Sky launches its free broadband service today, saying that it will invest around £400 million in the development of the business over the next three years.Advance registration for the service begins at noon today, with sales set to start in early August.The launch of Sky Broadband has been made possible by Sky’s network which covers… Continue reading Sky Launches Free Broadband Service

Ofcom has announced that it could advertise the second national digital radio multiplex licence by the end of the year, which will enable DAB transmissions across most of the UK.However, international agreements on frequency use, intended to reduce interference between broadcasts from neighbouring countries, will mean that some coastal areas in south and south-east England… Continue reading DAB Radio Transmission Set To Expand

JCDecaux, which handles Tesco’s advertising, is to fit backlit advertising panels in the supermarket giant’s Metro shops, creating the first in-store poster network at a UK supermarket chain.According to reports in the trade press, the poster network will be launched with GlaxoSmithKline’s Lucozade as the first advertiser. The double sided panels which will be used… Continue reading JCDecaux To Launch In-Store Poster Network For Tesco

The Ofcom Board has announced that Luke Johnson has been reappointed as chairman of Channel 4 for an additional three year term, to last until 2010. Johnson has been chairman since January 2004, during which period the corporation has increased its audience share, attracted positive support for its programme schedule and improved its profitability. The… Continue reading Johnson Reappointed Chairman Of Channel 4

Mediaedge:cia, the media communications specialist company and part of GroupM, has restructured operations, splitting its Investment Division into broadcast and non-broadcast departments. Former head of television, Phil Wise, has been promoted to the role of head of broadcast, which will expand his role and responsibilities to include television, radio and cinema. Meanwhile, Victoria Sangster has… Continue reading Mediaedge:cia Undergoes Restructure

Trinity Mirror has agreed to sell its magazines and exhibitions business Inside Communications Ltd (‘ICL’) for £41.5m. ICL is being acquired by ICL’s existing management team and Ocean Media Ltd, a company set up for the transaction that is backed by private equity firm, Ion Equity. ICL publishes trade and consumer magazines and runs exhibitions… Continue reading Trinity Mirror Agrees To Sell Magazines And Exhibitions Business

Marketing budgets have been revised down for the fifth consecutive quarter as companies seek to reduce costs due to weaker than expected sales, according to the Q2 2006 Bellwether Report, the quarterly survey of marketing spend from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA). Of the main marketing categories monitored by the Bellwether survey, main… Continue reading Q2 2006 Bellwether: Marketing Budgets Revised Down For Fifth Consecutive Quarter

Five has signed a deal to show CSI:Crime Scene Investigation, CSI:Miami and CSI:NY, on the channel’s forthcoming video-on-demand (VOD) service being launched later in the year.The deal been has signed with Alliance Atlantis to licence certain second window and exclusive VOD rights for the CSI franchise.Five says that this negotiation, part of a pan-RTL Group… Continue reading Five To Show CSI On-Demand

Owners of the Telegraph Group, the Barclay brothers, could re-launch their loss-making Sunday newspaper, the Business, as a magazine.According to reports in the trade press, Sir David and Sir Frederick will in the next few days decide whether to convert the title into a weekly magazine.The paper apparently loses about £3 million a year and… Continue reading Barclay Brothers Could Re-Launch The Business

ITV1 seems to be showing little sign of an upturn in fortunes, with media buyers estimating that advertising bookings for September will be down 12% year-on-year, according to reports in the Financial Times.The paper reports media buyers as saying that the channel could suffer a year-on-year decline of between 10% and 12% in September early… Continue reading Decline For ITV1 Advance Bookings