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LONDON: Ofcom has commissioned a study that will look at viewers’ attitudes toward on-screen violence, in an effort to assess whether the amount of violence on British television has increased in recent years. The investigation will specifically look at shows scheduled before and immediately after the 9 p.m. watershed. The …

LONDON: Pierre Conte has become the new CEO of GroupM France, overseeing the local media investment management operations. Conte takes up the new role as of September 16, reporting to Dominic Grainger, the CEO of GroupM EMEA. He succeeds Bruno Kemoun and Eryck Rebbough, who will continue to support and …

LONDON: According to the latest pay-TV forecasts from Analysys Mason, the take-up for OTT is pacing ahead of traditional pay-TV services in Western Europe. The analyst forecasts that the number of households taking pay-TV services in Western Europe will increase by 9.2 million to 113.3 million, an 8.9-percent growth, between 2013 and …

PREMIUM: Jørgen Madsen Lindemann, the president and CEO of Modern Times Group, talks about how compelling storytelling is the fuel that drives his businesses. WS: MTG has recently acquired a 92.4-percent stake in DRG and a 51-percent stake in NovemberFilm. What motivated these acquisitions? MADSEN LINDEMANN: It is important for …

LONDON: A+E Networks UK, a joint venture between A+E Networks and BSkyB, has appointed Remi Abayomi as its senior director of broadcast operations. Abayomi will be charged with increasing the broadcasting operations infrastructure for the company’s networks in the U.K., Central Europe, Benelux, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Greece and Africa. …

LONDON: NBCUniversal (NBCU) International Television Distribution has named Rhys Beer as its VP of sports distribution and business development, a newly created position. In his new post, Beer is expected to handle growth opportunities and generate revenue through the sales of the company’s existing sports content. He will develop a …

STOCKHOLM: A new report from Ericsson ConsumerLab finds that people are increasingly watching one piece of content across several locations and times, calling the latest trend “place-shifted viewing.” In its fourth annual survey looking at consumer viewing trends, Ericsson ConsumerLabs reports that 72 percent of respondents say they use mobile …

GÜTERSLOH: The German media giant Bertelsmann saw its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) from continuing operations in the first six months of the year rise 5.2 percent to 768 million euros ($1.02 billion). In the period from January to June, Bertelsmann’s net profit grew by 10.9 percent to 306 …

LONDON: The BBC’s director general, Lord Hall, is the most influential person in British TV, according to the MediaGuardian, ranking third overall on the newspaper’s power list, ahead of Rupert Murdoch and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. Lord Hall, a new entry, was number one in the television sector, followed by Rupert …

LONDON: Channel 4 in the U.K. has lined up a second season of Child Genius, a competition series produced by Shed Media’s Wall to Wall. Child Genius watches as a group of 5- to 12-year-old children with extremely high IQs compete to become the U.K.’s Child Genius of the Year. …