Publishing body, Emap, has announced that Alun Cathcart will assume the position of chairman this summer, following the 2006 annual general meeting. Cathcart takes over from the current chairman, Adam Broadbent, who will be retiring at the AGM, after the completion of his third term on the board. Commenting on the move, Broadbent said: “The… Continue reading Cathcart New Emap Chairman

Global advertising company, WPP, has announced record results for 2005, enjoying a 36% year on year increase in full-year profit and a rise in revenue of 25% to £5.4 billion, exceeding previous expectations. Headline profits before tax were up by over 26% for the year, reaching £669 million, while profit before tax hit £592.0 million,… Continue reading WPP Enjoys 36% Rise In Profits For 2005

The return of Alan Sugar’s business talent show The Apprentice to BBC Two last night saw an impressive 3.5 million adult viewers tune in on average, underpinning BBC One’s victorious outing with Crimewatch UK.The police appeal show, airing at the same time as The Apprentice, drew 4.6 million on average, with both BBC stations topping… Continue reading Sugar Delivers Sweet Success For BBC

Haymarket’s What Car? magazine is branching out with the launch of an on-demand television channel through broadband and TV provider HomeChoice.The channel is a joint venture with the HomeChoice, offering viewers more than 260 three-minute video road tests of cars currently available in the UK.The library of content is constantly updated, with new models tested… Continue reading What Car? Shifts Into Video On Demand

ITN has joined forces with Channel 4 in a quest for new British documentary talent, launching a new competition to find the nation’s next great filmmakers.The competition, which requires entrants to submit a three minute documentary, will see potential winners use the humble bicycle as their subject matter, as well as footage from ITN Archive’s… Continue reading ITN Joins Channel 4 In Quest For TV Talent

Flextech’s youth entertainment channel, Trouble, will complete its evolution from kids channel to a more adult offering next week, with its inclusion in Sky’s electronic programme guide alongside other entertainment channels such as Sky One, E4 and ITV2.The move from the Kids category to the Entertainment section of the guide is designed to reflect the… Continue reading EPG Move Finalises Trouble’s Growth Into Adolescence

French advertising group, Publicis Groupe, has announced the launch of its new strategic initiative, Denuo, with the business designed to exploit the evolving digital, interactive and mobile communication environment. The new venture, led by Rishad Tobaccowala, will concentrate on three areas; strategic consulting, ventures and partnerships, catalyst and activation. Denuo will also be involved in… Continue reading Publicis Launches Strategic Initiative

Broadband connections continue to rise, increasing their market share and making up 64.2% of all connections in December 2005, up from 62.3% in November 2005. In comparison, dial-up connections over the same period decreased, with a year on year decline of 34.1% to December 2005 and a monthly drop of 5.2% from November to December… Continue reading Broadband Accounts For 64% Of UK Internet Connections

The games market is facing a lull, with new consoles not performing as strongly as originally thought, according to new research from eMarketer. The Video Games: Where to Now? report claims that the beginning of 2006 has seen the games industry find itself in a “curious” position as it moves from one generation of console… Continue reading Games Consoles Face Lull In 2006

Despite industry hype, video-on-demand (VoD) usage remains low, with few new subscribers and those signing up doing so viewing it as a “last resort for television.” According to a new study from consumer research company, E-Poll, more than three quarters of consumers surveyed reject the idea of paying for content. E-Poll asserts that VoD’s main… Continue reading VoD Fails To Live Up To Expectations