The BBC will be granted a below inflation licence fee increase, rising by 3% annually until 2008 and by 2% for the following three years, according to reports.The deal, which is understood to have been made between Tessa Jowell and Chancellor Gordon Brown, has not yet received approval from Prime Minister Tony Blair, but could… Continue reading BBC Granted Below Inflation Licence Fee Rise

Ofcom’s proposed restrictions on the TV advertising of junk food to children won’t be effective, according to the consumer group Which?Which? said that its analysis shows that the suggested methodology used to define which programmes appeal to children under 16 is fundamentally flawed.The consumer group added that it had looked at a snap-shot of TV… Continue reading Which? Criticises Ofcom Junk Food Ban

BBC Radio 3 is to appoint a new breakfast show presenter as part of an overhauled schedule that will include more specially recorded broadcasts.Rob Cowan, is to replace current presenter Penny Gore to host the Rob Cowan Show between 7am and 10am, when the station’s new schedule is irolled out on February 17 next year.Radio… Continue reading Radio 3 To Revamp Breakfast Show

Publicis has acquired US digital and direct marketing agency group Digitas for $1.3 billion (£660 million) in cash. This follows comments made by Publicis chairman and CEO Maurice Levy in October where he outlined an acquisition strategy for the company that lead some to believe a bid could be made for rival fimr Aegis (see… Continue reading Publicis Buys US Digital Marketing Firm

Visits to the Hitwise UK Retail Index (an index of 100 of the top retailers based on visits) continued strongly last week, and were up 8% year-on-year, according to new analysis from Hitwise. However, Hitwise reports that the week ending December 9 saw visits to online retail sites reach their highest peak this year, the… Continue reading Visits To Retail Websites Increase Year-On-Year

During the third quarter of 2006, 88 million picture messages (MMS) were sent throughout the UK, equating to an average of almost one million per day throughout July, August and September, according to the Mobile Data Association. October’s total was the highest yet, with 30 million picture messages sent across the networks. Earlier this year,… Continue reading First UK Picture Message Figures Show 88 Million Sent In Q3

By the end of September 2006, almost three out of every four UK television households, or 73.3%, viewed digital television on their main TV set, according to the new Communications Market: Digital Television Progress Report from Ofcom. Ofcom says that this represents growth of around 800,000 households over the three month period to September, around… Continue reading Digital TV Shows Strong Growth

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) continues to gain users in the US residential telephone service market, according to a new report from In-Stat. In-Stat says that 7.9 % of US households now use a VoIP telephone service, up from 6.5 % at the end of Q2. According to data from the high-tech market research firm’s… Continue reading VoIP Continues To Gain US Residential Users

Alex Zane is to be the new presenter for Xfm’s Friday Breakfast Show in London.Zane, who previously hosted a weekend show on the station before presenting Popworld on Channel 4, will start his new show on Friday 5 January 2007.Lauren Laverne will continue to present the Xfm Breakfast Show from Monday to Thursday.Zane’s show is… Continue reading Alex Zane To Present XFM Friday Breakfast Show

Aegis has announced that its trading for 2006 has continued to perform in line with its expectations, with organic revenue growth accelerating slightly since the first six months of the year. Aegis Media EMEA continues to trade well, with a slight pick-up in adspend in France and Germany. Aegis Media UK is performing well in… Continue reading Aegis Trading In Line With Expectations