaign follows surveys showing 60 per cent of people do not fully understand Britain's move to digital, which is taking place between 2008 and 2012. A seven year public information campaign has kicked off which includes the setting up of a call centre to advise about the switch.

Cult TV series The Prisoner set for comeback

A modern remake of the cult 1960s British drama The Prisoner is set to reappear on TV screens later next year. Sky One has asked ITV Productions to make a six-part series for transmission in spring 2007. The show is described by Sky as its "biggest ever drama commission" and has been reworked from the original scripts by Bill Gallagher (of Conviction and Clocking Off). Christopher Eccleston, who quit as Doctor Who after one season, is being tipped to star. New director of programmes Richard Woolfe said: "If Doctor Who set the standard, The Prisoner raises the bar. This series is a sophisticated, high-concept drama to rival anything on the terrestrials and the best of the US. It's our biggest drama commission ever and every penny will be evident on screen."

Digital TV news in brief...

Jazz FM has suddenly disappeared from the Sky EPG line-up. The station was on channel 0167... ITV and the BBC will fight it out for the lion’s share of gongs at this month’s Royal Television Society sports awards. The BBC is up for 18 awards at the event while ITV has 17 nominations... Sky One director of original programming Jo Wallace has quit the channel just weeks after new director of programming Richard Woolfe arrived at the broadcaster... More than 30% of under 11-year-olds watch TV unsupervised and four out of 10 in the same age group have unrestricted access to the Internet, according to new research on children's media consumption published by media regulator Ofcom... ARY The Muzik on Sky channel 823 is the UK's first 24 hour Pakistani music channel.

British cooking icons go under BBC4 spotlight

BBC4 has given the go-ahead to two new films about contrasting female icons of British cooking for its autumn schedule: The Diaries of Mrs Beeton and Fear of Fanny. The Diaries of Mrs Beeton centres on the ground-breaking founding editor of Harpers & Queen magazine and Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, Isabella Beeton. In Fear of Fanny, Julia Davis takes the role of TV's first celebrity chef, Fanny Cradock, and is joined by her Nighty Night co-star Mark Gatiss, who plays her much-maligned husband, Johnnie. BBC4 controller Janice Hadlow said: "BBC Four shines the spotlight on the colourful and fascinating lives of two very different women who changed the face of British cooking forever."

BAFTA award for BBC4 political satire

BBC 4 political satire The Thick of It did well at the BAFTA on Sunday. Actor Chris Langham was winner of the Best Comedy Performance award, chosen ahead of Catherine Tate and Extras' star Ashley Jensen, with the show also picking up Best Sitcom.

Voice Of Africa radio station to launch on Sky

Voice of Africa Radio has started test transmissions on sky digital ahead of its formal launch later in May. It is testing at 12.402GHz/V under the name '9562' and airs African music, news and information. The channel is scheduled to launch on Sky channel 0192 on 15th May.

Regards Satdude.

Satdude

Satellite news 15.05.06

News

Sky preparing bid to run National Lottery

Sky is preparing a bid to run the National Lottery, according to press reports. The broadcaster is reportedly in discussions with potential partners about forming a consortium with the aim of submitting a bid by the end of the year. A senior Sky source told the Observer the lottery offered 'collaborative opportunities', but added that it was unlikely to be lead partner in a bid. Sky already sells lottery tickets over its betting channel, Skybet, and could increase ratings for Sky One by screening the weekly draw.

BBC kicks off HD TV on bank holiday weekend

The BBC will give the UK's first high-definition viewers a curtain-raising treat of the whole of Planet Earth part one, followed by classic Dickens drama Bleak House over Whitsun Bank Holiday, 27th to 29th May. Then, from June 9th, the BBC's World Cup coverage will be simulcast in HD as will major Wimbledon matches. From July, the stream will show BBC highlights in drama, documentaries, events and music for a few hours each day.

Sky to begin HD installations from May 22

Sky will begin installing its high-definition television boxes in the UK and Ireland on 22 May, after receiving 40,000 advance orders since 13 April when it began taking bookings from the general public. The number of orders for the long-awaited service is higher than the total number of sales of the Sky+ personal video recorder in its first year. The expectation surrounding Sky HD has seen sales forecasts for this year rise from 1.4m units to 2m, with the cumulative total expected to be 2.7m at the end of 2006.

Controversial toddlers TV channel coming to UK?

A controversial new TV channel aimed at children aged under three could be available in the UK by the end of the year. BabyFirstTV has just launched in the US on satellite service DirecTV and reports suggest it could launch in the UK on sky digital by Christmas. The channel has been greeted with scepticism by some, who see it as a free babysitting service for children that health campaigners argue should not be watching TV at all. Programmes are colour coded to indicate the educational value. Shows include "I Can Sign!', where parents can learn sign language with their children, and 'Colour Symphony' to help babies fall asleep.

