Icstis, the premium phone line regulator, has hit back against claims in the Sun and the Daily Star that it has imposed a fine of £250,000 on Channel 4’s Richard & Judy Show.The articles said that Icstis had ruled that the You Say, We Pay quiz on Richard & Judy had breached rules and the… Continue reading Icstis Denies Sun and Star Claims

The latest CRR adjudicator’s record shows that ITV broke the Contract Rights Renewal rules once in the past 12 months.The adjudicator’s office was formally asked to rule on three cases involving ITV, ruling against the braodcaster in only one of them.Of the three, one concerned the terms offered by ITV on a line-by-line deal for… Continue reading ITV Broke CRR Rules Once In Past 12 Months

GMTV’s presenters have read out a statement saying the broadcaster had no idea of apparent irregularities by its phone line provider, Opera Interactive Technology, after BBC’s Panorama claimed tens of thousands of calls and texts had no chance of winning.Andrew Castle and Fiona Phillips read out a statement saying: “GMTV knew nothing of this and… Continue reading GMTV Claims It Had No Idea Of Apparent Phone-In Problems

Johnston Press has successfully completed the acquisition of Archant’s Scottish newspaper division for £11.2 million. The purchase was subject to regulatory clearance from the Office of Fair Trading and Johnston Press said today that all the necessary conditions have been satisfied. The purchase was first announced in January, with Tom Bowdler, CEO of Johnston Press,… Continue reading Johnston Press Completes Purchase Of Archant’s Scottish Titles

IPC Southbank has appointed Isobel McKenzie-Price as editorial director of Ideal Home and the division’s online homes portal launch.McKenzie-Price is currently editor of Time Inc’s All You in the US and this appointment heralds her return to these shores and to IPC Media, where she spent several years in senior editorial roles.Jackie Newcombe, managing director… Continue reading IPC Southbank Appoints Ideal Home Editorial Director

Following on from comments made yesterday by Michael Grade that the government should ensure that HD signals are available through Freeview boxes, Ofcom has said that it will conduct more research into the popularity of HD channels on the platform.Ed Richards, the Ofcom chief executive, said that the regulator is to look at the public… Continue reading Ofcom To Look Again At HD On Freeview

Haymarket Media Group is to invest a further £1.3 million in its digital offerings over the next year, following the £7 million it has already invested so far this year.The money will be spent on recruiting and hiring online project managers, designers, web editors and developers, as well as expanding its online portfolio.Eric Verdon-Roe, Haymarket… Continue reading Haymarket To Make Further Digital Investment

Hitwise has been purchased for $240 million by credit checking company, Experian Group Ltd. Hitwise is a leading marketing intelligence provider which tracks internet usage and reports on almost a million websites a day. Experian wants to shift its emphasis towards the internet following the purchase. Don Robert, Experian’s chief executive, said: “We have been… Continue reading Experian Purchases Information Company Hitwise

Response to Chrysalis’ auction of its radio operations has not reached the demand levels anticipated, according to reports in today’s Financial Times. Bids were expected from UTV as well as several private equity firms, however these have not materialised, while Guardian Media Group ruled themselves out from the bidding last month. Chrysalis had hoped the… Continue reading Little Interest In Chrysalis Auction

Google’s net profits for the first quarter of 2007 were $1 billion (£500 million), a 69% increase on the same period last year. Its revenue was up 63% to $3.6 billion (£1.8 billion) for Q1, including traffic acquisition costs of $1.1 billion, or 31% of advertising revenues. Revenues from the UK totaled $578 million, representing… Continue reading Google Records Strong Profits Increase