Five is understood to be on the verge of scrapping its red-button interactive TV service.Five, owned by RTL Group, has decided to pull the service after realising that the technology is too expensive, according to a report in Media Week.The removal of the service will mean that viewers will be unable to interact with certain… Continue reading Five To Scrap Red Button Service

Manchester United’s win over Roma in last night’s UEFA Champion’s League quarter final brought over 5.9 million adults on average to ITV1 between 7.30pm and 10pm.The victory gave the channel a 27.2% average viewing share over the period. However, the game’s preamble couldn’t compete with Albert Square and the return of Ricky and Bianca to… Continue reading Manchester United Triumph Proves A Winner For ITV1

Blinkx, the video search engine, has launched a free online movie channel.The BBTV initiative includes a partnership between Blinkx and UK indie film distributor Dogwoof, which will offer consumers a library of independent and world cinema films to choose from, as well as TV programmes provided by Blinkx’s existing partners.BBTV goes live today and uses… Continue reading Blinkx Launches Free Online Movie Channel

Interactive television is the best way to generate direct purchase, ahead of field marketing and email marketing, according to a recent survey conducted by the Direct Marketing Association.Meanwhile, TV and radio ads are the most effective means of generating retail traffic, closely followed by consumer magazines, the DMA found. Telephone calls, followed by interactive TV… Continue reading Study Finds Interactive TV Drives Consumer Purchase

The European Commission has opened an investigation into a planned government grant worth £14 million, intended to help Channel 4 complete the switch to digital TV.A report on MediaGuardian.co.uk says that Channel 4’s subsidy will be investigated by the commission to see whether it breaches European Union rules on state aid and would distort competition.In… Continue reading EC Investigates Channel 4 Switchover Grant

Absolute Radio has been selected as the preferred bidder to acquire Virgin Radio from Scottish media group SMG. According to a report in today’s Daily Telegraph, Absolute is believed to have made a cash offer and will enter talks with Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, which must approve the deal and the continued licensing of… Continue reading Absolute Selected As Virgin Radio Preferred Bidder

GCap Media has accepted a £375 million takeover bid from rival company Global Radio.Global Radio, headed by former ITV chief executive Charles Allen, will pay 225p per share, with the conclusion of the deal last night heralding an end of four months of negotiations.Global made a first bid for GCap in December, of 190p per… Continue reading Global Radio To Acquire GCap For £375m

Sales from online shopping reached €18.5 billion (£12.8 billion) in the UK last year, according to a new report from Mintel.The company looked at retailing across five countries including the UK, Germany and France.The second biggest online spender in the Mintel report was Germany, with sales reaching €13 billion last year.It was followed by France… Continue reading UK Is Number One For Online Shopping

Annelies van den Belt, head of ITV.com, is leaving the broadcaster after 15 months to join the Russian online publisher, Sup.It was also revealed today that four key executives have left ITV’s sponsorship team, which is headed by brand partnerships director Gary Knight.Mark Rosenegk, head of sponsorship and interactive, and sponsorship manager Kevin Giles, left… Continue reading Head Of ITV.com To Join Russian Online Publisher

Bauer Radio is planning to launch a male-oriented digital radio station based around its men’s magazine brands.Reports have suggested that the company has identified a gap in the commercial radio market for male listening and is in the very early stages of exploring that opportunity.A source told Brand Republic that the station would probably source… Continue reading Bauer Could Launch Male Focused Radio Station