MEDIA

By Andy Fry UK Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan struck a conciliatory tone about the future of UK public broadcaster the BBC in an interview with Sky News this weekend. Questioned on the future of the 100 year-old broadcaster, she told Sky that the BBC “is a fantastic institution” that needs to be made “sustainable in the long-term”. Donelan’s predecessor Nadine Dorries was widely viewed as hawkish on the future of the corporation, but Donelan said: “It’s a national asset, we need to inject fairness and choice into the system we...

By Stuart Thomson The BBC’s commercial arm BBC Studios has secured a berth for drama channel BBC First with Romanian service provider Digi in its home market. The deal marks the first time the British drama channel has been available in the Romanian market. Factual channel BBC Earth is already available on Digi. Both channels are available to all subscribers as part of the basic package. Shows on the channel include Time, The Pursuit of Love, Ragdoll, and This is Going to Hurt. Forthcoming content includes crime drama Chelsea Detective,...

By Andy Fry Streaming platform Roku has announced a major expansion of its US FAST channel lineup, as it continues to extend its proposition beyond on-demand. Starting today, users of The Roku Channel have access to Spanish-language news programming from NBCUniversal Telemundo; live shopping from QVC and HSN; and the AMC Showcase Channel, which features series like Mad Men and The Walking Dead. In addition to the above, Roku is also introducing a suite of channels dedicated to food and The Block, a destination for Black movies and entertainment. Among...