The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

-d -h -min -sec

Media update: Michael Brown and media diversity; a native advertising warning from John Brown Media; Edinburgh TV Festival highlights

By Angela Haggerty | Reporter

August 26, 2014 | 4 min read

The Drum's weekly round-up of the media scene sees diversity at the top of the debate with a piece from Royal Television Society Diversity Committee chair Marcus Ryder; some native advertising criticism and a brand warning from John Brown Media chief Andrew Hirsch; and all the best highlights from the Edinburgh International Television Festival, where ITV, the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5 and HBO spoke extensivley on the importance of taking creative risks.

Marcus Ryder on media diversity

In this week’s media scene, Royal Television Society Diversity Committee chair Marcus Ryder penned an opinion piece for The Drum on why the “hot topic” of diversity is at the heart of the conversation between television executives, and why the death of black US teenager Michael Brown this month highlights that there is work to be done.

John Brown Media chief on native advertising

Meanwhile, John Brown Media chief executive Andrew Hirsch waded into the native advertising debate after telling The Drum that it is an “unhealthy” practice that risks brand identity being “absorbed” by its publisher surroundings. Hirsch is the latest voice in a conversation which often polarises ad and media industry professionals.

And the Edinburgh TV Festival...

At this year's Edinburgh International Television Festival, one of the core themes was creative risk – or lack of. Channel controllers from the BBC and ITV defended the amount of creative risks they were taking with programming. Baited by Channel 4 chief executive David Abraham who, in his MacTaggart Lecture, claimed "Standing up for creative risks in the commercial world is the way I’ve earned my living now for 30 years," controllers including ITV's Peter Fincham, Channel 5's Ben Frow and BBC One's Charlotte Moore took to the stage on Friday to defend the risks, or perceived lack of risks, they were taking.

Joining the Festival from the US was HBO chief executive Mike Lombado, who also addressed risk-taking in programming, although despite HBO being home to riskier shows including Girls, True Detective and Game of Thrones, it doesn't push the envelope “for the sake of it.”

Meanwhile the threat of the US taking an ever-increasing foothold in the UK market was also a recurrent theme at the conference. Abraham's MacTaggart Lecture referred to a “spate of deals that will reshape our industry”, referencing Viacom's takeover of Channel 5, adding: "Liberty and other US shareholders are trying to play footsie with ITV," calling UK free-to-air channels "the must-have accessories, the tiny dogs of 2014, amongst US media companies".

A observation that impacted the following day's programming with Ben Frow defending the Viacom deal, claiming it would be advantageous to the broadcaster to pull resources with new stable mates Comedy Central and MTV.

Peter Fincham also defended strengthening relations between US and UK production companies, adding that though he has nothing to do with ITV Studios recent US-purchases he believes the deals would benefit UK viewers.'

Trending

Industry insights

View all
Add your own content +