WPP has joined the growing list of businesses interested in acquiring media buying group Aegis, with the company reportedly considering a bid for the British firm’s research arm.Meanwhile, French entrepreneur Vincent Bollore has further increased his stake in the company, fanning the flames of speculation surrounding his intentions, and securing 12.63% of the firm.WPP’s interest,… Continue reading Bollore Raises Stakes As WPP Shows Interest In Aegis

ITV has announced the launch date of its yet-to-be-named children’s channel, with the youth offering available on all digital platforms from 11 February.The new channel will feature a range of content from the broadcaster’s existing children’s services, as well as newly commissioned programmes and acquisitions.Details of the channel were first confirmed in August, with Estelle… Continue reading ITV Confirms February Launch For Kids Channel

Media owners need to master effective convergence of their online and offline properties if they are to survive in the future, according to the Financial Times, which this month launched its first electronic version specifically for handheld devices.Speaking at the Ad:Tech London conference this week, the FT’s director of online publishing Nigel Pocklington explained that… Continue reading FT Boss Claims Convergence Is The Key To Success

David Elstein, former chief executive of Five and current chief executive of Hallmark, has lashed out at the Government’s plan for digital switchover, branding the exercise “almost completely unnecessary” and claiming it is designed purely to “reinvent spectrum scarcity.”Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours programme, Elstein said: “Digital switchover for me an amazing… Continue reading Switchover ‘Completely Unnecessary’ Says Elstein

Internet search icon Google is to begin streaming television broadcasts over the internet after signing up American broadcasters and holding negotiations with the BBC over the possibility of British content.According to reports, the search giant hopes to amass an online library of programmes which can be searched and viewed online from any computer.The service has… Continue reading Google To Host Online TV Service

Pay per call marketing looks set to become the next “big idea” in online marketing, according to industry experts, with a potentially massive advertiser base of those companies currently without an online presence.Speaking at yesterday’s Ad:Tech London conference, Stuart Veale of venture capitalist firm Beringea explained that 75% of businesses in Britain are currently without… Continue reading Pay Per Call The Next ‘Big Idea’ In Online Marketing

August saw the nation’s box offices doing roaring trade, with family audiences flocking to see director Tim Burton’s remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which grossed a massive £26 million in the month.The film helped Britain’s cinemas enjoy a second consecutive month of family film success, following on from July’s successful performance to become… Continue reading Family Films Fuel Successful August At Box Offices

Channel 4 saw revenues increase dramatically during August, with a 9% increase year on year pushing the broadcaster’s total to £47 million.Next month sees Channel 4 launch its second digital entertainment channel, with More4 offering viewers access to current affairs, documentary and drama, cheekily billed as an “adult entertainment” offering (see October Launch To Bring… Continue reading TV Market Round-Up – August 2005

MSN is to take on internet search rival Google in the search targeted marketing business, with its new MSN adCenter product seeking to steal the limelight from Google’s hugely successful Adwords.MSN’s new offering debuted in Singapore last month, but only went into official use this week, with the company’s French operations the first to see… Continue reading MSN To Compete With Google In Search Marketing

The launch today of Be Unlimited’s 24 megabit broadband service threatens to squeeze BT’s dominance of the sector, according to technology pundits, who claim the ultra-fast service will spark a price war amongst internet service providers.Be, which is billing the new service as an “exponential leap for internet users,” will be able to provide hugely… Continue reading Ultra Fast Broadband Threatens To Start Price War