BBC One’s spectacular Comic Relief 2009 pulled in more than 12.7 million peak viewers on Friday evening.The fund-raising extravaganza, presented by Davina McCall and David Tennant, attracted more than 10.3 million average viewers and an impressive 42.7% share between 7pm and 10pm on Friday.The charity special switched to BBC Two for a short break for… Continue reading Comic Relief dominates the weekend ratings

US advertising revenue fell by around 2.6% between 2007 and 2008, according to the latest figures from Nielsen.The report for the full year of 2008 shows that Cable TV and Hispanic Cable TV were the only sectors to show ad growth, while overall expenditure declined around $3.7 billion to a total of $136.8 billion last… Continue reading US advertisers cut ad spend during 2008

Associated Newspapers launched the first ever free national daily paper in Britain 10 years ago, capturing “young, affluent” readers – some who were new to newspapers altogether and some who made the switch from other easy-reads such as The Sun and the Daily Mirror.The Metro has become one of the world’s largest circulation giveaways as… Continue reading Metro’s 10th birthday

BBC One’s Comic Relief special shows attracted the highest ratings last night and helped the channel secure the peak audience from 7.30pm onwards, ahead of its terrestrial rivals.Eastenders started off BBC One’s peak run – with more than 8.6 million average viewers and a 39% audience share between 7.30pm and 8pm.Comic Relief’s one-off documentary, Kilimanjaro… Continue reading Comic Relief wins over viewers

Carat’s press director Dominic Williams is convinced that there is “too much choice” in the men’s magazine market and predicts more closures in 2009.Speaking at MediaTel Group’s ‘Future of Consumer Magazine’ seminar on Wednesday, Williams said: “There is too much choice. It’s a much tougher market now and there will definitely be more closures in… Continue reading Williams: “There is too much choice in the men’s magazine market”

Independent News & Media’s incoming chief executive Gavin O’Reilly rebuffs claims that the struggling Independent titles are up for sale or due to be closed.However, the son of Sir Anthony O’Reilly – who announced plans to step down from INM after 36 years earlier today (see Sir Anthony O’Reilly is set to leave INM)- did… Continue reading New INM chief says Independent is not for sale

Independent News & Media’s long-running chief executive Sir Anthony O’Reilly will step down on May 7 and be replaced by his son, Gavin O’Reilly.O’Reilly has announced plans to retire as chief executive and as a director of the board of the Independent owner in two months time, on his 73rd birthday.He is currently the largest… Continue reading Sir Anthony O’Reilly is set to leave INM

ShortList Media is set to launch a free weekly women’s title to rival glossy magazines like Grazia, following the success of its free weekly men’s magazine ShortList.The publisher’s new title, which will be aimed at affluent ABC1 women in the 25 to 40-yeear-old age bracket, will focus on celebrity and fashion, according to reports.However, ShortList… Continue reading ShortList to launch new women’s mag

Magazines can’t compromise their editorial integrity, despite needing to generate more advertising revenue in the recession, according to the panellist at MediaTel Group’s ‘Future of Consumer Magazine’ seminar yesterday.The panellist all agreed that delivering a quality product and maintaining consumer loyalty and trust is the most important thing in the magazine market, regardless of the… Continue reading Evelyn Webster: “Magazines can’t compromise their editorial integrity”

Future’s chief executive Stevie Spring claims that magazine publishers are “burning cash” online, although she admits that the “proportionality of reach online is massive compared to print”.Speaking at MediaTel Group’s ‘Future of Consumer Magazines’ seminar yesterday, Spring said publishers have a “different relationship” with online consumers as they use magazine sites to carry out “specific… Continue reading Future’s chief exec: “Shedloads of companies are losing shedloads of money” online