http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/ en-gb Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:42:00 UTC 60 Deals have been signed with DRG, Endemol, RDF and Shed to offer visitors to the highly trafficked MSN portal access to ad-funded archive episodes of series including 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Bad Girls, Banzai, Kingdom, Secret Millionaire and Skins. MSN is bidding to compete with rival platforms such as… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Technology/2010-03-10/MSN-strikes-raft-of-content-deals 2010-03-10 15:42:00 A pilot study, published to mark International Women’s Day (8 March) and undertaken as part of C4’s leadership of the Cultural Diversity Network, also revealed that 54% of women on TV were aged 16 to 39, compared with 36% of men. The findings give context to the BBC’s appointment of… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Broadcasting/2010-03-08/Report-twice-as-many-men-on-TV-as-women 2010-03-08 17:00:00 Everyone in TV production is under pressure to find and keep sustainable income - from channel heads to newcomers. But the dangers and opportunities that broadcasters and indies face are not directly applicable to freelance production staff, who make up a large part of their workforce. If the UK broadcast… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Broadcasting/2010-03-08/Freelancers-can-look-beyond-traditional-TV 2010-03-08 12:27:00 Fact File A LONG WEEKEND WITH THE SON OF GOD Production company Renegade Pictures TX More 4, Tuesday 30 March, 10pm Writer, director, cameraman George Carey Executive producers Alan Hayling, Tabitha Jackson Producer Teresa Cherfas Programme summary A journey into the Siberian wilderness to meet Sergei Torop, a former policeman… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Production/2010-03-05/A-Long-Weekend-with-the-Son-of-God 2010-03-05 16:59:00 Head of features and formats at BBC 3 Harry Lansdown has ordered a 30-minute pilot of Date Me Baby One More Time. “It has a fresh approach from most dating formats, that rely on a relationship that we will never really get to see or enjoy,” he said. The format… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Commissioning/2010-03-05/BBC3-lines-up-stunt-dating-show 2010-03-05 16:57:00 BBC FM&T chief technical architect Dirk-Willem van Gulik and former LazyTown executive producer Raymond Le Gué have been put in charge of DMI, but their new proposal was sent back by the BBC Finance Committee on Friday (26 February). The committee asked for “further details on how DMI will be… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Technology/2010-03-04/BBC-committee-rejects-DMI-plan 2010-03-04 15:40:00 Norman, presenting ITV’s full-year results, said reinventing the production arm was key to securing the commercial broadcaster’s future. He said: “Are we satisfied today with the shape and form of ITV Studios and the content pipeline we have? No, we are not. I think we need to regenerate that business.… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Broadcasting/2010-03-04/ITV-Studios-set-for-cash-boost 2010-03-04 15:38:00 The BBC director general is meeting NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear and Bectu general secretary Gerry Morrissey at 11am. Thompson has pledged to keep any compulsory redundancies to a minimum and in an interview with Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight last night said then number of potential job losses was not… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Broadcasting/2010-03-03/BBC-holds-crisis-talks-with-unions 2010-03-03 16:59:00 According to figures compiled by Screen Digest the Yorkshire-based manufacturer moves up from number three in the volume sales table but still trails industry leader Motorola. Chief executive officer Neil Gaydon said: “We’ve experienced record growth in 2009, and we’re delighted to be recognised as the world’s number two set-top… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Technology/2010-03-02/Pace-up-to-second-in-settop-box-supplier-chart 2010-03-02 16:32:00 The ESPN Player is a standalone online subscription service that is entirely separate from its UK TV channels. Its key content is NHL ice hockey games from the US and it does not carry Premier League football, despite ESPN having TV rights for 46 games a year. Paid for access… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Technology/2010-03-01/ESPN-overhauls-online-player 2010-03-01 15:36:00 The channels have been rebranded as MTV Rocks, MTV Shows and MTV Classic respectively and are being broadcast from today, along with refreshed identities for existing brands MTV Base, MTV Dance and MTV Hits. All six stations have been given a design overhaul which includes new channel colours, on-screen graphics… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Broadcasting/2010-03-01/MTV-rebrands-music-channels 2010-03-01 15:34:00 Controller of entertainment John Kaye Cooper has ordered the 5 x 60-minute series, which will feature archive clips of performers such as Neil Diamond, Take That and Kylie Minogue, plus behind the scenes footage and interviews with producers and executives. Shiver creative director Mark Robinson will executive produce with ITV’s… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Commissioning/2010-02-25/ITV-orders-best-of-An-Audience-With 2010-02-25 16:44:00 Woodhead’s ITV docs are part of a