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BSkyB and ITV
Granville Williams
When BSkyB paid 690 million for ITV shares in November 2006 it talked about 'substantial potential for long-term value creation'. Intense controversy surrounded the acqusiition and most people agreed with Richard Branson that BSkyB's objective was to thwart Virgin Media's plan to takeover ITV, and stifle any potential competition before birth. It now looks like the the decison by business secretary John Hutton to support the Competition Commission ruling is not the end of the affair. ( BSky likely to appeal against Hutton ruling' The Guardian January 30). BSkyB has a month to appeal, and if such an appeal were to fail BSkyB will still have up to nine months to sell its shares. The long timescale and uncertainty of the process will inevitably impact on ITV's development. BSkyB has also written off £343 million to reflect the fall in ITV's share price. So much for long-term value creation. This episode highlights again the issue of media ownership and the dominant influence of BSkyB/News Corporation on the UK media which in the past through predatory pricing of newspapers or bidding to drive down the price of the ITN news contract with ITV sought to weaken competition. The Competition Commission report and the business secretary supported the sale of shares because the BSkyB stake 'lessened competition' but dismissed the threat to media plurality. Convergence has brought new players into the media and drastically altered patterns of media ownership. The government could assuage widespead concern about these matters through a public inquiry into the wider issues relating to media ownership. Granville Williams
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Events & Announcements
World Press Freedom Day
More reporters are currently imprisoned in Turkey than in any other country in the world. Only a matter of weeks ago lawyers failed to persuade a Turkish court to release a 76-year-old journalist from a Turkish internet news station.
World Press Freedom Day on Friday May 3, 2013 is being marked in Britain by a rally to highlight the dangers facing journalists in Turkey and in this podcast, Nicholas Jones speaks to Barry White, Organiser at the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, and Sam Bamford, the TUC's policy officer for Eastern Europe and Africa about the importance of a campaign to highlight international press freedom.
The World Press Freedom Day rally is being staged by the National Union of Journalists at the NUJ head office, Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 on Thursday May 2, 6pm-8pm.
DATELINE: 27/4/13
UK launch of EU media campaign
DATELINE: 13/3/13
The UK launch of a 'European Citizens' Initiative' calling for EU rules against concentration of media power will take place on Thursday March 21 from 11:00am – 12:30pm in Committee Room 4A at the House of Lords, London. Guest speakers will include actor and activist Hugh Grant (pictured), media consultant Claire Enders, Professor Steven Barnett, Barry McCall (President of the NUJ) and Marc Gruber (Director of the European Federation of Journalists).
A European Citizens' Initiative is an official petition, like a Downing Street petition. If it succeeds in gathering a million signatures across the EU, the Commission is obliged to respond.
This petition calls for the EU to act to protect media pluralism and press freedom.
CPBF Annual General Meeting
DATELINE: 1/3/13
Make a note in your diary
Saturday 13 July 2013 from 10.00am
NUJ HQ, 308/312 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1.
Leveson, media ownership, CPBF future work.
DOWNLOAD FREEPRESS NOW
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Download Freepress in PDF, ePub or mobi format. Issue 194 now available.
MEDIA FOR ALL CONFERENCE
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Papers from the Media for All Conference
MEDIA MANIFESTO
DATELINE: 26/3/10
The media’s job is to inform and entertain us but we rely on them too to tell us what our rulers and representatives are up to. In the run-up to the Iraq war the government used spin and disinformation in the media to create panic and mislead people. The truth is coming out now, but we need stronger, more independent media to be able to scrutinise governments and make informed choices.
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Previous stories
Media Ownership
Campaign welcomes government ruling on ITV shares
Murdoch: Sky News should be like Fox
Murdoch and ITV
BSkyB 'should sell shares in ITV'
Internet Television
Murdoch must sell his stake in ITV
New inquiries into ownership
Murdoch Junior takes the money
Murdoch's Journal deal - another blow for journalism
MediaChannel faces closure for lack of funds
Murdoch faces probe
Lords Probe Media Ownership and News
A Waiting Game
Review: Labour's missed opportunities
Stopping Murdoch Now 5
Rivals clarify complaints over Sky dominance
Stopping Murdoch Now (2)
Stopping Murdoch now!
Stopping Murdoch Now!
Early Day Motion 309: Attempted takeover of ITV by Sky
Stopping Murdoch now
Turmoil at the Telegraph
Independent news network expands
Australian media law reform plan goes off air indefinitely
Off and On: the OFT and Newspaper Distribution
Prodi to undo Berlusconi's media laws
Who does he think he is?
No Sale for Northcliffe
Report on 'Content diversity in newspapers and television'
Corporate greed rules
