Category: TV
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Channel Scheduling
In a couple of weeks’ time BBC Three is going to be showing the new third season of Orphan Black. The programme comes from BBC America, and although not a massive ratings hit, garners a lot of critical acclaim, particularly for its star Tatiana Maslany. The show actually aired in the US between April and…
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Hunted
When I heard that Channel 4 had commissioned a new series where people attempt to go “on the run” and outwit a crack team of trained hunters, I knew I’d have to watch. I’ve always been a sucker for these shows. Although not all quite the same, this follows in the footsteps of programmes such…
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Not Watching Gogglebox
I’m couldn’t really tell you why the subhead of this week’s Other Side by Felipa Jodelka in the Guardian Guide annoyed me so much. Well I can. It’s the supposed phenomenom of Googlebox. “Within two years Gogglebox has become on those shows that everyone loves without exception.“* Er. No. As HTW Central noted on Twitter,…
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Current TV
No, not Al Gore’s ill-fated network, but what I’m enjoying on TV currently: Show Me A Hero – A drama series about housing policy in an upstate New York city doesn’t sound like it’s going to be compelling television, but it really is. It’s based on a non-fiction book and tells how some of Yonkers’…
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Broadcasting Cricket
There are two stories worth talking about in the world of broadcast cricket – a subject I’m only marginally less interested in than in broadcasting football. (See this recent piece for example.) First of all, Jonathan Agnew interviewed the ECB’s Chief Executive Tom Harrison last Thursday during lunch in the final Ashes Test. There is…
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How Not To Reinvigorate T20
The ECB has a problem. As the third Ashes Test gets underway, largely unwatched by the British public, participation in cricket continues to fall. According to Sport England’s Active People survey, just 0.6% of people ever play cricket. And this is a number that’s been in decline since the survey began measuring sports uptake. In…
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BT’s Advertising
As the new football season rapidly approaches (even though it’s still only July), so the marketing spend of the various pay-TV operators ramps up. Sky is showing some fairly well-received adverts highlighting their Premier League heritage and super-imposing Thierry Henry into the video. On the other hand, BT is busy trying to let the British…
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Following the Tour de France
And by that, I mean “following it from afar” not being at the race itself. The Tour de France takes place over three weeks, including four weekends. That equates to 21 stages and two rest days. If you’re not on a roadside somewhere watching the race, then you’re going to be following the race remotely.…
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Six Nations’ Deal
Yesterday we learned that the BBC will lose it’s exclusivity of broadcasting the Six Nations, and will share coverage with ITV from 2016. The BBC has pulled out two years early from a previous agreement that ran until 2017, in a similar manner to the deal with Sky over F1. To be honest, this seems…
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Can We Have A Moratorium on Shallow Depth of Field in TV?
If you’re a photographer you might know what I mean in the title of this blog. If you’re not, then I might need to explain a little. The depth of field in an image or piece of video is a measure of how much of the image is in focus at any one time. By…
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Platform Exclusives
On Monday, Game of Thrones finished its fifth series run on Sky Atlantic with an explosive episode. Don’t worry, you won’t find any spoilers on this site (Unlike certain news sites). Anyone who wanted to, could watch it on Sky Atlantic. Well, up to a point Lord Copper. If you’re a Virgin Media customer, then…