Balihar Khalsa, Broadcast
NewsBBC3 doc initiative goes multiplatform
BBC3 new documentary director initiative Fresh is being extended online and will now acccept short form documentaries.
NewsUK Skills fund rises to $50m
High end TV, animation and film productions using tax breaks will be levied 0.5% of their core UK expenditure to address skills shortages.
NewsBBC1 drama set for first tax credit
Tony Jordan’s BBC1 drama By Any Means has become the first production to pass the cultural test to qualify for high-end TV tax breaks in the UK.
NewsShine closes in on Big Talk deal
News Corp-owned Shine Group is in advanced negotiations to acquire scripted indie Big Talk Productions.
NewsSkills shortage fears over UK tax break
The UK drama community has raised concerns of a skills shortage if the imminent high-end TV tax credits prompt an influx of US drama.
NewsBBC3 hunts Fresh doc directors
Six fledgling documentary directors are being offered the chance to make their primetime debut on BBC3 as part of the UK digital channel’s Fresh documentary strand.
NewsTony Hall named new BBC director general
Royal Opera House chief executive Tony Hall has been appointed the new BBC director general.
NewsSky picks up Harry Potter films
All eight Harry Potter films have been added to Sky’s portfolio for three months over the crucial Christmas period.
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DCMS opens tax relief consultation for high-end TV drama
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is nailing down the criteria used to decide which programmes are eligible for the proposed drama tax relief for high-end TV.
NewsZodiak takes Scott Free’s In a Day to global market
Brazil, India and Australia may be the next territories to recreate the “…In a Day” format for their respective audiences, with Zodiak Rights speaking to local broadcasters ahead of Mipcom.
NewsBBCW eyes VoD push after Netflix buys Call the Midwife
BBC Worldwide has sold period drama hit Call The Midwife to US video-on-demand service Netflix and has identified major opportunities in the global digital market.
NewsEntertainment One revenues up 16%
Peppa Pig distributor Entertainment One has seen revenue grow by 16% from 1 April until this month.
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UK PM refuses calls for Jeremy Hunt inquiry
David Cameron has refused to refer culture secretary Jeremy Hunt’s handling of the BSkyB bid to an independent investigation after being called to Parliament to answer an urgent question.
NewsOfcom steps-up BSkyB scrutiny
Ofcom has set up a team - Project Apple - to assess whether BSkyB should still hold its broadcasting licence in light of the phone hacking scandal.
NewsPeli, Spielberg's The River to launch in UK on iTunes
US paranormal thriller series The River will debut on iTunes in the UK just one day after its US premiere.
NewsFilms of Record to put life at Cern on YouTube
Films of Record is poised to start making content for the Cern YouTube channel, which will ultimately lead to a feature-length documentary similar in scale to Life In A Day.
NewsC4 tackles ethics of torture in drama
Channel 4 commissions feature drama on torture written by Guy Hibbert.
NewsChannel 4 boosts Britdoc funding
Channel 4 has increased its funding of the Britdoc documentary foundation by a third and extended its funding commitment to 2013.
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Kate Crowe joining Scott Free UK in TV role
Misfits producer Kate Crowe is joining Scott Free UK as executive producer of TV.
NewsScott Free UK plans TV co-pro adaptation of Mosse’s Labyrinth
Four-hour TV series being made with Germany’s Tandem Communications.