World Screen

LONDON: In its Media, Technology & Telecoms Outlook for 2014, YouGov has pinpointed four key trends for the year ahead, including predictions that established media will stem the current flow of losses and grow and that UltraViolet could break into the mainstream. Dan Brilot, media consulting director at YouGov, said: …

LONDON: The Guardian's critics have made their selections for the top 30 best TV programs of 2013 broadcast in the U.K., giving the number one spot to the French drama The Returned, which aired on Channel 4. Breaking Bad, which streamed in the U.K. on Netflix, ranked second. Another Channel …

BERLIN/NEW YORK: Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) has appointed Magnus Kastner, who joins from Rotana Media Services, as its executive VP and managing director for Northern Europe, effective in February. In his new position, Kastner will be responsible for managing VIMN's brands and business throughout Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, the …

VIENNA: Sky will be the exclusive TV home in Austria for all matches of the UEFA Champions League live and in HD until the year 2018. Sky Deutschland already secured the exclusive German pay-TV rights for the European football matches a few days ago, and the rights agreement has now …

LONDON: Channel 5 owner Richard Desmond has appointed Barclays to advise on a possible sale. Desmond has reportedly asked advisors to look into the possible sale of the network, which could raise more than £700 million ($1.16 billion). Desmond bought the British free-to-air channel for £103.5 million ($171 million) in …

LONDON: Digital video sales in the U.K. were up by 40 percent in 2013, according to year-end figures from the Entertainment Retail Association (ERA), driven by services such as iTunes, Netflix and LOVEFiLM. Digital video sales grew by 40.2 percent in 2013, to £621.4 million. Overall, the entertainment retail market …

LONDON: Antenna Group has acquired Kiss TV, Kiss FM, Magic FM, One FM and Rock FM in Romania from ProSiebenSat.1, which sold off Prima TV to the Romanian media businessman Cristian Burci. Theo Kyriakou, the CEO of Antenna Group, said, "I'm delighted that we've been able to acquire these market …

LONDON/AMSTERDAM: Antenna Group has named Peter Smith, previously the chief executive of Cineflix Studios and the former president of NBCUniversal International, as its managing director. Since August 2012, Smith was serving as CEO of Cineflix Studios. Prior to this he was overseeing the growth of NBCUniversal's international business. During his …

LONDON: UKTV has revealed its plans to screen the first episode of the third season of the legal dramedy Suits online, a week before its premiere on Dave. The first episode of season 3 will become available on Dave on Demand, the Dave iOS app and Dave's YouView service on …

LONDON: A study from BT TV has revealed that only a fifth (22 percent) of viewers in the U.K. settle in to watch TV without interruption, reinforcing the rising trend of "media meshing." Eight in ten Britons said they are distracted by other forms of entertainment, taking on tasks such …