Sky HD announces launch-day schedule

Sky HD will formally start its HD programming line-up on 22 May. Highlights for the day and the rest of the month include live Test match cricket between England and Sri Lanka, and the Guinness Premiership rugby union final. There will also be US drama series 24 and Rescue Me, and a number of recent hit movies such as 2005's final Star Wars film, Revenge of the Sith, and the Oscar-winning Wallace & Gromit In The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Sky HD will cost £10 per month in addition to a sky digital subscription (currently priced between £15 and £42.50 per month). Subscribers will also pay £299 for set-top box.

NTL abandons plans for Virgin Sport launch

NTL has abandoned plans to launch a flagship subscription sports channel called Virgin Sport after it failed to secure any Premiership rights in the recent auction process, which it also condemned as "flawed". It will continue to show Sky content and intends to buy matches from Setanta, the other successful bidder, but conceded that without exclusive content, its aim of starting a Virgin Sports channel was doomed. James Mooney, the chairman of NTL, said that the Premier League auction process was "very flawed" and plans to express its concerns to Ofcom.

Head of Sky News to quit in September

Sky's head of news, Nick Pollard, will leave the broadcaster in September, after running Sky News for more than a decade. Pollard, who pioneered the launch of Europe's first 24-hour news channel, will be replaced by Sky News executive editor John Ryley. Sky News, which for much of the last decade has been one the UK's leading news brands, has recently suffered slowing ratings against increased competition from BBC News 24.

Sky clinches footie coverage deal with Setanta

Sky has struck a deal with Setanta which will enable about 40,000 pubs, clubs, sports centres and other commercial operators to receive Setanta's coverage of 46 live Premier League football games. The broadcaster added it had also come to an "in-principle" deal with Setanta that will make these matches available to residential Sky subscribers, so all 138 live Premiership football matches will be available to customers without them having to switch to another platform. It is uncertain how the Setanta games will be packaged and for how much. In addition to being on Sky, the package is likely to be on Freeview with Top Up, and on NTL.

Sky One searches for best foreign footballers

Sky One has started a search for the best overseas footballers to have graced the UK's top league for a new show called The Premiership's Greatest Foreign Players. The two-hour programme, to be screened in August, will mark the culmination of a three-month search to find the nation's favourite foreign Premiership footballer of all time from a list of 50, including the likes of Gianfranco Zola, David Ginola and Thierry Henry.

Sky's PPV soccer channel to be axed

Sky's pay-per-view football channel PremPlus looks set to be axed from the start of the 2007-08 season after the broadcaster's recent loss of one of the Premier League TV rights packages. The Times reports that Sky’s PremPlus service generated only £35m in the current season from 50 games. Setanta has effectively spent £131m a year for 46 games.

Digital radio listening on the rise, says study

The proportion of radio listening via digital platforms climbed to 11.4% from 10.5% last quarter, as DAB set penetration charged forward. New figures covering January-March from radio audience measurement body Rajar show how widely digital radio - via DAB, the internet, digital TV and mobile phones - is now casting its net among the UK population. For the first time, more than half of the UK adult population is listening to radio via digital platforms. The percentage of adults who listen to radio via their TV climbing from 35.8% to 36.5%.

Shopping channel rapped after complaints

Shopping channel One TV has been rapped on the knuckles by the Advertising Standards Authority after 65 complaints were upheld against it for failing to deliver products and provide customers with refunds. One viewer said his bank account had been debited twice for an item he had ordered from One TV but not received. Another customer received a refund only after taking legal action against the company. One TV said the problems were down to changes in management at the channel, problems with suppliers, and issues at its previous call centre.

Digital TV news in brief...

Childrens ITV channel CITV launched as expected on sky digital channel 624... Abu Dhabi TV has been restored to Sky channel 804... TV channel ATN Bangla has been removed from Sky channel 818.

TV viewing patterns 'unaffected by PVRs'

Most TV viewing in households with personal video recorders like Sky+ is still live and "traditional scheduled TV will be around for a long time yet", according to new research. Also, viewers still paid attention to adverts even when they fast-forwarded through them, the study found. "This research suggests that the impact of PVRs on viewing of commercials may not be as extreme as some had previously thought," said Mark Bunting, the strategy manager at media regulator Ofcom.

Regards Satdude.

Satdude

Satellite news 22.05.06

News

Seven new MTV channels for 'emerging markets'

Emerging markets will provide "escalating growth" for MTV, Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone said this week when he announced the launch of a new 24-hour Turkish-language channel called MTV Turkey. The latest network is due to roll out to 6 million homes in September. Redstone said that seven channels are planned for emerging markets over the next 12 months, adding that he also remained hopeful that the company will be able to launch a Nickelodeon-branded childrens channel in China in the future.

