ITV's 9-mth revenues remain flat despite downturn

Britain's largest commercial broadcaster, ITV, said Wednesday that revenues for the first nine months of the year were little changed from last year despite the economic downturn, as growth in online ads and TV production offset weaker broadcast advertising.

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ITV has sold Friends Reunited for £25m four years after buying it for £120m.

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ITV has ended weeks of speculation about the future of fantasy action drama Primeval by confirming today that it will not be making another series of the show.

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...she now seems to be back on form and is said to be discussing her first album with Simon Cowell's record group, Sony Music. She is also expected to join the Britain's Got Talent tour which starts on June 12, although she may miss the first few gigs while she continues her rec …

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EXCERPT: A new controversy has emerged regarding Scottish singer Susan Boyle's defeat on Britain's Got Talent, after claims were made that she missed out on vital votes due to an alleged phone scam on YouTube.

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I’LL HELP SUSAN, INSISTS ELAINE

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*Breaking News*: Britain's Got Talent -The Final: Diversity crowned worthy winners! Susan Boyle beaten to second place.

Wow, Wow, Wow...what a final. It was so hard to pick a winner but I knew one of the dance groups would nail it! The question was which one? Everyone in Britain had gotten drawn into the the rivalry between Flawless and Diversity, unable to choose between them.

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The performance the world has been waiting for is here! Susan Boyle, the 47-year-old from Scotland, takes on the other acts from the Britain's Got Talent live final. Here is a video of the announcement of the results, which includes a performance by the winners.

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Hercule Poirot, the famous Agatha Christie detective, is set to return to TV screens. The character, played by David Suchet for 21 years, will return to film in The Clocks, the first of four new shows based on the fictional Belgian detective.

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Amid rumors that the bosses of Britain's Got Talent may dismiss Susan Boyle due to fears she was not coping with pressures of her sudden fame, a spokeman from the show stated that she was getting support from the producers and was going to stay.

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Trying to keep the press and others from hounding the suddenly world-famous songbird, Susan Boyle has moved to a secret location.

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Monday's edition of Britain's Got Talent got the biggest audience ever, larger even than the Sunday audience which tuned in to catch Susan Boyle's second appearance for the semifinal. A record 15.4 million tuned in to the Monday show.

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The audience picked Susan Boyle and the judges picked dance group Diversity. Here is a clip of the announcment of the semi-final. winners. Semi-Final 1: The Result Also, Simon Cowell apologized to Susan Boyle for the way they treated her before she sang last time.

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Britain's Got Talent: Semi Finals 1- Tonight 8.30pm GMT- with the singing juggernaut Susan Boyle

After the usual parade of hopefuls and and plain losers, Britain's Got Talent moves tonight, and all of this week, into its serious phase with the Semi Finals on Channel ITV1. Forty acts will be paraded (8 each night) in order to get 10 finalists, two acts from each night.

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Apparently this show is a British version of Survivor, where contestants have to do all sorts of things to survive in the Outback such as eat bugs, etc. I wouldn't go there myself.

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As Simon Cowell might say, this story is utterly disappointing and self-indulgent.

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The two organisations have been discussing possible ways in which they could work together in a partnership aimed at securing a long term future for regional news on Britain's main commercial channel.

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Pay programming from HBO and other networks may become available online for paying customers

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Netflix CEO Reed Hastings expects the company to offer streaming-only subscription plans by 2010, as the company prepares itself for an expected transition away from physical DVD media.

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Nigh-on a year after its launch, there's no denying the BBC iPlayer has become hugely successful, vastly overshadowing the competition's best efforts to compete.

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The partnerships would give other public service channels access to the iPlayer regional news resources, and technology being developed by the BBC.

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Kim Peek the autistic savant was featured on ITV's program 'Superhuman: Genius.' It was a moving story among stories. Kim Peek was the inspiration behind the film, the Rain Man.

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ITV News journalist John Ray has been arrested in Beijing while covering a Free Tibet protest. Mr Ray was released soon after the incident at the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park, near the National Stadium.

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I abhor this potential development. Programme sponsorship is one thing, but blatant product placement on British television screens in front of an unsuspecting audience is quite another and is already beginning to mar my enjoyment of some Hollywood blockbuster films: i.e.

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Some of Britain's most popular television programmes including the Vicar of Dibley and Who Wants to be a Millionaire have been criticised for being "too white" in a report led by Trevor Phillips, the equality chief.

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ITV was fined a record £5.7 million for misleading viewers over the conduct of phone-ins on its flagship programmes this week. But it is not just big companies that have to stump up cash in fine-happy Britain.

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