Welcome to The Spy Report at Media Spy - a handy guide to what’s making news in the media industry. Our team of contributors will help keep you up to date on developments in the industry and what we’re talking about in the forums.


Anonymous Tips

Do you have an inside story to share? Let us know!

Subject:

Story:




Syndicate

RSS

Archive

International

YouTube starts offering full-length CBS shows

YouTube has begun to show full-length episodes of shows from US network CBS Corporation’s archives in a bid to boost advertising revenue. Google, the site’s owner, says it is in negotiations with other networks to sign similar deals. Many local and overseas networks already offer short (up to 10-minute) clips of shows, including the BBC, […]

October 11th 2008 — 8:24 pmAdvertising, Industry, International, New Media, United States
Reuters drops coverage of cricket tour

Reuters will not cover the Australian cricket team’s upcoming tour if India as a result of ‘unacceptable’ terms. The international news agency says that it has failed to successfully negotiate accreditation terms with Cricket Australia and the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
In a statement, the organisation said that if an agreement is not […]

October 9th 2008 — 1:02 pmIndustry, International, Press Releases, Print, Talking Points
US: D-Day arrives in North Carolina

The US city of Wilmington, North Carolina, will become the first in the United States to switch off analogue TV at 12.00pm tomorrow (local time), Monday 8 September.
At that time, the local affiliates for ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and Trinity Broadcasting, will switch off analogue transmission and broadcast signals will be available only via digital […]

September 7th 2008 — 10:49 pmDigital Television, International, United States
ACMA moves to block Hezbollah’s ‘terror TV’ station

The Age reports that authorities are moving to prevent an anti-semitic satellite TV channel from broadcasting into Australia. Al Manar is owned by Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant Shiite Muslim political party in Lebanon listed as a terrorist organisation by the United States.
The Australian government lists only its armed wing, the External Security Organisation.
Al-Manar promotes and […]

August 21st 2008 — 5:39 pmInternational, Subscription Television, Television
US: Laurence Fishburne joins cast of CSI

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has solved the mystery of who will replace departing CBS series star William Petersen: It’s Laurence Fishburne.
Fishburne, an Emmy and Tony winner, will be introduced in the ninth episode of the upcoming 10th season, the network told The Associated Press on Monday. He’ll play a forensics scientist with a secret.
Fishburne is […]

US: TV still major news source

A survey of Americans news habits has shown that Television remains a leading source of news in the country.   Results from the Pew Research Center’s biannual survey on news consumption habits have also shown that newspaper readership is dropping, while online readership is growing.
The survey has highlighted a growing group of people, refered to as […]

NZ: TVNZ leads Qantas television awards nominations

TVNZ dominates this years’ Qantas Film and Television Awards nominations, with dominating news and current affairs categories and nominated for more than half the television section.
Both One News and Tonight have been nominated for the ‘Best News’ category, competing against rival 6pm bulletin 3 News. TVNZ programs also predominate several other news and current affairs […]

Former ARN chief heads to Middle East

Steve Smith, the former general manager of the Australian Radio Network, has left Australia to head the Arab Radio Network based in Dubai.
With fifteen years of radio industry experience, including managing Melbourne ARN stations Gold 104.3 and Mix 101.1, Smith will be responsible for the nine radio stations which come under the Arab Media Group.
Smith […]

August 4th 2008 — 6:34 pmAppointments, International, Radio
US: Online video viewing up, but TV remains #1

New research in the United States from Nielsen tells us what we already knew: internet use is on the up, and online and mobile video viewing has grown markedly over the course of the last twelve months.
But Nielsen’s new “three-screen” reports - aggregating data from television, internet and mobile usage - also reveals that television […]

July 9th 2008 — 5:00 pmIndustry, International, New Media, United States
Screen actors play down strike speculation

For months, there’s been speculation that the American television industry could once again be crippled by strike action, but that possibility has been played down by the actors’ union at the centre of the dispute.
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) in the US has been in deadlocked negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television […]

June 30th 2008 — 3:48 pmIndustry, International, United States