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TV and Radio on Phones
Lots of news today all built around DAB radios built into phones. First up is Virgin Mobile who have finally launched their Lobster 700 – well to the press at least. This is the phone that’s a Windows Smartphone with a DAB radio built in that lets you listen to the radio and also, via…
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ITV on 3
Have I misunderstood something in this story about mobile operator 3 allowing you to watch ITV shows on your mobile? 99p per day to watch ITV seems a little steep but I suppose someone who wanted to watch Coronation Street on the train home might find value. But 49p to watch ITV Play? A channel…
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Let Battle Commence
So today battle finally got underway in the London newspaper market. For years now the Evening Standard has been dominant. Dominant, that is, in a declining market. Then in 1999, following the lead of the similarly named, but separately owned Scandinavian Metro, the Evening Standard’s owners, Associated Newspapers, launched Metro (at first in London, but…
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Quiz Television
Today’s Mediaguardian has a cover story looking at the recent growth of “quiz television” programming – particularly highlighting the recent success of ITV Play with it’s Mint and Quizmania strands running overnight on ITV1 as well as on a separate channel. Clearly ITV Play in particular has been very successful, earning profits of £9m on…
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Tour of Britain hits London
Today saw the Tour of Britain arrive in London and I set out unneccessarily early to see the Tour cross Tower Bridge. It was a good opportunity to give my camera a decent work out. Some of the photos are OK, but others aren’t. Have a look below, and also my Flickr stream (Why does…
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Footballers Wives Not Yet in US
If you read the trade press, or follow Mediaguardian, you can’t help to have noticed all the reports about how Footballers’ Wives, the trashy ITV series, is being remade in US by ABC. On the surface, this seems like another successful deal for a British indie. But this is Shed Productions, who’ve seen Footballers’ Wives…
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User Generated Ads
I was on the tube this morning, and after avoiding a man who threw up in the middle of the carriage, I ended up standing near a guy who was refining a paper copy of his Powerpoint presentation. Closer examination, as I pretended to read my book, revealed that he was giving an i-Level presentation…
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New York Times Article Unavailable in the UK
If you read a story like this one on Mediaguardian explaining how the New York Times has prevented internet users in the UK from reading a specific article it has published online, what’s your natural inclination? To find a way to read the article of course! According to the Mediaguardian piece and another piece on…
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Idea for Amazon Feature
Unless I’m missing something, there’s a feature that I’d love Amazon to add to its service. I’d like them to let me know when one of my favourite authors has a new book upcoming. For example, I like John Le Carré’s novels, but if it wasn’t for the fact that I otherwise knew to look…
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Love Island Washed Away
A paltry 3.8m viewers for the final should ensure that ITV never again brings back [Celebrity] Love Island. I do look forward to reading Executive Producer Natalka Znak’s thoughts on the series’ end on the Mediaguardian blog. Previous choice titbits from her contributions have included: “We have a great show that is funny and full…
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Chip My Bin or Chip Me
Is it me, or does it seem that chipped bins (RFID, I assume) are causing more anxiety in middle England than ID cards? “You can chip me all you like, but I draw the line at my dustbin,” seems to be the unspoken sentiment.
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Ad Funded Free Downloads?
So how is SprialFrog going to make money exactly? According to a piece in today’s FT (read it quick before it costs you), Universal Music is backing the service which will offer free downloads based on users experiencing ads. Unless we’re going to have to watch a whole series of ads, I can’t see how…
Podcasts, Radio, TV, Books, Cycling, Photography and More
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Yellowface/All The Lovers In The Night
Yellowface by R F Kuang I first came across R F Kuang with last year’s very enjoyable Babel, an alternate history of the British Empire told in a world where magic exists and is controlled by an elite group of individuals. Yellowface is very different, but no less enjoyable. It’s a book about books, and…
Hadrian’s Wall
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