Cinema ticket sales for the first half of the year have reached 83.4 million, the UK’s highest box office figures for seven years.Films such as Slumdog Millionaire, which has taken an incredible £31.6 million in the UK so far this year, Monsters Vs Aliens and Star Trek, have contributed to the success of ticket sales… Continue reading Cinema ticket sales rocket

ITV1’s advertising revenue is expected to decline by around 12% year on year in September, quashing hopes that the downturn is nearly over.Previous forecasts predicted that ITV1 would report a reasonably healthy single-digit fall for the crucial month, which often reflects the mood of advertisers between the slow summer season and the run up to… Continue reading ITV1’s ad revenue is forecast to drop 12% in September

Independent News & Media is set to secure a further extension to a financial standstill deal with its investors in order to bide more time for debt restructuring.The month-long extension is the third agreement that the Independent owner has had to negotiate in the last three months.INM confirmed its first standstill agreement with banks and… Continue reading INM to secure third standstill deal

BBC One’s popular New Tricks returned with a high of 8.1 million viewers during the all-important peak hour last night.The first episode of the new eight-part detective series, starring Alun Armstrong and Amanda Redman, attracted more than 8 million average viewers and a 34.1% share between 9pm and 10pm, putting BBC One well ahead in… Continue reading Overnights: New Tricks kicks off with over 8m viewers

Google’s market monopoly will end one day, according to a hopeful panellist at MediaTel Group’s ‘Future of National Newspapers’ seminar yesterday.Walker Media’s chairman and chief executive Phil Georgiadis thinks Google’s dominance will cease, or at least change, although he admitted he has said that a few times before.Georgiadis said: “It’s a big mistake to believe… Continue reading Google’s dominance will cease

There was a clear difference of opinion over News International’s strategy at MediaTel Group’s ‘Future of National Newspapers’ seminar in London yesterday.Founder of Enders Analysis, Claire Enders, attacked News International’s strategy, accusing Rupert Murdoch of simply following the latest “fashion”.Taking the audience back as far as the launch of Sky – when the business model… Continue reading Enders questions Murdoch’s strategy

The paid-for model is the key to reviving the deteriorating newspaper industry, according to some panellists at MediaTel Group’s ‘Future of National Newspapers’ seminar yesterday.Two decades of free content has led to an over-supply, according to News International’s Paul Hayes, who later confirmed that Rupert Murdoch plans to charge a “fair price” for both print… Continue reading Paid-for model is the key

BBC One’s What’s Really in Our Food? secured the highest ratings during the all-important prime-time slot last night with more than 4.2 million peak viewers.The one-off documentary, which attempted to shed light on the murky world of food fraud, pulled in over 4 million average viewers and a 18.6% share between 9pm and 10pm.At the… Continue reading Overnights: What’s Really in Our Food? takes the lead

NRS has set up a new User Advisory Panel (UAP) to help publishers, advertisers and agencies become more involved and engaged with the future direction of the newspaper and magazine readership survey.The UAP is made up of members from the three NRS stakeholders – the Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA), the Periodical Publishers Association (PPA) and… Continue reading NRS creates new User Advisory Panel

Tim Forrest, head of communications planning at OMD UK, comments on Greg Grimmer’s Greg Grimmer – Magazines in the departure lounge? article, which was published yesterday… “I agree wholeheartedly with Greg’s holiday sentiment. More so, as top of the request list when visiting my family in France is for as many issues of weekend Qualities as… Continue reading Point of View – ‘Magazines in the departure lounge?’