Freeview to carry eight extra BBC channels during Rio Olympics

July 12th, 2016

Multiplex and broadcast infrastructure company Arqiva has confirmed it will carry eight additional services on digital terrestrial TV for the duration of the 2016 Olympics

The additional services, delivered in conjunction with the BBC and consisting of a mixture of standard and high definition streams, will broadcast on the company’s COM8 multiplex, which has a technical reach of 76% of households. Arqiva says the move will help contribute towards the BBC’s goal of bringing more than 3,000 hours of coverage of the event.

In order to receive the channels, viewers must have a device that’s DVB-T2 compatible – i.e. a device supporting Freeview HD, Freeview Play, YouView (BT TV, TalkTalk TV, Plusnet TV) or EE TV.

The COM8 multiplex already carries QVC+1 HD and QVC Beauty HD on channels 111 and 112, so viewers who can receive these services now will be able to benefit from the expanded service. Viewers may need to retune their receivers at the beginning of August in order to receive the expanded Olympics service, which will be live from 5th August – 21st August 2016.

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Lego Star Wars continues to dominate gaming charts

July 11th, 2016

Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens has remained at the top of the UK retail charts for the second week in a row (despite a 54% drop on the previous week’s sales).

The Wii U version of the game released last week, bringing the total up to seven physical formats for the Lego juggernaut.

Overwatch is climbing again by taking second, and Doom has knocked FIFA 16 down to fourth by taking third spot, this due to recent price promotions on PS4.

The retail edition of Rocket League also continues to do good business, and Carmageddon: Max Damage debuted this week in 22nd.

Here’s the all-formats (all prices) GfK Chart-Track top ten:

1. Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens / Warner Bros.
2. Overwatch / Activision Blizzard
3. Doom / Bethesda
4. FIFA 16 / EA
5. Rocket League / 505 Games
6. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End / Sony
7. Grand Theft Auto V / Take 2
8. Ratchet & Clank / Sony
9. The Division / Ubisoft
10. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 / Activison

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Drake lands a 13th week at Number 1 with One Dance

July 8th, 2016

Drake has done it yet again – he’s still at Number 1 with his Wizkid and Kyla collab One Dance.

The most streamed track of the week, One Dance has now notched up 13 consecutive weeks at the top, the third longest consecutive Number 1 of all time, behind Wet Wet Wet’s Love Is All Around (15 weeks) and fellow Canadian Bryan Adams’ (Everything I Do) I Do It For You.

Despite being the biggest sellers of the week, Kungs vs Cookin’ On 3 Burners’ This Girl settles for Number 2 for the fourth week in a row, and Drake and Rihanna’s Too Good holds firm at 3 for the second straight week. Calvin Harris and Rihanna’s This Is What You Came For is static at 4, while Adele’s Send My Love (To Your New Lover) climbs one place to a new peak of Number 5.

New Entries and High Climbers

The Chainsmokers crash the Top 10 for the first time in their careers with their Daya collaboration Don’t Let Me Down, up nine places to Number 7 and Calum Scott hits Number 10 (up two) with Dancing On My Own, his first UK Top 10 single.

Leaping 14 places to this week’s Number 12 is Kent Jones with Don’t Mind and also on the up is Ariana Grande; Into You ascends eight to 14, the highest charting so far from her Dangerous Woman album.

This week’s highest climber is Jonas Blue with his track Perfect Strangers, which climbs 22 rungs to Number 16. Also on the rise is Shawn Mendes’ latest single Treat You Better, his second Top 20 single bounces nine places to Number 20.

Finally, two new tracks enter the Top 40 for the very first time. Rihanna scoops her 45th Top 40 single with Needed Me, up three to 38. The second newbie this week is from MK & Becky Hill; Piece of Me is MK’s first and Becky’s second (not including her uncredited vocals on Wilkinson’s Afterglow) Top 40 single.

Click here to see this week’s Top 100 Official Singles Chart in full

Lego Star Wars tops the gaming charts

July 4th, 2016

The 4th was strong with Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens as it became the fourth best-selling Lego game and fourth best-selling Star Wars game in its first week.

FIFA 16 and Overwatch leapfrogged Doom for 2nd and third respectively.

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, made an impression at 6th in its first week, while Telltale Games’ 7 Days to Die managed 9th.

The Technomancer came in at 13th, while Minecraft: Wii U Edition came 18th.

Price promotions also had some major effects on this week’s charts.

