BSkyB has reportedly received expressions of interest in its 17.9% stake in ITV from broadcaster RTL and US billionaire Haim Saban. BSkyB recently confirmed the launch of a legal challenge against the competition regulator’s ruling ordering it to sell the majority of its ITV stake. If Sky loses the appeal and is forced to sell… Continue reading Sky Receives Expressions Of Interest In ITV Stake

The return of The Graham Norton Show on BBC Two had a peak of 1.7 million adult viewers in its 9pm slot last night.The first episode in the new series featured Hollywood legends Tony Curtis and Kevin Bacon, and managed to get an 8% share of the audience between 9pm and 9.30pm.Over on Five at… Continue reading Norton’s Return Gets 1.7m Viewers

Google has revealed that it saw 20% growth in users clicking through to paid for ads in the first three months of 2008.The search engine giant also reported profit after tax of $1.3 billion (£655 million) for the first quarter of 2008.In March, figures from research firm comScore appeared to show that the growth in… Continue reading Google Reports First Quarter Growth

Thinkbox, the television marketing body for UK commercial broadcasters, is relaunching its website next month.Thinkbox said that the new website will better reflect the expanding TV landscape and broaden its focus on the opportunities offered by new and emerging TV technologies.New content will include a TV Technology Zone in collaboration with Decipher, a dedicated TV… Continue reading Thinkbox To Relaunch Website

Recommendations from friends and families have the greatest influence on brand choice of all touchpoints, according to the results of ZenithOptimedia’s research project, Touchpoints ROI Tracker.The influence of word of mouth is on average 22% higher than television advertising, said Zenith.It added that the influence of the internet, which continues to grow in power, increases… Continue reading Word Of Mouth Has Greatest Influence On Brand Choice

News International’s freesheet thelondonpaper is reported to have lost nearly £17 million in its first 10 months of publication on a turnover of £8 million.thelondonpaper, which launched in September 2006, recorded a pre-tax loss of £16.8 million in the year to the end of June 2007, according to a report on MediaGuardian.co.uk.Accounts filed at companies… Continue reading thelondonpaper Lost Nearly £17m In First 10 Months

Confounding analyst predictions, Google has reported 31% growth in quarterly profits and 20% growth in users clicking through to paid for ads. The company reported profit after tax of $1.3 billion (£655 million) for the first quarter of 2008, with aggregate paid clicks rising by approximately 20% year on year, and 4% period on period.… Continue reading Google Reports 31% Profit Growth

A new report from Efficient Frontier shows that Google accounted for 77% of total search spend in the first quarter of 2008. Return on investment (ROI) on Google improved by 24%, click-through rates (CTRs) improved by 19%, and cost per click (CPC) rates increased by 11% in the period between Q1 2007 and Q1 2008,… Continue reading Google Accounted For 77% Of Search Spend In Q1 2008

Total search-related mobile advertising expenditure will grow from $813 million in 2008 to $5 billion in 2013, according to a new report from ABI Research. The growth of consumer options to search on-deck and off-deck, SMS, and via branded or white-label search providers in the mobile domain has created opportunities for advertisers to reach consumers… Continue reading Mobile Search Adspend To Reach $5bn In 2013

Simon was the latest wannabe to get booted off The Apprentice last night, after cracking under the strain of photographing shoppers at the Bluewater shopping centre.A peak of 7.2 million adults tuned in to see who would be the latest business casualty, a 32.5% share of the audience.The second most watched programme at 9pm, ITV1’s… Continue reading 7.2m See Simon Get Fired