Media Brief

I'm the BBC's media correspondent and this is my brief selection of what's going on. Some content may need a subscription.

The Government has deferred until 2013 a decision on whether future home England Ashes Test matches will be available on free-to-air television the BBC reports.

The BBC reports young people rarely see positive portrayals of lesbian and gay people on television, according to an analysis by Stonewall.

Facebook now has more than 500 million users, gaining 100m in the past six months the BBC reports.

The Independent reports that it was a record year at the cinema box office, according to the UK Film Council

Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 will be shown on Freeview by TopUp TV. It's charging less than BT and Virgin, which will also carry the channels after an OFT ruling. But it means further confusion for the "Free" view concept according to the Guardian.

The BBC Trust has charged hotel and travel expenses of £36,000 after "refusing to move to London", according to the Daily Mail. But the BBC says the Trust's expenses fell.

The Guardian reports BBC Trust members have "embraced the age of austerity" by slashing expenditure on entertaining, travel and accommodation by 20% to just over £60,000.

The BBC newspaper review says that the papers focus on the performances of David Cameron and Nick Clegg on either side of the Atlantic.

Links in full

• BBC | Ashes free-to-air TV ruling deferred until 2013
• BBC | Gay and lesbian television portrayals criticised
• BBC | Facebook hits 500m user milestone
• Nick Clark | Independent | Britain's box office booms but filming is set to slow
• Mark Sweney | Guardian | Top Up TV offers cut-price Sky Sports 1
• Paul Revoir | Daily Mail | BBC boss racks up a £36,000 bill for hotels and travel after refusing to move to London
• Mark Sweney | Guardian | BBC Trust executives cut expenses bill by more than 20%
• BBC | Newspaper review

• Read my archive of media stories on Delicious

• Read Thursday's Media Brief