There was little mercy being shown to a beleaguered ITV from ISBA director general Mike Hughes when he opened the annual conference this morning.Speaking about CRR (Contract Rights Renewal) which is being reviewed currently by Ofcom, Hughes stated that ISBA does not want CRR dropped, but would be open to seeing it amended. However, he… Continue reading ISBA and Ofcom restate CRR position as ITV hacks costs

Digital-only radio station Planet Rock is parting company with First Radio Sales, the company that has represented it for the past six months.FRS said that the decision to end the sales agreement was mutual, adding that it wants to focus on servicing its local radio stations.Planet Rock became the first digital-only station to be sold… Continue reading Planet Rock parts company with First Radio Sales

ISBA director general Mike Hughes joined his new president, Coors CEO Mark Hunter, in urging the online industry to accelerate plans for a research currency today.Hunter described the lack of a currency as “unacceptable”, and a “major focus for ISBA this year”, whilst Hughes said he was “encouraging urgency and pace be put into it…… Continue reading “Snails Pace” online currency developments rile ISBA executive

Former ITV CEO Richard Eyre has called for a more open minded approach to behavioural targeting – “a game changer for advertisers”.Speaking at today’s ISBA conference, he said it may be “easier to attack than defend”, but there were huge opportunities here for advertisers. If this can get past the “privacy zealots and media vegans”… Continue reading Eyre backs behavioural targeting to replace our “geriatric advertising measures”

US online ad spending in the first-quarter of 2009 will see a year on year fall for the first time since 2001, according to a recent forecast from IDC. IDC said that US online ad spending was basically flat in the fourth quarter of 2008. During that time, search ads increased 10% while display and… Continue reading US online ad spending forecast to fall in Q1 2009

US internet users aged 12-28 have embraced online applications that enable communicative, creative, and social uses, according to new research from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. Older users are more likely to engage in online activities that require some capital, such as travel reservations and online banking, the research found. It… Continue reading Younger US internet users embracing creative and social online applications

A new US study has found that light PC internet users are 30% more likely than heavy PC internet users to use their mobile devices to access online content. The results of the comScore study show that, in total, 42 million people in the US used their mobile devices in October 2008 to access news… Continue reading Light PC internet users more likely to go online via mobile than heavy PC internet users

Clear Channel Outdoor’s worldwide revenue was flat year on year during 2008, although it fell 16% year on year in the fourth quarter. Revenue at Clear Channel’s international division was up by approximately $62.3 million in 2008, mainly brought about by movements in foreign exchange. There was, however, a slight revenue decline in the UK.… Continue reading Revenues flat at Clear Channel Outdoor

Havas has reported a rise in net income of 25% for 2008, to €104 million, with net debt down to €79 million. The group, whose operations include Euro RSCG, Havas Media and Arnold Worldwide, saw organic growth grow 4.7% while its operating margin was 12.1%, up from 8.2% in 2006. Havas said that its new… Continue reading Havas reports strong performance in 2008

Pearson, owner of the Financial Times, has reported an increase in sales and operating profits for 2008. The company, which also owns Penguin books, saw its strongest profit growth at the FT Group, up 13%. Online showed impressive growth for the FT Group last year, with 67% of revenues coming from digital services, up from… Continue reading Pearson reports increase in sales and operating profits