BBC One’s new series of Silent Witness lured an average adult audience of almost 6.5 million last night, with the first of a two-part story line giving the channel a 29.6% viewing share.The long-running forensic crime drama managed to eclipse the final of Marco Pierre White’s Hell’s Kitchen. A little over five million adults on… Continue reading Silent Witness Triumphs Over Hell’s Kitchen Final

Anthony Rose, chief technology officer at Kazaa/Altnet, has joined the BBC as head of digital media technology.Rose, who takes up his post today, will be responsible for delivering the next generation of BBC iPlayer, as well as realising BBC future media & technology’s plans to create a unified embedded media experience across its online properties.Prior… Continue reading BBC Recruits Kazaa Chief Technology Officer

Digital UK, the body leading digital switchover in the UK, is launching a national information campaign to promote the switchover, which starts in just under one month’s time.The switch to digital begins in Whitehaven, Cumbria on October 17, before rolling out across the entire country region-by-region over the next few years, finishing in 2012.The £8… Continue reading Digital UK Launches Switchover Information Campaign

Virgin Media’s new entertainment channel, Virgin 1, is to launch on October 1.Virgin 1, available on Freeview, satellite and cable and Virgin Media’s catch-up TV, recently unveiled its brand identity, comprising a red number one figure emblazoned with the Virgin Logo (see Virgin Unveils New Channel Logo).The logo, conceived by directing duo Conkerco in collaboration… Continue reading Virgin 1 Gets October Launch Date

Radio advertising has a new set of guidelines regarding the marketing of food and drink brands, following crackdowns on TV and online ads for these products.BCAP, the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice, has unveiled new rules which ban the use of celebrities and other characters in ads aimed directly at children, especially those in primary… Continue reading Radio Ads Get Junk Food Restrictions

UK consumers now spend 72% more on magazines than they did 10 years ago, with people spending on average 260 days of their lives reading magazines, according to a survey completed by Magazine Week, a new initiative from the Periodical Publishers Association (PPA).The survey revealed that UK retailers now see a combined revenue from 20… Continue reading UK Consumers Spending More On Magazines

Friday saw England take on the mighty South Africa and there were precious few positives for England to take from a game in which they were soundly thrashed.A humiliating 0-36 defeat exposed all of England’s shortcomings, and matters went from bad to worse towards the end of the match when Jason Robinson sped forward in… Continue reading England No Match For South Africa

Media research and analysis giant, TNS, is to make changes to the organisation of its client services team following the appointment of Nick Burfitt to the role of global director within the TNS iTRAM sector.Dalia Gereis has been promoted to the position of client service director for the TV Bureau, assuming the responsibility for all… Continue reading TNS Shakes Up Client Services Team

New research from first direct reveals that there are now more mobile phones than people in the UK. There are almost 70 million mobile SIM cards (phone numbers) and over 71 million handsets spread amongst 45 million adults according to the research – an average of 1.6 mobiles per adult in the UK. Just 12%… Continue reading UK Has More Mobile Phones Than People

SMG is to stop the sale of Virgin Radio after bids failed to match the £80 million asking price, allowing it to focus on floating Virgin on the stock market next spring. A report in the Sunday Telegraph said that offers for Virgin were received from Global Radio and Vitruvian Partners, a private equity firm.… Continue reading SMG To Call Off Virgin Radio Sale