In The Frame June ’14

Sports News

Following the group games at the World Cup in Brazil, TV broadcasters are reflecting on an outstanding set of results from the first two weeks of FIFA’s thunderous competition, as reported here by football’s governing body themselves. BroadbandTVnews.com reports the same story, adding that sales of television advertising and subscriptions have also benefited.

There is, of course, another global sporting event taking place this summer – although crews working at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next month will have to make do with vistas of the Clyde rather than the Copacabana. The Games will see the BBC achieve the world’s first live Ultra HD (4K) production over IP, news recently brought to us via broadcastnow.co.uk. Previous UHD experiments – including the transmission of three World Cup matches – have taken place behind closed doors but screens in Glasgow will allow the public to watch some of the games in 4K.

BBC News

Away from sport, BBC3 – three months after the corporation’s decision to make the channel online-only – enjoyed success this month at the Broadcast Digital Awards. Outgoing controller Zai Bennett, who is heading for Sky Atlantic, described the channel’s recognition as a “massive vote of confidence in linear television”.

Linear television may well have received a shot in the arm but, as The Guardian reports, BBC radio is to cut a further 65 posts and reorganise its stations around two “hubs” – pop music and classical music and speech.

Tech News

The BBC itself reported earlier this month that Pixar is to give away its 3D RenderMan software, which was used to create films such as Toy Story, Monsters, Inc and Harry Potter. The software, which has faced increased competition from rival animation rendering programmes such as VRay and Arnold, is to be given away free for non-commercial use.

And finally…

• Congratulations to Greg McCall, BT’s COO of Television and Content, who has been named in the joint top spot in list vodprofessional.com’s list of the 50 most influential people working in the UK online television industry (alongside Netflix, bizarrely).

• Melvyn Bragg has criticised today’s top TV writers for mocking the working class (sources: yahoo and the Mirror) while a recent report finds marginalisation of white working-class people in Europe is fuelled by stereotypes and ‘sideline Europe’s white working class’

• An upgrade for BT’s YouView VoD player will be rolled out over the coming weeks, “in a bid to help YouView customers track down their favourite shows and films.”

• Digital Production Partnership (DPP)-certified kit for the file-based delivery of programmes could be available by the end of next month, after 23 manufacturers signed up to the cross-broadcaster group’s compliance programme, says broadcastnow.co.uk. (Will this DPP initiative work? Three freelance editors have their say?)

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