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BSkyB has announced pre-tax profits up 46 per cent to £55m (£37.8m) in the half-year to December 31. Turnover was up 48 per cent to £356.9m (£241.4m). The company also confirmed this week that paying subscribers were up 480,000 to 3.96 million over this period…

…News Corporation has announced an eight per cent rise in profits after tax to £325m, lifted by the performance of BSkyB and the group’s US TV interests…

…Granada chief executive Gerry Robinson has become chairman of the BSkyB board. He is also tipped to succeed Michael Green as chairman of ITN when Green steps down next month…

…Greg Dyke, the former LWT managing director, has joined the board of BSkyB, replacing Frank Barlow as Pearson’s board representative.

Agencies are seeking credits from the National Magazine Company for ads placed in the January issue of Company, which was withdrawn by WH Smith and John Menzies because of a feature on pornography…

…The National Magazine Company has settled its dispute with IPC over Homes & Ideas’ alleged infringement of House Beautiful’s copyright. IPC will make changes to the cover of Homes & Ideas from its May issue and pay an undisclosed sum to NatMags.

The Radio Authority has pressed for assurances that advertising on BBC radio is never an option. MPs debate the White Paper on the Future of the BBC on Thursday.

Auto Express is sponsoring The Motorshow on Granada, LWT, Yorkshire Tyne-Tees and Border, supported by a national radio campaign and ads in the Daily Express.

Heart FM has secured Birmingham City Council as local sponsor for the FT Business News. A similar deal has been struck by JFM 102.2 with Jaguar.

Virgin London 105.8FM, which launches on April 28, will broadcast Talk of the Town, a live show from the Virgin Megastore, every weekday night from 7pm to 7.30pm.

Internet access at local telephone rates is now available in 39 UK towns and cities – up from just a handful a year ago, according to a survey published in Internet Magazine.