The all-formats chart in full:

1. Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens / Warner Bros. (new)
2. FIFA 16 / EA Sports
3. Overwatch / Blizzard
4. Doom / Bethesda
5. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End / Sony
6. Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness / Square Enix
7. Rocket League / 505 Games
8. Grand Theft Auto V / Rockstar
9. 7 Days to Die / Telltale Games (new)
10. The Division / Ubisoft

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Drake tightens his grip on the Official Singles Chart with TWO Top 3 singles

July 2nd, 2016

Drake’s reign over the Official Singles Chart is not letting up – he now has two singles in the Top 3.

The longest reigning Number 1 of the digital age One Dance has notched a twelfth week on top, the lengthiest consecutive run since Wet Wet Wet’s Love Is All Around spent 15 weeks at the helm in 1994.

After leading in the midweeks for the third week running, Kungs vs Cookin’ On 3 Burners settle for Number 2 with This Girl. Drake and Rihanna’s Too Good storms two places to a new peak this week of Number 3. This week marks the seventh in a row that both Drake and Rihanna have had two singles inside the Top 10.

And Rihanna is back again, a non-mover at Number 4 with Calvin Harris on This Is What You Came For, and Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop The Feeling is down two rungs to complete the Top 5.

New entries and high climbers

Adele’s Send My Love (To Your New Lover) makes its Top 10 debut this week, up nine spots to Number 6. Fresh from Glastonbury, this is Adele’s eighth Top 10 single. Tracks from Calum Scott and Dua Lipa also achieve new personal bests; Dancing On My Own is up four to 12 while Hotter Than Hell also rises, this time two positions to 15.

The Chainsmokers hit the Top 20 for the third time in their career as Don’t Let Me Down shoots up eight places (16), and after their Glasto headline slot, Coldplay catapult from 30 to 19 with Hymn For The Weekend. Also rising this week are Ariana Grande’s Into You (up four to 22) and Don’t Mind from Kent Jones, which vaults 13 places to 26.

Shawn Mendes’ Treat You Better hits a new peak of 29 on its fourth week on chart, just ahead of Dizzee Rascal and Calvin Harris’ Hype, new at 34. Hype marks Dizzee’s 24th Top 40 single and Calvin’s 26th.

Finally, Jonas Blue’s Perfect Strangers makes its Top 40 debut, rising six to 38 and Christine and the Queens’ Tilted experiences a post-Glastonbury uplift, up 13 slots to 40.

Click here to see this week’s Top 100 Official Singles Chart in full

Doom rules the gaming charts for a second week

June 27th, 2016

Doom made it two weeks in a row on the latest UK video games charts, edging out FIFA 16 for number one.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End meanwhile remains the number one selling single SKU.

Indie darling Rocket League finally got a retail release and managed a respectable sixth place (retail release include a bunch of DLC).

Other new releases came in further down the charts with Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE from Atlus in 18th spot, Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir in 23, Mario & Sonic at the 2016 Rio Olympics climbed to 30 with the introduction of the Wii U version, Dino Dini’s Kick Off Revival managed 37th spot.

As you expect during the summer month’s promotions had a big effect on the charts, and Nintendo also launched new “Select” titles, which saw The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D climb to 34th.

The all formats chart:

1. Doom / Bethesda
2. FIFA 16 / EA Sports
3. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End / Sony
4. Overwatch / Blizzard
5. Grand Theft Auto V / Rockstar
6. Rocket League / 505 Games (new)
7. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 / Activision
8. Star Wars Battlefront / EA Games
9. Ratchet & Clank / Sony
10. Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 (UEFA Euro 2016 Edition) / Konami

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Drake sees off Kungs to claim longest running Number 1 of the digital age

June 24th, 2016

Looks like Drake really is unstoppable – he’s done it again.

The Canadian rapper’s One Dance, featuring Wizkid and Kyla, held off a midweek challenge from French producer Kungs to claim the Number 1 prize for an astonishing 11th week. This makes One Dance the longest running chart-topper of the digital age, since 2004 and the introduction of legal download services.

It was pretty close, with just over 3,000 combined chart separating Drake from Kungs vs Cookin’ On 3 Burners’ This Girl, which settles for runner-up position today.

Drake was the most streamed track of the week, too, notching up 4.67 million listens over the last seven days.

Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop The Feeling holds firm at 3, while Calvin Harris and Rihanna’s This Is What You Came For stays at 4. Drake and Rihanna both make another appearance in the Top 5 – their collab Too Good is a non-mover at 5.

Sigala’s teamup with John Newman and Nile Rodgers, Give Me Your Love, zooms 82 places to Number 9, and Adele’s Send My Love (To Your New Lover) rises 10 spots to 15 to break the Top 20 for the first time.

