Channel 4 is to court controversy later this year, with a new programme investigating the use of hypnosis as an alternative to anaesthetic in surgery – including a live hernia operation using the technique.The broadcaster has commissioned Zig Zag productions to create HypnoSurgery Live, with the programme designed to be “a serious scientific investigation” into… Continue reading Channel 4 Surgery Show To Court Controversy

Five has joined forces with the Telegraph Group in a multi-media partnership, with the newspaper publisher enjoying exclusive sponsorship of England’s home Test Matches and One Day cricket internationals from 2006-2009.The deal will see The Telegraph Group be the exclusive title sponsor of Five’s evening highlights programme, with up to 45 shows scheduled across the… Continue reading Telegraph Group Sponsors Cricket On Five

Government watchdog, Ofcom, has awarded nine new community radio licences, bringing the total awarded to ninety-three.The new licences will cover the areas of Dorset, West Yorkshire, Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Bedfordshire, Salisbury Plain, Hertfordshire and NorthEast Wales.The new community licences will cover small areas with low power transmitters, forming a third tier of radio operating on a… Continue reading Ofcom Awards Nine New Community Radio Licences

ITV is to restructure its scheduling team, a move which will see Priya Singh join the commercial giant as the new head of off-peak scheduling for ITV1, while Stephen Price is promoted to become controller of the channel’s peak time scheduling.Both new appointments will report to David Bergg, ITV’s director of programme strategy, who now… Continue reading ITV Restructures Scheduling Chiefs

In February, 2005 adspend for both the UK and US was revealed, with the internet fuelling revenue growth across both sides of the pond. According to figures from Thompson Intermedia, advertising expenditure in the UK rose by 5.4% year on year in 2005, with TV adspend up by 4%, reaching £4.2 billion (see UK Adspend… Continue reading INSIGHTanalysis: Media Healthcheck – February 2006

Leadership in the DSL market has shifted from the Asia-Pacific region in favour of Europe, with the latest figures from Point Topic showing that Asia-Pacific countries increased their installed base of DSL lines much more slowly than the leading Europeans. According to the broadband analysis company, China managed a growth of “only” 56% in 2005,… Continue reading Europe Surges Ahead In DSL Penetration

The online music market is expected to enjoy healthy growth over the rest of the decade, with worldwide sales projected to reach $10.7 million in 2010, up from $1.5 million in 2005. According to a new report from In-Stat, revenue from downloaded music will outpace revenue from physical media bought online by 2007. The high-tech… Continue reading Online Music Sales To Reach $10.7 Million By 2010

Broadband penetration in the US grew by 13% last year, reaching 95.5 million homes, meaning that 68% of active internet households use broadband to connect to the internet. According to new figures from Nielsen/NetRatings, broadband popularity has seen an increase in time spent by consumers on their computers. The average person now spends 30.5 hours… Continue reading 68% Of US Homes Go Online Via Broadband

BBC One’s Match of the Day dominated prime time viewing last night, with the FA Cup game between West Ham and Bolton drawing 4.6 million adults on average.The performance was enough to see off shock-orientated competition from ITV and Channel 4, with Britain’s Oldest Mums and Dads, and Fat Pets drawing 3.6 million and 3.1… Continue reading Old Parents And Fat Pets No Match For BBC Football

IASH, the Internet Advertising Sales House committee, has agreed a formal code of conduct to deliver trust and transparency in trading between advertisers, agencies and ad sales houses.To ensure self regulation is reliable, all of IASH’s member sales houses will now be required to complete an ABC ELECTRONIC audit before joining, in order to prove… Continue reading New Code To Ensure Transparent Online Ad Deals