Britain's ITV to launch its first pay-TV channel
LONDON (Reuters) - ITV is launching its first pay-TV channel, one dedicated to British drama, exclusively on Sky's satellite and online platforms as part of a new four-year partnership with its pay-TV rival, the UK broadcaster said on Wednesday. ITV Encore, due to launch later this year, will broadcast re-runs of shows previously transmitted on ITV's free-to-air channels, ITV said, and from 2015 it will also screen original commissions.
Murdoch's UK arm in phone-hacking cover-up, ex-reporter says
LONDON (Reuters) - A former tabloid reporter told a London court on Wednesday that Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper arm, News International, had been involved in a conspiracy to cover up phone-hacking and that he had lied about his own role to toe "the company line". Dan Evans, who has admitted hacking into mobile phone voicemails of dozens of celebrities during his time at Murdoch's News of the World, said he had lied about it both to police and in a civil legal case as part of a widespread company cover-up.
Russian TV channel sees censorship after being taken off air
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian television station that made its name covering massive street protests against President Vladimir Putin has been taken off the air by three television providers in a move the channel's chief said was censorship. Dozhd (TV Rain), an independent-minded television station with a strong online presence, has aired aggressive reporting critical of Russian authorities and even-handed broadcasts on Ukraine's anti-government protests.
Analysis: Charter's bid for Time Warner Cable hinges on Rutledge's skill
NEW YORK (Reuters) - As Charter Communications Inc campaigns for investor support for its $37.3 billion bid for Time Warner Cable Inc, Charter Chief Executive Officer Tom Rutledge and his turnaround skills are front and center of that effort. But Rutledge's track record as chief operating officer of Cablevision Systems Corp from 2004 to 2011 shows that he may not be quite the miracle worker that allies like to portray him as.
Egypt to put Al Jazeera journalists on trial: prosecutor
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt will put an Australian, two Britons and a Dutchwoman on trial for aiding 16 Egyptians belonging to a "terrorist organization", the public prosecutor said on Wednesday, describing the four as Al Jazeera correspondents. Three of the Qatar-based television network's journalists - Peter Greste, an Australian; Mohamed Fahmy, a Canadian-Egyptian national; and Baher Mohamed - were detained in Cairo on December 29 and remain in custody, Al Jazeera said.
As Olympics loom, NBC leads in the race for prized viewers
(Reuters) - Comcast Corp's NBC network, for years a ratings laggard, is ahead in a key contest among broadcasters even before it attracts millions of viewers this month to its marquee event, the Winter Olympics. "The Blacklist," which stars James Spader as a master criminal who helps the FBI, and the second-year drama "Chicago Fire" have pushed NBC into the lead among viewers 18 to 49, the group most prized by advertisers.
BBC faces damning criticism over failed $170 million digital project
LONDON (Reuters) - The BBC came under fire on Tuesday for botching a 100 million pound ($170 million) digital project in the latest of a series of reports to criticize top management for their running of Britain's publicly funded broadcaster. Public spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) said BBC executives led by then Director General Mark Thompson, now New York Times Company chief executive, failed to realize in time that the Digital Media Initiative was in trouble.
British PM Cameron's ex-media chief knew of phone-hacking, court hears
LONDON (Reuters) - The former media chief to British Prime Minister David Cameron listened to a hacked voicemail revealing an affair between two leading actors and declared it "brilliant" when he was editor of the News of the World, a London court heard on Tuesday. Dan Evans, a former reporter and self-confessed prolific phone hacker on the Rupert Murdoch tabloid, said Andy Coulson was one of 10 senior figures on the now-defunct paper who knew how he intercepted voicemails to generate front page stories.
Comcast in talks to license technology to Cox -sources
(Reuters) - Comcast Corp, the No. 1 U.S. cable operator, is in advanced discussions about licensing its "X1" video operating system to Cox Communications, the third-largest cable operator, according to people familiar with the matter. Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts said on January 7 that the company is looking to license its latest cloud-based technology to other cable operators. Comcast has been in talks to provide Cox with a "white label" version of the product without using Comcast's Xfinity product name, two sources said.
China says New York Times reporter broke visa rules, will leave
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday that a China-based reporter for the New York Times broke rules on residence visas and would be leaving the country before the end of the week, in a case which could sour Beijing's relations with Washington. The issue of media freedom for foreign reporters in China has attracted high-level concern in the United States, especially over worries that the government is denying visas for organizations that carry negative stories about China.
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