Michael Grade, ITV’s new executive chairman, has hired Carolyn Fairbairn to lead the broadcaster’s corporate development and strategy team. Fairbairn was the former director of strategy at the BBC, and previously worked with Grade when he was BBC chairman (see BBC Chairman Jumps Ship To ITV Top Job). He said her experience of “broadcasting and… Continue reading Grade Hires Fairbairn To Boost ITV

Independent News & Media has joined with private equity firm the Carlyle Group to make a $2.2 billion bid for Australia’s APN News & Media. APN News & Media is already 40% owned by Tony O’Reilly’s Independent News & Media. Ted Harris, chairman of the independent sub committee of the APN Board said: “The proposal… Continue reading Independent News & Media Renews APN Interest

David Pattison, who quit as chief executive of PHD Worldwide last year, is to become the chief executive of ILG Digital, the holding company for i-level and Generator Consulting. Pattison takes on the role in May and will be charged with expanding ILG Digital’s range of services and looking at the possibility of international growth.… Continue reading Pattison Joins ILG Digital

With digital terrestrial television (DTT) subscriber numbers forecast to expand from less than 36 million in 2006 to 89 million in 2012, and broadcasters preparing for digital switch-over, the market dynamics of local and regional over-the-air video transmission are quickly changing, according to a new report from ABI Research. ABI says that the result of… Continue reading Analogue Switch-off Dates Forcing Broadcasters to Think Digital

The latest consumer internet research from Point Topic shows that there is a high level of interest in mobile internet applications. BroadBand Consumer Survey 3 (CS3) was carried out in December 2006 by Ipsos MORI and YouGov. They interviewed a representative national sample of 6,500 households in the UK. Point Topic’s initial analysis of those… Continue reading High Level Of Interest In Mobile Internet

David Pattison, ex-chief executive of PHD Worldwide, is to take on the chief executive role at ILG Digital, the holding company for i-level and Generator Consulting.Pattison will expand ILG Digital’s range of services and look at the possibility of international growth when he joins in May.The arrival of Pattison signals a change in roles for… Continue reading Pattison To Join ILG Digital

Five in six adults are unable to name the exact year their region will see the analogue signal switched off, according to a new survey.In addition, over half of the country thinks that the government has not done enough to make sure people are kept informed of developments with the analogue switch-off.A survey from uSwitch.com,… Continue reading Five In Six Don’t Know Analogue Switch-Off Date

An aggressive approach during licence fee negotiations by BBC director general, Mark Thompson, was partly to blame on the below inflation settlement for the Corporation, sources have told the Guardian.There is said to be widespread concern inside the BBC over the settlement, which was announced last week (see BBC Licence Fee To Rise 3%), and… Continue reading Director General To Blame For BBC’s Below Inflation Licence Fee

Channel 4 heads, Andy Duncan and Kevin Lygo, have fought back against the controversy that has blown up around the Celebrity Big Brother racism row.Duncan and Lygo claimed that the furore which erupted over the bullying of Bollywood superstar Shilpa Shetty was good as it sparked a wider debate about racism.Some commentators felt that the… Continue reading Duncan And Lygo Defend Celebrity Big Brother

Free afternoon newspapers thelondonpaper and London Lite could be banned from areas in central London if they do not contribute towards the cost of cleaning them from the streets, Westminster Council has warned.The council says that the freesheets generate an extra three tonnes of waste every day in Westminster.Westminster council is apparently considering invoking the… Continue reading Council Warns Freesheets Over Waste