In The Frame May ’14

Xbox’s original TV content isn’t all Halo and rapper biopics. Techradar.com reports that a dozen shows are either coming soon or in development. The games console’s manufacturer, Microsoft, is also developing use of TV frequencies to facilitate cheap wireless broadband, says winbeta.org. Known as ‘white space’, the unused frequencies offer a cheap and effective way to transmit data wirelessly.

Netflix continues to make In The Frame… as senior drama figures describe the company’s £100m commission of 20-part series The Crown, which traces the story of the Queen’s reign from her ascent to the throne in 1952, “a landmark moment for British scripted content”, as reported by broadcastnow.co.uk.

A panel is to weigh up the pros and cons of 4K at Creative Week, which takes place from June 3rd at Bafta in central London. The “unique new event bringing together the worlds of television, film and advertising to share inspiration and information” will host a discussion on the merits of moving beyond HD, reports broadcastnow.co.uk. While TV manufacturers tout the benefits of 4K displays, it says, some in the industry question the commercial, artistic and editorial benefits of the technology.

UK News

In other UK news, Viacom has agreed to buy Channel 5 from Northern & Shell, as reported by marketingmagazine.co.uk. Viacom, which operates approximately 170 networks reaching approximately 700 million subscribers in 160 countries, will take ownership of the main channel as well as 5* and 5USA, the children’s TV, online and events arm Milkshake! and the on-demand service Demand 5. The deal is worth £450 million, four and a half times the amount that Northern & Shell paid in 2010.

There’s currently a lull in TV coverage of football before the World Cup kicks off in Brazil on June 12^th. But this year’s tournament – which sees 32 national teams compete across twelve venues – will deliver more than 300 hours of programming across the BBC and ITV. There will be 50% more coverage on the BBC than there was in 2010, with 31 live matches shown, while ITV will show 34 live matches.

Speaking of football, the appearance of QPR player Joey Barton, as well as Arsenal fan Piers Morgan, on Question Time failed to lift the show’s ratings when the pair joined the panel for a recent edition of the long-running programme.

While ITV enjoys prime-time rating success, its breakfast show viewing figures have fallen more than 13% year-on-year during Good Morning Britain’s first month on air.

And finally…

• The number of UK TV shows directed by women is the lowest for 40 years. Fewer than one in 10 British TV shows are directed by a woman, and the numbers are decreasing
• Cilla Black – whose contribution to the British TV and music industries spans more than five decades – has been presented with a special award by Bafta
• The BBC has released six short pilots on the iPlayer. The episodes, between 4 and 10 minutes in length, have been made by Vic & Bob’s production company Pett Television
• Sky’s OB team moved in after 11 pm – ITV’s crew deadline having broadcast England’s match against Peru – to prepare their production of the Froch-Groves fight at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 31^st May. 15 articulated trucks carried kit as 400 people worked overnight to build the ring, fit the canopy and four giant screens above it, install 23 TV cameras and get everything else ready before the gates opened at 5.30 pm
• The Big Brother house is back and ready for its next batch of contestants ahead of the launch of the new series on June 5
• Gangnam Style hits an impressive milestone: the South Korean pop star’s surprise hit has become the first YouTube video to surpass two billion views.