wider drive by ITV for signature films under the theme Visions of Britain. He has 40 years’ film-making experience and most recently made How The Beatles Rocked The Kremlin for BBC4. ITV controller of popular factual Jo Clinton Davies outlined the plan at… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Broadcasting/2010-02-25/Authored-docs-come-back-to-ITV 2010-02-25 16:43:00 Forsyth, Sharon Osbourne and Chris Tarrant will all be on the receiving end of irreverent tributes from their showbusiness friends and peers in the three-part series, A Comedy Roast. Jimmy Carr is presiding over each hour-long show, which will be produced by indie Monkey. Osborne’s show will be filmed next… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Commissioning/2010-02-24/C4-brings-comedy-roasts-to-the-UK 2010-02-24 16:57:00 On R1, Matt Edmondson will be replacing Sara Cox to front Sunday morning from 10am to 1pm from 14 March, when she goes on maternity leave. Edmondson has been handed his first R1 solo slot following a successful stint presenting showbiz news on Fearne Cotton’s Friday show. R1 deputy controller… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Radio/2010-02-24/1Xtra-swap-top-talent-for-fresh-face 2010-02-24 16:56:00 Laura Carstensen, chairman of the inquiry group even added that the merger could “potentially benefit amateur family historians as the merged company will be better equipped to compete directly with Ancestry.co.uk, leading to more innovation and improvements in the market”. Brightsolid runs websites findmypast.com and 911Census.com while Friends Reunited runs… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Technology/2010-02-18/ITVs-Friends-Reunited-sale-cleared 2010-02-18 15:46:00 Coulter, who has joined as director of the site, said he wanted to grow the site to become “the heart of where you find the best and most experienced people in the TV business”. Broadcasters, indies and other employers use Broadcast Freelancer to post job vacancies and search for suitable… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Broadcasting/2010-02-18/Coulter-joins-Freelancer 2010-02-18 15:45:00 Avalon Television will return to produce Russell Howard’s Good News, with the second series scheduled to launch next month. The third is planned for later this year. The show features Howard in front of a live studio audience as he highlights the big stories of the week, providing his own… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Commissioning/2010-02-17/BBC3-orders-more-Good-News-from-Russell-Howard 2010-02-17 16:52:00 At a keynote speech at the Mobile World Congress today, BBC director of future media and technology Erik Huggers said the BBC is planning to release mobile applications for BBC News and BBC Sport on smartphones such as iPhones, Blackberries and Androids. A BBC News application for iPhone and iPad… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Technology/2010-02-17/BBC-plans-for-iPlayer-on-iPhone 2010-02-17 16:51:00 After more than a year of protracted negotiations, Matt Frei will front a week of coverage from the socialist state, including two days of live broadcasts from Havana on Thursday and Friday. The coverage will examine the realities of life inside Cuba as well as the impact of Barack Obama’s… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Broadcasting/2010-02-16/BBC-News-to-broadcast-live-from-Cuba 2010-02-16 16:14:00 Fact File PINEAPPLE DANCE STUDIOS Production company: Pulse Films TX: A preview will TX on 14 February at 7.30pm on Sky1 HD and Sky1. The series will TX on Sundays at 6pm on Sky1 HD and Sky1 from 21 February Series director: Hannah Springham Directors: Mikey Trotter, Matt Ramsden, Charlie… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Production/2010-02-16/Pineapple-Dance-Studios-Sky1 2010-02-16 16:12:00 The Waterloo-based hire company is set to showcase the latest Sony and Panasonic solid state cameras, which will be recording footage live at the show; the team will then demonstrate tapeless workflows by ingesting, editing and playing out the material on the stand. Advice will also be on hand for… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Technology/2010-02-15/Pro-Motion-to-focus-tapeless 2010-02-15 17:09:00 The Trust hailed the niche digital station as “distinctive and well-liked by its listeners” in its routine service licence review of 6 Music and Radio 2, and praised its rapid growth over the last four years. The findings will bring a glimmer of hope to 6 Music, which is being… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Radio/2010-02-15/Trust-gives-hope-to-6-Music 2010-02-15 16:38:00 Interior designer Kathryn Rayward and antiques expert Mark Hill will present Cracking Antiques, which focuses on investing in second-hand, vintage and antique furnishings on a budget. Kathryn will suggest how to revamp distressed antiques to be suitable in a modern home, while Mark will offer advice on what items to… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Commissioning/2010-02-12/New-antiques-show-gets-BBC-goahead 2010-02-12 16:17:00 The Gadget Show Magazine will go on sale in April, initially as a one-off but with an eye to become a monthly title. It will feature contributions from the show’s presenting team of Jason Bradbury, Suzi Perry, Jon Bentley and Ortis Deeley. It will retail for £5 and will compete… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Broadcasting/2010-02-12/Five-launches-Gadget-Show-magazine 2010-02-12 15:51:00 The Are You Smarter… host will front Bank It Or Bin It, which has been created by Feel Good Factor. The latter is a new joint venture between Edmonds’ Bucket Management and Crystal Entertainment - an entertainment and management company run by former 19 Entertainment exec Charles Garland - that… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Commissioning/2010-02-11/Sky-1-pilots-format-from-new-Noel-JV 2010-02-11 16:35:00 The music and entertainment station will use its in-house production team to cover the Saturday 3pm fixtures, and will soon reveal the commentators who will front the shows. Chief operating officer Clive Dickens said the station would take a different approach to sports specialists Radio 5 Live and Talk Sport.… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Radio/2010-02-11/Absolute-swoops-on-Premier-League-rights 2010-02-11 16:34:00 The plug-in will enable the ‘log and transfer’ of video footage from the 5D Mark II, the 7D and the EOS-1D Mark IV all of which offer 1080p HD video recording. According to Canon it will convert footage to Apple’s ProRes 422 codec at approximately twice the speed of Apple’s… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Technology/2010-02-10/Canon-devises-FCP-plugin-for-DSLR-footage 2010-02-10 16:45:00 The sitcom, which originally aired on Friday nights for 10 series, has been a regular fixture on E4 since the show ended in 2004. On weekdays, repeats currently account for three hours of E4’s schedule, and four episodes air daily at weekends. Across all slots, the show has reached an… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Broadcasting/2010-02-10/C4-to-drop-Friends 2010-02-10 16:41:00 The deal, which is yet to be finalised, would see Minogue and model boyfriend Kris Smith feature in a 6 x 60-minute reality series, similar to that of Katie Price’s What Katie Did Next. Broadcast understands the series, which will be a co-production between ITV Studios and Minogue’s agent Profile,… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Broadcasting/2010-02-08/Dannii-Minogue-set-for-ITV2-series 2010-02-08 16:37:00 Celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo and Hollyoaks actor Stuart Manning killed the animal with a knife when they were left without meat during the reality series. Chief Inspector David Oshannessy, from the RSPCA, said ITV was fined 3,000 Australian dollars (£1,903) and will pay 2,576 dollars (£1,634) in costs. He said:… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Broadcasting/2010-02-08/ITV-fined-for-rat-killing-Celebrity-episode 2010-02-08 16:36:00 The company said that it would not be revealing terms of the deal but did acknowledge that all Blue Order customers have been notified about the acquisition and that Avid will continue to develop and support current Blue Order products. A spokesperson said: “This acquisition represents how Avid continues to… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Technology/2010-02-05/Avid-buys-Blue-Order 2010-02-05 16:58:00 The new series of Engineering Connections with Richard Hammond will be co-produced by BBC2 and National Geographic Channels International with Darlow Smithson Productions. The six new episodes will investigate a selection of the world’s most ambitious engineering feats to understand how their construction was possible. It will air in early… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Commissioning/2010-02-05/Hammond-to-examine-space-shuttle 2010-02-05 16:57:00 Broadcast has spoken to several top-level executives frustrated with commissioners at channels including Sky, Five and C4, who welcome their ideas but refuse to order series unless they are fully ad funded. One indie managing director told Broadcast: “We have been told by several commissioners, particularly at Five, that we… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Commissioning/2010-02-04/No-AFP-no-commission-frustrated-indies-claim 2010-02-04 10:03:00 Wogan, who left the slot on 18 December handing his headphones to Chris Evans, recorded an average weekly audience of 8.1 million in the last three months of 2009. This equals his previously biggest audience, recorded in the first quarter of 2008, and is up from the 7.76m who tuned… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Radio/2010-02-04/Wogan-bows-out-on-high 2010-02-04 10:02:00 The cross-platform soap - comprising 5 x 5-minute webisodes, repeated weekly in a 25-minute BBC2 omnibus - launched last September and was immediately eyed as a long-running returning drama series. It was commissioned by Geoffrey Goodwin, head of Switch, who also created and developed the drama with EastEnders writer Al… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Commissioning/2010-02-02/Switch-orders-second-season-of-The-Cut 2010-02-02 17:01:00 Scottish Nationalist MP Angus MacNeil said Britain’s Really Disgusting Food: Fish - first broadcast by BBC3 last year and repeated on BBC1 last week - presented a “highly misleading and biased view of the fishing industry”. The programme saw investigator Alex Riley set out to find the “ultimate nasty fish… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Broadcasting/2010-02-02/BBC-rapped-over-disgusting-food-show 2010-02-02 17:00:00 Endemol-owned Remarkable Television, the indie behind Big Brother, has devised The Drop [working title], a week-long game show in which