Did Arrowverse secretly spawn a big budget, character-driven TV show about Superman that nobody would have believed could have been possible, and did BBC then drop the entire first season this weekend?
The BBC and Sky have announced the renewal and expansion of their long-term strategic partnership to further showcase the BBC’s brands and services on Sky’s TV products.
Netflix subscriptions overtake pay TV for UK viewers
by Andy Bassett
As UK viewers watch nearly 6 hours of TV or on demand video per day, there are now more households with a Netflix subscription than a pay TV account for the first time, according to Ofcom's latest survey.
Streaming video-on-demand services that operate in the UK such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ could soon be subject to the same rules and regulations as more traditional linear broadcasters like the BBC, ITV and Sky.
Sky, Netflix, Disney and others have 4K content available, so what do AV enthusiasts think is holding up the UK PBS / commercial broadcasters from getting UHD content out to consumers now that 4K TVs are in more and more homes?
Both timely and timeless, Steve McQueen's Small Axe is an important piece of British culture and it feels it at every turn in this first film-sized TV chapter, Mangrove.
Movies preferred to TV shows during lockdown in UK
by Andy Bassett
A wide ranging survey has revealed certain UK viewer’s habits during lockdown and it’s good news for Disney+ and movies in general, with some surprises topping the 'most anticipated' lists going forward.
Movies leaving the BBC iPlayer by the end of July 2020
by Andy Bassett
The BBC iPlayer has around 75 films in its library at any one time, some stay around for up to a year but others are in and out within 30 days or so. Here’s a look at movies that are leaving by the end of July 2020.
TV licence fee now applies to over 75s from 1st Aug
by Andy Bassett
The BBC’s plans to charge over 75s for the TV licence were put on hold when coronavirus struck but with restrictions easing, 1st Aug is now the date from which most older pensioners will no longer be exempt from payment.
Created, written and directed by - and starring - Michaela Coel, this BBC drama is equal parts acerbically witty and tragically powerful.
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Movies & TV News
BBC iPlayer movies leaving by end of June
by Andy Bassett
The BBC iPlayer has the sort of library that befits the well-rounded tastes of film buffs who aren’t necessarily just after the latest CGI heavy blockbuster. Here’s a look at what’s currently available to view before coming off the service by the end of June 2020.
The BBC iPlayer has its fair share of decent movies but with only 30 days availability for a lot of them, they’re easy to miss if you’re used to having your watchlist scheduled weeks in advance. Here are the iPlayer movies that you may want to squeeze in right at the top of that list - as they say, ‘use it or lose it’.
Samsung’s 2020 UK TV lineup now features an upgraded range of app offerings to cover all the live, catch up and streaming TV you might ever want to watch.
The BBC iPlayer is the place that everyone forgets has a plentiful and varied supply of freely available cinematic content. However, movies don't hang around forever - here’re the films leaving the service over the next week that you might not want to miss.
The BBC iPlayer plays host to almost 100 feature films and is often forgotten about when considering which streaming service is going to supply the goods for your next movie session.
The BBC picks up Alex "Ex Machina" Garland's new TV show, Devs, which offers an unsurprisingly intriguing near-future landscape of potentially scary technology.
BBC's Killing Eve Season 3 Premiere TV Show Review
by Cas Harlow
Returning for a third season, hopefully the quirky and darkly witty BBC spy thriller Killing Eve manages to set the excellent duo of Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh back on track.
As millions of people self-isolate and work from home, home entertainment will play a large role in staving off boredom and maintaining positivity. The likes of Sky, Virgin Media, Apple, Amazon, Google and the BBC are all changing things up to make allowances for the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to reports, the government has sent out the clearest message yet that the BBC will lose the licence fee and have to find funding from other sources.
As the UK government mulls over plans to decriminalise non payment of the TV licence fee, the cost of getting one in the first place will rise an extra £3 from £154.50 to £157.50 from 1st April 2020.
Gatiss & Moffat's colourful updating of Dracula blends horror and classic camp comedy to surprisingly good effect, delivering everything you would expect from the makers of Sherlock.
This Guy Pearce-starring, Tom Hardy/Ridley Scott-produced, Steven "Peaky Blinders" Knight-written adult adaptation of Dickens' classic tale makes for suitably gritty, compelling Christmas viewing.
Samsung TVs unexpectedly losing access to BBC iPlayer
by Andy Bassett
Support for the BBC’s iPlayer on certain Samsung devices including Blu-ray and DVD players plus set-top boxes ended on 9th Dec 2019 as expected. What wasn’t expected were the many Samsung TV owners who also now find themselves without access too.
The BBC and the legendary Sir David Attenborough give us yet another must-see, jaw-dropping, eye-opening and ultimately heartbreaking look at our planet, making for demo 4K material with Zimmer's score all the more bracing in Atmos.
After the abortive film adaptation, the popular book series gets explored by BBC and HBO, crafting an intriguing, well-cast mystery which might actually do it justice.
The BBC try to remain faithful to the original H.G. Wells novel in terms of both the Edwardian setting and the Surrey locations, but can't help but give this new adaptation a distinctly Doctor Who feel.