Sky HD installations postponed for many viewers

Sky viewers who have pre-ordered the broadcaster's soon-to-launch HD service have had their installation dates put back without prior warning because of a supply shortage. While affected customers have been given a £20 credit by Sky, this has been seen by many as a small compensation, with many installations put back by up to a month. Sky HD installations are due to begin from 22nd of May. Some reports suggest that between 10,000 and 12,000 Sky HD customers have been affected.

Rapture TV rapped for airing 'unsuitable' ad

The Advertising Standards Agency has upheld a complaint against youth channel Rapture TV. It follows the screening of a TV ad for a collection of Def Comedy Jam DVDs featured clips of a number of stand-up comedy routines including a segment in which a man came on-stage in his underpants and took a towel out of the front of them. The Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC) cleared the ad with a post 9 pm timing restriction. However, a viewer said he had seen the ad at 10.30am on Rapture TV and felt it was unsuitable for broadcast at this time. The TV channel said it did not feel that there was anything in the ad which was inappropriate for broadcast at the time that the complainant mentioned, but the BACC said they had applied the 9pm restriction because the ad contained a number of segments it felt were inappropriate for a general audience.

New adult TV channel for gay viewers

A new adult TV channel aimed at gay viewers called Trade.tv has launched on sky digital channel 951. The channel is the second gay adult channel to launch recently on a pay-per-view basis.

Freeview to launch its own PVR receiver

Freeview is set to take on Sky+ with the launch of Freeview Playback, a new personal video recorder (PVR), in September. General manager, Cary Wakefield, said: "Working with the industry, Freeview is committed to delivering a strong brand to increase consumer awareness of the benefits of digital TV recorders and to make the technology easy to understand. The launch of Freeview Playback is crucial to driving consumer understanding and uptake." Sky had 149,000 new Sky+ customers join in the three months to March 31, with almost a third of them new to digital satellite. This took the company to a total of 1.43million DVR households – an 86% leap compared with Quarter 3 of last year.

Digital TV news in brief...

Sky One has bought the exclusive UK rights to Tommy Lee's Rock Star, a 27-episode talent contest due to air on the US Network CBS this summer... Subscribers to Germany's Premiere, which lost the rights to screen national soccer league games, will be able to watch the matches once again after the broadcaster struck a deal for the internet rights... Former foreign secretary Jack Straw has hit out at BBC newsreaders who he said are are overpaid and should not "prance around studios"... Voice of Africa Radio has launched on Sky channel 0192.

BBC salary mole tracked down

The BBC has tracked down the source of a series of high-profile leaks which saw the salary details of some of its biggest stars leaked to The Sun newspaper. A 23-year-old agency temp called Sam Walton was named as the mole after he was questioned as part of an internal security operation and admitted to receiving more than £1,000 for passing on the information. The revelations about the salaries of more than a dozen top radio presenters, soap stars and newsreaders were leaked to The Sun over a series of weeks.

Huge 102-inch plasma screen on show in Harrods

Consumer electronics company LG has installed a super-sized plasma TV screen in Harrods to demonstrate high-definition TV to passing shoppers. It took eight men to lift the 102-inch HD Ready screen into position in the main window at Harrods. Still a prototype, there are no current plans to launch the 102-inch screen commercially. Last month Panasonic installed a giant HD flatscreen in the New York Stock Exchange measuring 103 inches.

Regards Satdude.

Satdude

Satellite news 12.06.06

News

Sky considering launch of sixth sports channel

Sky is considering the launch of a sixth sports channel to add to its Sky Sports 1, 2 and 3 and Sky Sports Xtra and Sky Sports News channels. Media regulator Ofcom has awarded the broadcaster a new licence, which has been registered under the name Sky Sports 4, for a cable and satellite-only service and not for Freeview application, meaning Sky could not explore the option of broadcasting selected football Premiership matches or highlights on a free-to-air basis. Sky is reportedly keen to find ways to transmit some of its live Premiership football coverage on the Freeview platform, possibly through a pay-per-view method. In May month, Sky was awarded 92 Premier League matches a season as part of a new contract, with 46 matches a season awarded to Irish broadcaster Setanta for a three-year period starting with the 2007-2008 season.

Channel Five to launch two new TV channels

Channel Five's boss, Jane Lighting, has ended uncertainty about the broadcaster's digital strategy by saying it will launch two free-to-air digital channels this autumn. Five U.S., which will feature U.S. drama, comedy, films and kids' programs, and Five Life, a female-targeted channel offering drama, soaps, reality, factual and kids' programs, will be available on Sky, cable and Freeview, giving them a presence in more than 15 million British homes. Five parent RTL has provided a "substantial" budget enhancement, said Lighting, and the channel has launched a recruitment drive.

