The Q4 2006 Bellwether Report, the quarterly survey of marketing spend published by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), reveals that latest Q4 data signals a stabilisation of marketing budgets. Contrasting with the sharp downgrades seen earlier in the year, the report says that this reflects improving business conditions. It adds that budget setting… Continue reading Q4 2006 Bellwether: Marketing Budgets Stabilise

Advertising expenditure is forecast to increase by up to 36% in real terms over the next twelve years, according to the latest Long Term Advertising Expenditure Forecast compiled by the World Advertising Research Center (WARC) on behalf of the Advertising Association. The forecast says that after a strong performance in 2004, and a slowing of… Continue reading Ad Expenditure Forecast To Increase By Over 36%

Initial audited figures reveal that Channel 4’s post-tax surplus fell to £20 million last year from £48.5 million in 2005, whilst advertising on the channel fell to about £665 million from £706 million over the same period. According to a report in today’s Guardian, the broadcaster’s digital channels softened some of the impact of this… Continue reading Channel 4 Sees Ad Revenues Fall

Analysts at Ovum have questioned BT’s announcement that it now has more than one million registered consumer customers for its Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, BT Broadband Talk and BT Softphone, six months earlier than projected, saying the figures are not entirely accurate.“BT’s statement is worded rather loosely – it implies that BT has… Continue reading Analysts Question BT’s VoIP Success

AOL UK is currently carrying out tests on a brand new TV guide which will include a search engine so that users can find videos online and programme their personal video recorders.The TV guide, currently in its beta testing phase, is available to visitors to the http://tvguide.aol.co.uk website and there will be a further roll-out… Continue reading AOL Tests TV Listings Service

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has issued a statement asking for interested parties to comment on the deal which saw BSkyB acquire a 17.9% stake in ITV.The statement from the OFT said: “The OFT believes that it may be the case that a relevant merger situation has been created since Sky and ITV may… Continue reading OFT Invites Comments On Sky Stake In ITV

The February issue of Future’s Pregnancy Baby & You, on sale from January 16, sees the magazine undergo a complete redesign, incorporating elements of more traditional lifestyle titles.The revamped magazine features advice and support, with increased focus on encouraging busy women to embrace pregnancy and motherhood while retaining a sense of their own identity and… Continue reading Redesign For Pregnancy Magazine

New research from Informa Telecoms & Media reveals that in 2011, 435 million homes will take video-on-demand (VOD) or near-video-on-demand services, equivalent to 38% of the world’s TV households. These homes will generate revenues of US$11.4 billion. The fifth edition of Informa’s On-Demand TV report forecasts that Asia Pacific will account for 45% of on-demand… Continue reading VOD To Be In 435 Million Homes

High Street retailers such as Marks & Spencer, HMV.co.uk and Woolworths were among the top performers online in December, according to new analysis from Hitwise. Hitwise data also reveals that the share of UK internet visits to Marks & Spencer were up 25% year-on-year in December. Advertising and strong offers from Woolworths, Marks and Spencer… Continue reading Christmas UK Online Retail Traffic

The deal which saw BSkyB acquire a 17.5% stake in ITV has today seen the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) issue a statement asking for interested parties to comment on the deal. The statement from the OFT said: “The OFT believes that it may be the case that a relevant merger situation has been created… Continue reading OFT Asks Interested Parties To Comment On Sky/ITV Deal