contestants will fight to keep £1m in cash, which they are awarded at the start of the programme. Contestants are asked 10 questions and if they make one wrong move,… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Commissioning/2010-02-01/C4-lines-up-live-game-showreallife-soap 2010-02-01 17:15:00 Steve Jones, who relocated to Australia early last year, has resurfaced as chief executive of Highwire Television. The Sydney-based indie, which opens next month, is a 50/50 joint venture between Australian production company Cordell Jigsaw and New Zealand’s largest indie South Pacific Pictures. All3Media is a partner in South Pacific… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Broadcasting/2010-02-01/ExSky-commissioner-tops-Highwire 2010-02-01 17:14:00 C4 is facing courts costs “well in excess of £1 million” during the trial, which has been brought about by 30-year-old Matt Fiddes, a former bodyguard to Michael Jackson who was used in the documentary - The Jacksons Are Coming - as a local guide to the family. According to… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Broadcasting/2010-01-29/C4-facing-1m-libel-action 2010-01-29 16:43:00 Both trucks will have a tapeless HD and 3Gb/s-ready infrastructure, allowing them to interface with the new Sky Sports studios being built at the broadcaster’s HQ in Osterley, West London. The new trucks will be the largest in Visions’ fleet, comprising 700sq ft per truck. Space-saving design techniques will mean… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Technology/2010-01-28/Sky-commissions-3G-OB-trucks 2010-01-28 17:03:00 The presenter, who signed a two-year golden handcuffs deal with Five last summer, will ditch his usual T-shirt and trainers for the 10 x 60-minute entertainment show, which is believed to be lined up for a weekly primetime slot. Tiger Aspect Productions will film Justin Lee Collins: Good Times at… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Commissioning/2010-01-28/Five-aims-for-TFI-feel-with-Lee-Collins-show 2010-01-28 16:30:00 T4 presenter Steve Jones is to front an 8 x 60-minute run of 101 Ways to Leave a Game Show for later this year. The show was developed by a creative team from Endemol UK and USA and will be produced by Endemol’s UK subsidiary Initial. In a studio housed… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Commissioning/2010-01-27/Steve-Jones-to-front-BBC1-physical-game-show 2010-01-27 16:14:00 Chris Mooney joins on 29 March and will oversee the editorial development of topgear.com, the commercial site for the motoring brand. He joins from Bauer Media, where he helped FHM.com win the PPA Website of the Year award three times as well as the Best Consumer Website at the Association… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Technology/2010-01-27/FHMcom-boss-to-run-Top-Gear-site 2010-01-27 16:13:00 The deal will see Kyle fly to the US later this year when the UK version of his ITV1 talk show breaks for production, to record a series with Americans. ITV Studios America chief executive Paul Buccieri will executive produce with Debmar Mercury’s vice president of programming Lonnie Burstein. It… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Production/2010-01-26/Jeremy-Kyle-set-for-US 2010-01-26 10:15:00 The regulator has also revealed that 1,318 viewers complained about Simon Cowell’s decision not to eliminate Jedward, but said it was powerless to intervene as the show clearly stated that the judge’s decision is final. Ofcom has however ruled that Channel TV, which complies the show on behalf of ITV1,… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Broadcasting/2010-01-26/X-Factor-put-epileptics-at-risk 2010-01-26 10:14:00 His challenge will see him begging for food and shelter, bartering his skills for scraps and living off his own produce. Jones, who has previously presented the BBC series Around The World In 80 Faiths is going back to basics for How To Live A Simple Life, which will be… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Commissioning/2010-01-22/BBC-to-film-cashless-priest-over-eight-months 2010-01-22 15:36:00 C4 has also confirmed that Abraham will receive no long-term pay incentives as a condition of his employment. Duncan left the broadcaster in November, eight months after agreeing to cutting his salary to £580,000. At the time, he also waived half of the second instalment of a long-term incentive plan.… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Broadcasting/2010-01-22/Abraham-set-for-490000-salary-at-C4 2010-01-22 15:35:00 Three of the first-floor studios at Home will have an acoustic, cosmetic and hardware overhaul as part of the group’s ongoing upgrade programme. The Pro Tools control surfaces will become Icon D command ESs, and all studios will have independent access to Dolby E and mastering and loudness monitoring tools.… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Technology/2010-01-21/The-Farm-in-1m-Home-upgrade 2010-01-21 16:42:00 As revealed by Broadcastnow.co.uk, Zein is to quit as managing director of Tiger Aspect Productions after 13 years to join Warner Bros International Television Distribution’s new London-based production operation . He will work with executive vice-president Ronald Goes as senior vice-president of creative, format development and sales. Zein has been… http://www.broadcastfreelancer.com/CareerTools/Production/2010-01-21/Warner-Bros-plans-UK-assault 2010-01-21 16:41:00