In The Frame – January ’15

Streaming / Online / Tech

Determined to put their annus horribilis firmly behind them, Sony have joined forces with both Spotify, to launch PlayStation Music, and Sky, who’ll provide content for the new PS Video streaming service (replacing the existing Video Unlimited offering). Both services will fall under the new PlayStation Network. Sky have also announced that Sky Go Extra and Sky Multiscreen customers can now watch live and on-demand content via PlayStation 3 consoles for the first time. (Sources: thenextweb.com, rapidtvnews.com and Sky.com).

Broadcast Now reports on the future of immersive TV, informing us that virtual reality (VR) TV is “edging closer, with producers, manufacturers and broadcasters trialling the technology for music, sport, natural history and even news”. Facebook, they say, have paid $2bn (£1.3bn) for Oculus, a technology company that makes VR headsets for 3D gaming and has its own content store (as do Samsung, Sony and Google, who are all funding content, too).

Sports News

The football institution that is Match of the Day, which is currently celebrating 50 years on air, will continue to go out in its traditional Saturday night slot until at least 2019, after the Premier League announced that the BBC has retained the rights with a bid of £204 million.

BT Sport, meanwhile, is apparently in “serious discussions” with Match of the Day’s presenter, Gary Lineker, over a possible deal that could allow the former England captain to host BT Sport’s Champions League coverage from next season, in addition to fronting programmes for the BBC.

BBC News

In other BBC news, Director General Tony Wilson this week questioned the future of the traditional 9pm watershed, as on-demand viewing becomes more prevalent. “[It is] still a useful way of judging [taste and decency issues] but has the watershed got a future in 20 or 30 years’ time? I suspect not,” he said.

Watching content on-demand is the preferred viewing habit among the demographic known as Generation Y – which is why the BBC is keen to reach that group as it launches BBC Taster. Described as “the home of new ideas” and “a new way to deliver all the freshest ideas and experiments, from across the BBC straight to you”, production teams will be able to monitor feedback and viewing data specific to each pilot that could lead to a full commission.

And finally…

• The top iPlayer shows in 2014 were Sherlock (with 4.2 million plays), Top Gear (3.8m), Murdered By My Boyfriend (3m), Outnumbered (2.9m) and Doctor Who (2.8m)

• Disney is to debut a Hispanic princess in a new animated series scheduled for broadcast next year on its Disney Junior channel and programming blocks around the world. The series is calledElena of Avalor, reports the Wall Street Journal.

• Around 15 new national DAB stations are on their way to UK listeners next year, says Ofcom, which has received two joint applications – one from Listen2Digital (which sees Babcock’s Media Services business pitch with Orion Media) and Sound Digital (comprising Arqiva, Bauer and UTV Media GB). Almost half of UK adults now own a digital radio set.

• This year’s BVE event is just a few weeks away and lists writer and performer Adam Buxton among its nearly-200 speakers. BVE is the UK’s largest broadcast expo – featuring 120 seminars and more than 250 exhibitors – and takes place between February 24^th and 26^th at ExCel London. Visitors’ tickets are free and available here.

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