Britain’s Got Talent star Calum Scott’s cover of Robyn’s Dancing On My Own bounces 12 places to 16, and Bastille return to the Top 40 with a brand new entry – Good Grief is at 25.

Ariana Grande’s Into You hits a new chart peak, advancing eight places to 26, and Twenty One Pilots are new at 33 with Heathens.

Shawn Mendes’ Treat You Better is up 7 to Number 38, and US hiphop star Kent Jones vaults 21 places to 39 with Don’t Mind, his first UK chart hit.

Click here to see this week’s Top 100 Official Singles Chart in full

Doom shoots down Overwatch in the all-formats chart

June 20th, 2016

Doom has overtaken Overwatch after its three week run at the top of the UK charts.

With retailer promotions for Doom bringing the average sale price down by around £5, sales have shot up 57% since last week.

It’s a great result for Bethesda, as it’s the publisher’s first chart-topper since Fallout 4 last year (and id’s first number one since Doom 3 back in 2004).

One game that made a debut in the charts is MotoGP 16: Valentino Rossi, which squeezed into this week’s top twenty (at 19).

Here’s the multi-platform top ten:

1. Doom – id Software / Bethesda
2. Overwatch – Blizzard / Activision
3. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Naughty Dog / Sony
4. FIFA 16 – EA Canada / EA
5. Grand Theft Auto V – Rockstar / Take 2
6. Mirror’s Edge Catalyst – DICE / EA
7. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 – Treyarch / Activison
8. Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 – Konami / Konami
9. Star Wars Battlefront – DICE / EA Games
10. Lego Marvel Avengers – Traveller’s Tales / Warner Bros. Interactive

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Drake overcomes the competition to score his tenth week at No.1

June 17th, 2016

It was a close one, but Drake has managed to hold on to the top spot for an incredible 10th week, with One Dance seeing off a strong challenge from French producer Kungs.

Kungs’ remix of Cookin’ On 3 Burners’ This Girl was the midweek leader, but Drake snatched victory – and the Number 1 – by just 1,773 combined chart sales. One Dance, featuring Wizkid and Kyla, is the first song to top the Official Singles Chart for 10 weeks since Rihanna’s Umbrella in 2007.

The Canadian rapper’s first Number 1 as a lead artist was also the most streamed track of the last seven days. One Dance notched up 4.77 million listens this week.

Kungs and Cookin’ On 3 Burners, then, settle for Number 2, while Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop The Feeling slips a place to 3. Calvin Harris and Rihanna also drop one, with This IS What You Came For at Number 4, and Drake and Rihanna both secure a second spot in the Top 5, with their collaboration Too Good moving up one to 5.

Cheat Codes and Kris Kross Amsterdam’s Sex has broken into the Top 10 for the first time, rising two to 9, and David Guetta’s official Euro 2016 This One’s For You, featuring Zara Larsson, rockets 30 places to enter the Top 40 at Number 16 as the tournament gets in full swing.

Also making big gains is Dua Lipa’s Hotter Than Hell, zooming 26 slots to Number 18, and the Stone Roses score their 15th Top 40 hit, with Beautiful Thing going straight in at 21.

Britain’s Got Talent stars the Neales go in at 22 with I’ll Be There, while Tom Odell surges 39 places to Number 40, with Magnetised.

Click here to see this week’s Top 100 Official Singles Chart in full

Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst debuts in second place

June 13th, 2016

Blizzard’s competitive shooter Overwatch is the all-format number one for a third week running.

That’s despite the launch of new challenger Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst, which has to settle for second.

EA will be hoping Catalyst does as well as the original Mirror’s Edge, which only made 60% of its lifetime sales in its first 12 weeks. Most games sell 60% of all copies by this time, so Mirror’s Edge was considered a sleeper hit.

Elsewhere, Doom holds on to the third spot for another week, while Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End drops to fourth.

Next up is FIFA 16 in fifth, followed by GTA 5, Tom Clancy’s The Division and UEFA Euro 2016 Pro Evolution Soccer.

Dead Island Definitive Edition and Ratchet and Clank round out the top ten, while Nintendo scores a new entry with Kirby: Planet Robobot at 15.

The all-formats top-ten chart in full:

1. Overwatch – Blizzard / Activision
2. Mirror’s Edge Catalyst – DICE / EA
3. Doom – id Software / Bethesda
4. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Naughty Dog / Sony
5. FIFA 16 – EA Canada / EA
6. Grand Theft Auto V – Rockstar / Take 2
7. The Division – Massive / Ubisoft
8. Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 – Konami / Konami
9. Dead Island Definitive – Techland / Deep Silver
10. Ratchet & Clank – Insomniac / Sony

This gaming news can be discussed here