MUMBAI: BBC has said that the London 2012 Olympic Games delivered the biggest television event in the UK since current measuring systems began, with 51.9 million (90 per cent of the UK population) watching at least 15 minutes of coverage. 24.2 million (42 per cent of the UK population) also watched at least 15 minutes of coverage on the BBC Red Button.

The Closing Ceremony was watched by a peak audience of 26.3 million and an average audience of 23.2 million (82 per cent share). This compares to an Opening Ceremony peak audience of 27.3 million and an average audience of 23.4 million (84% share).

BBC One controller Danny Cohen said, "It has been an absolute privilege to broadcast the London 2012 Olympics on BBC One. It?s been a phenomenal Games and Team GB?s amazing achievements have helped draw huge audiences to BBC One and put the channel right at the heart of the action. We?ve had fantastic feedback about the quality of the BBC?s coverage and all the teams involved deserve huge thanks and praise."

Top 10 viewing peaks:
1. Opening Ceremony, Friday 27 July - 27.3 million
2. Closing Ceremony, Sunday 12 August - 26.3 million
3. Men?s 100m Final ? Bolt wins gold, Sunday 5 August - 20 million
4. Mo Farah wins 10000m gold, Saturday 4 August - 17.1 million
5. Jess Ennis wins Heptathlon gold, Saturday 4 August - 16.3 million
6. Tom Daley win?s diving bronze, Saturday 11 August - 15.9 million (inc. BBC One/Three and BBC Red Button)
7. Greg Rutherford Long Jump gold, Saturday 4 August - 15.6 million
8. Men?s 200m Final ? Bolt wins second gold, Thursday 9 August - 15.4 million
9. Mo Farah wins 5000m gold, Saturday 11 August - 12.9 million
10. Sally Pearson wins 110m hurdles gold, Tuesday 7 August - 12.1 million

MUMBAI: US newspaper organisation New York Times has announced that BBC DG Mark Thompson will become its next president and CEO. He will also become a member of the Company?s Board of Directors.

Thompson will report to the board of directors and to Times Company chairman Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. He is relocating to New York and is expected to start his new role in November.

The decision to hire a non American who does not comes from print has surprised some people. At the same time, The New York Times is one ofthe few newspapers in the US which has survived the onslaught on the Internet and has a pay model online.

Sulzberger said, "Mark is a gifted executive with strong credentials whose leadership at the BBC helped it to extend its trusted brand identity into new digital products and services. Our board concluded that Mark?s experience and his accomplishments at the BBC made him the ideal candidate to lead the Times Company at this moment in time when we are highly focused on growing our business through digital and global expansion."

Thompson said, "The New York Times is one of the world?s greatest news providers and a media brand of immense future potential both in the U.S. and around the world. It is a real privilege to be asked to join the Times Company as it embarks on the next chapter in its history. I?m particularly excited to be coming to The New York Times Company as it extends its influence digitally and globally. I look forward to working with the board, Arthur and his highly talented management team to build on the success that has already been achieved and to explore new ways of bringing journalism of exceptional quality, integrity and depth to readers and users everywhere."

At the BBC, Thompson developed new products and generated new revenue streams on multiple platforms. The businesses he supervised included BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, a fast-growing media and entertainment company designed to maximise BBC profits by creating,acquiring and developing media content and media brands around the world. It has annual revenues of approximately $1.5 billion.

Most recently, he has led the BBC?s multimedia coverage of the London Olympic Games, coverage which has won near universal acclaim at home and around the world. While reaching historically high audiences in TV and radio, the BBC also used London 2012 to pioneer multiple new digital services and technologies.

Thompson has been responsible for the BBC?s services across television, radio and online including 10 national TV channels and 10 national radio stations, 40 local radio stations and an extensive global Web site. The BBC World Service broadcasts to the world on radio, on TV and online, providing news and information in 27 languages. With a global workforce of more than 20,000 people, the BBC produces over 400,000 hours of content each year.

MUMBAI: The opening ceremony of the London Olympics set a new viewership record with 26.9 million viewers in UK tuning in, according to public broadcaster BBC.

The average viewing figure for Friday?s four-hour show was 22.4 million thereby becoming UK?s 13th most-watched programme ever.

In contrast, the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games in 2008 averaged at 5 million and peaked at 5.4 million.
The programme also had an 82 per cent share - almost twice that of the previous high for an Olympic opening ceremony, in Barcelona in 1992.

