Latest in Mactaggart Lecture

Channel 4's Head of News and Current Affairs Dorothy Byrne is only the sixth women to give the well-respected MacTaggart lecture, the keynote address at the Edinburgh International TV Festival. Previous speakers include Rupert Murdoch, Ted Turner and Norman Lear. Byrne addressed a range of issues during her speech…

Award-winning UK television journalist Jon Snow delivered the James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture at the Edinburgh International Television Festival here this evening, calling for media to close what he described as today's social disconnect — and launching an attack on Facebook who he said “prioritized fakery on a…

Award-winning UK television journalist Jon Snow will deliver this year's James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture at the 42nd Edinburgh International Television Festival. Snow, one of the country's most respected and well-known TV news anchors and journalists, has been the face of Channel 4 News since 1989, having reported…

Vice Media founder and CEO Shane Smith this evening delivered the keynote MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival, sounding a warning to legacy media that it needs to adapt. In an hour-long speech, the gonzo ex-punk rocker spoke of the profound changes the industry is currently facing as young people break…

Armando Iannucci came out swinging at the British government, cheap television and, in a not-so-veiled reference, the Murdochs, as he delivered the prestigious MacTaggart Lecture at the Guardian Edinburgh TV Festival this evening. The focus for the Veep creator was the fate of the BBC which is under intense scrutiny…

For its 40th anniversary edition, the Edinburgh International Television Festival is placing an emphasis on talent and bringing in more offshore content than ever. But, it’s keeping things homegrown for the prestigious James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture. The fest has recruited Scottish writer, director and producer…

Channel 4 chief executive David Abraham delivered the James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture at The Guardian Edinburgh Television Festival in the Scottish capital this evening. And he came out swinging. He added the acquisitive John Malone to the “pool of MacTaggart bogeymen” and said, "In recent years we've seen a parade…

Kevin Spacey officially opened the Guardian Edinburgh Television Festival in the Scottish capital this evening, becoming the first Hollywood star, rather than exec or broadcaster, ever to deliver the prestigious James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture. The lecture is designed to focus on the topics that are currently top of…

In a first for a Hollywood star, Kevin Spacey will deliver the keynote MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh International TV Festival in August. The influential speech traditionally focuses on serious issues facing the UK TV business. It has in the past been delivered by three members of the Murdoch family: Rupert…

As expected, BBC director general Mark Thompson has gone on the attack against the Murdochs and News Corp. He warned that Sky will shortly become Britain's biggest broadcaster and said such a concentration of cross-media ownership would not be allowed in the U.S.. Thompson blasted Sky for spending so little on…

Thompson will attack Sky tonight during his Mactaggart lecture speech at the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival. Thompson will point to the vast scale of Sky and its influence over the UK broadcasting industry. He will compare the £2 billion the Corporation spends on programmes with the…