Ofcom has appointed Ed Richards, its chief operating officer, as its new chief executive, taking over from Stephen Carter.Six candidates were shortlisted for the post, with two other Ofcom employees, executives Kip Meek and Sean Williams, vying with Richards for the £400,000 a year role (see Frontrunner For Ofcom Top Job Is Named).Richards joined the… Continue reading Ofcom Appoints New CEO

News International has bought internet domain names for a variety of regional newspapers, giving rise to speculation that it could expand free newspaper thelondonpaper to other UK cities.“We registered several names when we launched thelondonpaper as a matter of course but we are 100% focused on London for the foreseeable future,” a News International spokeswoman… Continue reading Thelondonpaper Owners Could Expand Free Title

In the first six months of 2006, online advertising expenditure has reached almost £1 billion and looks set to overtake spending on national press advertising before the end of the year.This is according to new research from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB UK), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the World Advertising Research Centre (WARC). The internet recorded… Continue reading UK Online Adspend Nears £1 Billion

Just over half (52%) of Britons using the internet believe online and digital technology makes their life easier, although half (50%) say that they cannot keep up with the rapid progress, according to new research from Nielsen/NetRatings. The research shows that although 42% know what podcasting is, a third (35%) have heard of it but… Continue reading Digital Consumers Revealed In New Research

Digital television has reached over 70% of households in the UK, although most sales of Freeview boxes are for homes which have already gone digital, according to a new report from Ofcom. Ofcom says that during the three months to June, the proportion of households in the UK which receive digital television services on their… Continue reading Digital TV In 70% Of Homes

The board of ITV has met this week to begin putting together the shortlist of candidates to replace Charles Allen, with Mike Clasper, former BAA chief, believed to be an insider favourite.Related LinksITV

Apax Partners could be on the verge of making a bid for ITV following the six months since they decided against it, according to a report in the Independent. However, the reported 130p offered by Apax per share in April is unlikely top be repeated. The Independent quotes a trader as saying: “Major investors could… Continue reading Market Rumours Suggest Possible Bid For ITV

Magazine publisher Natmags has purchased the website handbag.com to add to its growing new media portfolio.Earlier this year, the company bought netdoctor.co.uk and launched new websites for titles Good Housekeeping and Cosmopolitan.The Handbag group publishes four female targeted websites and the core website handbag.com, which was launched in 1999 as a joint venture between Boots… Continue reading Natmags Adds To New Media Portfolio

A massive marketing campaign for a range of Freeview compatible PVR products, promoted under the Freeview Playback brand, has been delayed until next year due to a technical hitch.According to reports in the trade press, the campaign was due to launch this month, and was said to be critical in driving awareness of PVRs on… Continue reading Freeview Playback Service Is Delayed

The UK’s top home interest magazine, Ideal Home, launches its redesign with its November edition, which is on sale today.The title remains the best selling home interest magazine, despite declining sales figures, with the last ABC results leaving its total circulation at 237,525 copies (see ABC Results Jan-Jun 2006:Home Interest Magazines Report Mixed Bag Results).IPC… Continue reading Ideal Home Magazine Launches Redesign