In US, The Nielsen Company said London?s ceremony was the most-watched opening ceremony of any summer or winter Olympics with a record 40.7 million watching it on NBC.

The viewership topped the previous mark of 39.8 million people who watched the 1996 Atlanta Olympics begin, and the 34.9 million who watched the opening ceremony of Beijing games four years ago.

MUMBAI: BBC One has launched its new Original British Drama campaign to the UK nation throughout the Olympic Games period.

Over the next two weeks audiences will get a sneak preview of the new British drama coming up on the channel. including ?Good Cop?, ?Accused?, ?Doctor Who;, ;Merlin? and ?EastEnders?.

BBC One controller Danny Cohen said, "The London 2012 London Olympics provides a rare and unique opportunity to showcase some of BBC One?s very best forthcoming programmes to our audiences. At approximately 8 pm across the 17 days of The London Olympics, we will give viewers the first exclusive look at a range of brand new original British drama coming up on BBC One - in the form of

specially-made feature length trailers. From Hunted to The Paradise, Good Cop and The Secret of Crickley Hall, Shetland to Ripper Street, these new series highlight the exciting and broad range of tones, stories and worlds we want drama on BBC One to encapsulate.

"Plus viewers will get an exclusive look at what?s coming up on Eastenders, Merlin Accused and Dr Who. It?s a fantastically diverse and ambitious combination of fiction coming up on BBC One in the coming months."

MUMBAI: The Football Association (FA) has agreed a new six season deal with BBC Sport for the radio commentary rights for all men?s and women?s FA Cup & International matches along with the Community Shield.

The deal covers the qualification campaigns for the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, and the 2016 European Championships.

BBC Sport director Barbara Slater said, "We?re delighted to have secured another agreement for the commentary rights on BBC Radio 5 live for the FA Cup and International matches. Both have a strong heritage on BBC radio and are hugely valued by our listeners. It?s really exciting to take it forward for another six seasons."

The agreement covers the 2012/13 season and runs through to the end of the 2017/18 season.

BBC Radio 5 live controller Adrian Van-Klaveren said, "The agreement means we can continue to offer BBC Radio 5 live listeners the best coverage of matches and tournaments which they really care about. We?re delighted that we will continue to capture all the action and drama over the next six seasons."

The FA general secretary Alex Horne commented, "We?re delighted that the BBC will be bringing The FA Cup, England internationals and the Community Shield to large audiences nationwide. It will be an exciting year for England as Roy Hodgson leads us into the World Cup qualifying campaign and some mouth-watering fixtures as part of The FA?s 150th anniversary celebrations. We thank BBC 5 Radio live for their support and look forward to working with them over the next six seasons."

MUMBAI: After son James Murdoch, media baron Rupert Murdoch has resigned as director of his U.K. media group News International, NewsCorp Investments, and Times Newspaper Holdings, a move that has been described as corporate house cleaning process.

The BBC said that he has also resigned from boards of a number of subsidiaries in America, Australia and India, where it runs the Star TV network.

The move comes in the backdrop of News Corp?s announcement to separate the profitable film and television business from the publishing business, which has been a drag on the media conglomerates balance sheet.

News International, which publishes The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun newspapers, has become a headache for News Corp due to its exposure to the phone hacking scandal, which led to the closure of News of the World tabloid besides arrest of company official and millions of pounds in damages to the victims.

More than that, the scandal has besmirched the image of Murdoch?s and prevented News Corp from making a complete takeover of BSkyB in which it holds 39 per cent.

Incidentally, in February this year James Murdoch had to quit the the boards of News Corp?s newspaper companies as well as BSkyB board due to the scandal. The Junior Murdoch has since moved to US as deputy COO of News Corp.

"I wanted to let you know that Rupert Murdoch has resigned as director of a number of companies, including NI Group Limited, known to most of you as News International, and Times Newspapers Holdings Limited," News International head Tom Mockridge reportedly said in an email.

"As you may be aware, Rupert resigned from a number of UK boards, including News Group Newspapers and Times Newspapers Limited, some time ago. He has also stepped down from more than a dozen boards of companies with interests in the US, Australia and India."

The move has fuelled speculation that Murdoch is looking to sell off his UK publishing business in order to rid himself of the scandal menace.