New crime channel in talks with BBC for content

Soon-to-launch sky digital channel the Crime & Investigation Network, is in talks with distributors of public awareness content including the BBC to bring in some up-to-the-minute real crime programming. It could mean that a show like Crimewatch UK is broadcast on the new channel.

New TV movies channel to launch in July

A new movie channel showing films "created purely for TV" is scheduled to debut on Sky on July 1. The 24 hour channel, to be called Movies 24, is set to showcase the best of recent made-for-TV films from major studios and independent producers. It will be available on sky digital channel 329 from June 26, but will officially launch its full schedule on July 1. Movies 24 will be part of the Sky variety mix package.

Sky News axes staff and two primetime shows

Sky News programmes The Sky Report and World News Tonight have both been axed as part of a major shake-up of the station's primetime schedule. A new show is being developed for the 8pm slot that will be news-driven and interactive, presented by Martin Stanford. As part of the shake-up, 17 staff will be leaving the broadcaster, according to The Guardian, including presenters Ginny Buckley, Juliette Foster, Richard Bestic, Jenny Percival and reporters Nicola Hill and Eve Richings. World News Tonight presenter James Rubin will continue to serve as a presenter of a series of special programmes on international affairs and Sky News correspondent David Chater announced he would be leaving the channel, although this is not linked to the changes.

Disney timeshift channel to relaunch on Sky

Disney Channel's one hour timeshifted service is to return to the sky digital channel line-up later this month. Disney Channel bosses have said Disney Channel +1 will appear on channel 614 while Playhouse Disney will move to channel 625 from June 26.

Channel 4 launches brand new radio service

Channel 4 has forged ahead with its move into the radio business with the launch of Internet radio service Channel4radio.com. The broadcaster plans to apply for the new national digital radio multiplex that will be auctioned off later this year, but has gone ahead with the Internet radio launch first. The broadcaster will offer online radio spinoffs of such shows as Big Brother, Lost and chatshow Richard and Judy as well as giving viewers a sneak preview of forthcoming shows. Channel 4 Radio also has begun to commission original programs in music, comedy, news and current affairs.

Digital TV uptake continues to soar in UK

Almost three out of four households in the UK now has digital TV, according to new research from media regulator Ofcom, which shows 18.2 million homes now have digital TV sets, driven largely by free-to-air platform Freeview. The progress report for the first three months of the year found that digital take-up has grown "faster than expected" to 72.5% of the population compared with 69.5% at the end of 2005, and found that free-to-air digital viewing has exceeded analog viewing for the first time. Accelerating take-up is also forecast for the rest of this year, which has seen an extra 800,000 homes sign up by the end of March. Ofcom's full-year prediction for 2006 is 1.7 million new additions, but that forecast now looks likely to be exceeded before the end of the year.

Digital news in brief...

MOS Radio has launched on Sky channel 0198... PrimeTime has been removed from Sky channel 0132... A new audio service has started on Slky channel 0195 called RTI Radio and on 0196 callled VIP Radio... Two new adult channel have started on Sky channels 952 and 953 called Private 1 and Private 2... The founders of Sit-Up TV, the shopping channels broadcaster acquired last year by NTL/Telewest in a £194m deal, are stepping down from the firm and a new chief executive has been appointed... Lousie Benham, the acting deputy controller of UK cabsat channel LivingTV, has been upped to managing editor for LivingTV, LivingTV 2 and Freeview service FTN... Kids channels broadcaster Jetix Europe announced net profit for the first six months of the year was up 5% at €10.2 million while revenues rose 21% to €84.5 million... Radio Caroline is now all set to launch on the EPG this week.

Bravo buys up animation series from CN

Adult Swim, a US animation series that airs late at night on Cartoon Network in the US, is coming to the UK after Bravo bought the rights to the series. The male-targeted channel is introducing the programme in in a new late night post-pub slow aimed at 18-34 year-olds. Bravo plans to screen an animation showcase on Friday evenings, with Adult Swim transmitting late-night seven days a week.

BBC clinches deal for Premiership highlights

The BBC will pay £172 million for the rights to show a Premier League highlights package over the next three years. The broadcaster currently airs the show having won the rights three years ago from ITV for £105 million. It will continue to air the highlights package on Saturday nights in its current Match of the Day slot. The deal comes a month after Sky said it would pay £1.4 billion for rights to live matches for the Premier League. Setanta Sports has paid £314 million for a smaller package of rights.

Regards Satdude.