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BT and Setanta Deal
BT and Irish pay-TV operator Setanta have announced a
new deal offering free live Premier League football and England
internationals to its broadband TV customers.
The alliance, similar to a deal that the Irish pay
TV operator has with Virgin Media, will allow BT to bundle Setanta
Sports 1 with its BT Vision offering.
The deal will allow BT to offer 46 live Premier
League games, 60 Scottish Premier League matches, FA Cup action and
live World Cup qualifiers to customers paying a minimum of £14 for
one of its new TV packages. BT Vision has attracted 250,000
customers since its launch last summer.
As well as the new packages - films, children's,
sport and music - all BT Vision customers can watch Freeview
channels and various video-on-demand offerings.
BT also today announced a deal with the Scottish
Premier League to show an additional 28 on-demand matches a season
to those who subscribe to its sports pack, which also includes "as
live" coverage of 242 Premier League games.
Setanta paid £392m for 46 live Premier League
games in the last round of deals, and contributes £150m towards a
joint deal with ITV for FA Cup and England matches.
The Irish company recently extended its deal with
Scottish Premier League for an extra four years to 2014 for £125m.
23:55
July
14 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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Honour For
Doctor Who Writer
The writer largely credited with rejuvenating Doctor Who has
picked up an honorary fellowship.
Russell T Davies collected the accolade from Cardiff University for
achieving international distinction in his field.
Born in Sketty, Swansea, Davies became the lead writer and executive
producer behind Doctor Who's successful return to the small screen after
penning a string of television hits such as Queer As Folk.
He recently handed over the reins for Doctor Who to Steven Moffatt ahead of
the 2010 series, although he will continue to oversee a number of specials
due to be screened next year.
It is not the first time Davies has been honoured by an educational
establishment. Three years ago he received an honorary fellowship from
Swansea Institute alongside one of his sisters, who received her MA in
education.
22:13
July
14 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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Big Brother
Axed In Australia
Australia's Network Ten has today confirmed that Big Brother
is to be axed after eight years on the air.
The current series, which finishes on July 21, will be the last.
In a statement issued today, Ten's chief programming officer, David Mott,
confirmed the speculation which emerged on a Big Brother-related internet
website yesterday.
"After eight successful seasons and 1,316 episodes, Ten today announced that
Big Brother will not be returning in 2009.
"The 2008 season finale will air on Monday 21 July."
Mott also said the series was "ending on a high" despite flagging viewer
numbers, and persistent questions by fans over the selection of radio
personalities Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O to host the 2008 series.
They replaced Gretel Killeen, who had hosted the show since the first
episode.
"Big Brother is the undisputed grand-daddy of modern, commercial reality
television in Australia," Mott also said. "Today's reality dramas have all,
on some level, been inspired by Big Brother. We are immensely proud of the
show and the incredible success it has enjoyed since premiering in 2001.
"We're ending the season on a high, largely thanks to the talents of Kyle
and Jackie O, who have presented yet another successful season."
Sandilands and Jackie O had come under fire from hundreds of fans on Big
Brother forums and websites, with many calling for Killeen to be reinstated.
Speculation of the show's axeing started late yesterday on the internet
website, Behind Big Brother.
The ratings for Big Brother have dwindled this year, although the
introduction last week of international sex symbol Pamela Anderson gave it
its best results of the season.
08:15
July
14 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
Will the same happen to Big Brother in the UK?
What do you think?
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US Networks
and Gay-Rights Group
US network ABC and cable channel FX have been ranked the most
gay-friendly networks by a gay-rights group.
At the other end of the scale, NBC, Fox, A&E, Spike, TBS, USA Network and
TNT all received fail grades from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation (GLAAD).
The second annual GLAAD Network Responsibility Index examined 4,911 hours of
primetime programming on the five major networks. For the first time, the
group monitored 1,241 hours of original programming on 10 of the
most-watched cable networks.
The index sought to gauge the quantity, quality and diversity of images of
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people on television. Eight of the
networks were given passing grades.
ABC - led by Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty - was
given a grade of "good," with the highest score among broadcasters. The
report said 24 per cent of ABC's programming hours was considered inclusive.
The report praised Brothers & Sisters in particular for portraying the first
gay marriage on television.
The CW, driven by America's Next Top Model, was a close second (21 per
cent). The report said the scores of ABC and the CW significantly increased
this year and added that the CW was the most ethnically diverse broadcast
network.
CBS was rated "adequate" (9 per cent), while NBC (6 per cent) and Fox (4 per
cent) were both labelled "failing," with their scores decreasing slightly
this year. The report added that the quality of gay characters on NBC
increased across several shows, but its score dropped overall because of the
departure of Laura Innes' lesbian character, Kerry Weaver, from ER.
"Time and again we see that what people watch on TV shapes how they view and
treat the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people around them," GLAAD
president Neil Giuliano said. "ABC and FX are leading the way when it comes
to telling our stories, showing other networks that including images of our
community can go hand in hand with critical and commercial success."
07:50
July
14 2008 - waveguide.co.uk
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