Five made a €1 million (£680,000) loss in 2006, with its owner, RTL, putting this down to the slowdown in the advertising market and the cost of launching the two digital channels, Five Life and Five US.Five’s revenues were down to £318 million in 2006, from £324 million in 2005, whilst its share of the… Continue reading Five Makes €1 Million Loss

On ITV1 last night, the shocking truth about size zero models was revealed when Louise Redknapp went on a strict diet to see if she could make her frame even smaller.The Truth About Size Zero, on for an hour and a half from 9pm, attracted a peak audience of 5.4 million adult viewers, a 26.2%… Continue reading Millions Tune In To Shocking Size Zero Show

Channel 4 has announced its Spring 2007 schedule, which includes US imports, comedy and some home-grown drama.The broadcaster will be airing Studio 60, the US show which fared rather badly Stateside (see US Imports – The Hits & Misses), starring Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford, as well as the new Calista Flockhart vehicle Brothers and… Continue reading Channel 4 Unveils Spring Schedule

RTL Group, owner of Five, recorded growth in earnings of 12.3% in 2006, following strong performances in Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands. Five made a €1 million (£680,000) loss in 2006, which RTL puts down to the slowdown in the advertising market and the cost of launching the two digital channels, Five Life and… Continue reading RTL Records 2006 Earnings Growth

Marston’s, the UK’s largest producers of premium cask ale, is to sponsor Sky’s on-air and online coverage of the cricket World Cup which begins in the Caribbean next week.The sponsorship covers sponsorship credits and break bumpers on Sky Sports broadcast coverage and branding on World Cup sections of skysports.com.Every match is being screened exclusively live… Continue reading Sky Gets Cricket World Cup Sponsor

Nokia has announced that it is to launch two mobile advertising services.Nokia Ad Service is a service for advertisers to conduct targeted advertising on mobile services and applications. Nokia Ad Service consists of a group of mobile publishers forming a mobile ad network and a platform to deploy, manage and optimise mobile advertising campaigns.Nokia has… Continue reading Nokia To Launch Mobile Ad Services

Michael Grade bemoaned ITV’s lack of innovation as the broadcaster announced a decline in full-year pre-tax profits from £311 million to £288 million.In a financial statement released today, Grade said: “There is a lack of innovation in our programming, partly resulting from a fear of ratings failure and the punitive consequences that follow under the… Continue reading Grade Says ITV Lacks Innovation As Profits Decline

Virgin Media is offering discounts to customers thinking of ending their contracts following the dispute which saw Sky’s basic channels removed from the cable platform.Disgruntled customers will be offered discounts on a case by case basis, according to reports in the trade press, with the XL TV package expected to see a discount of around… Continue reading Discounts For Virgin Media Customers

Former Radio 1 DJ Mark Goodier is joining Smooth Radio to present the station’s mid-morning show from March 26.GMG Radio’s Smooth FM changes its name to Smooth Radio on March 26 and Goodier is just one of several presenters lined up for the relaunch (see Collins Goes From Virgin To Smooth).He will be on air… Continue reading Mark Goodier To Join Smooth For Relaunch

ITV has announced that its full-year pre-tax profits slipped from £311 million to £288 million. Turnover for the year to 31 December 2006 was £2.18 billion, compared to £2.19 billion in 2005. Digital channels showed strong growth, with revenue up 41% at £157 million, partly offsetting ITV NAR down 12% at 1.28 million. ITV content… Continue reading ITV’s Profits Decline