³ÉÈËÂÛ̳

I'm the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s media correspondent and this is my brief selection of what's going on.

The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ reports BSkyB has added 96,000 customers in the first quarter, well ahead of predictions. It now has 9.96m subscribers and reported a 25% increase in operating profits, to £255m.

The Rupert Murdoch threw his support behind the coalition government last night, applauding its tough approach to cutting the budget deficit. Drawing a comparison between the government and Margaret Thatcher, Murdoch said: "Like the lady, the coalition must not be for turning."

The [registration required] Mr Murdoch made only oblique references to the issues facing his UK interests, such as the full takeover of BSkyB.

The that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s director of global news, Peter Horrocks, told staff that some language services would be closed as part of a "seismic shift" for the whole organisation, as it moved to being funded by the licence fee. He said the corporation was also looking at introducing advertising on some of the World Service's 31 foreign-language websites.

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has lowered the rating of Colin Firth's new film The King's Speech from 15 to 12A reports the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳. The film's distributors appealed after it was given the higher rating because of bad language. It shows King George VI being encouraged by a speech therapist to swear, to overcome a stammer.

The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ reports EastEnders will be broadcast in high definition for the first time on Christmas Day. Other shows such as Doctor Who and Top Gear are already being shown in the HD format. The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ One HD channel will be launched on 3 November, simulcasting the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ One schedule.

The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s newspaper review rounds-up the papers' criticisms of Chancellor George Osborne's levy on banks. The banks have wriggled off the hook, says the Guardian, despite Chancellor George Osborne's vow to make them pay. "The City barely shrugged yesterday" agrees the Independent, while shares in the banks "were all but unmoved".

Links in full

• ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ | BSkyB reports rapid customer pick-up
•
•
•
• ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ | Colin Firth welcomes censors' reclassification decision
• ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ | EastEnders to be broadcast in HD on Christmas Day
• ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ | Newspaper review

• Read

• Read

• Read Thursday's Media Brief