French advertising group, Publicis, is still interested in making a bid for Aegis, with Maurice Levy, chief executive of the group, claiming “the flame is never off” and there is a “burning fire under the ice” in his desire to purchase the group. Speaking at the recent Worldwide Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Levy told… Continue reading Publicis Still Interested In Aegis

Channel 4 is to become the first advertiser within the hugely popular Ricky Gervais podcast, capitalising on the show’s record breaking performance to promote its Friday night comedy shows.The advertisement will comprise two 30 second spots within the podcast, which is updated each Monday and distributed to around 300,000 listeners each week through the GuardianUnlimited… Continue reading Channel 4 Scoops Solus Ad Deal In Gervais Podcast

GGap Media has announced the launch date for Xfm Manchester, with the rock station signing a slew of Manchester music legends in time for its debut on 15 March.Amongst those lined up for the launch are legendary Hacienda DJ Dave Haslam, former Smiths bassist Andy Rourke and former Inspiral Carpets member Clint Boon.Infamous Manchunian music… Continue reading GCap Signs Manchester Music Icons For Regional Xfm

An average of 5.1 million adults tuned in to see the Big Brother final on Friday, as “nobody” contestant Chantelle scooped the prize with 56.4% of the public vote.Pushing Michael Barrymore into second place, Chantelle’s performance sees her become a celebrity by default, having already signed a “six figure” deal for an exclusive interview in… Continue reading 5.1m Adults See Big Brother “Nobody” Scoop Prize

Friday’s Celebrity Big Brother finale saw the series record its best ever closing performance, topping the culmination of previous editions, as 6.4 million individuals tuned in to see non-celebrity Chantelle crowned the programme’s victor.The previous series of Celebrity Big Brother, culminating at the beginning at 2005, saw former Happy Mondays dancer Bez emerge the champion,… Continue reading Friday Final Sees Strongest Ever Celeb Big Brother

ITV has extended the contract of ‘chat show king’ Jeremy Kyle by two years, attempting to shore up its daytime schedule following the high profile departure of teatime favourite Paul O’Grady.The extended contract follows a strong performance from the former radio host, which has seen him draw up to 1.8 million viewers with his daytime… Continue reading Kyle Signs On For More Chat With ITV

Sir David Arculus, former chairman of telecommunications company, O2 is believed to have been shortlisted to take the reigns at Trinity Mirror after the departure of Sir Victor Blank. According to industry speculation, Arculus’s background in publishing makes him a strong candidate for the position. The ex O2 chairman was previously chairman of IPC, and… Continue reading Arculus Tipped For Trinity Chairman

Consumers look set to continue their fixation with online shopping, with figures for the first three weeks in January indicating that non-travel spend is up by one-third, compared to the same time last year. According to new figures from comScore Networks, online non-travel spending from January 1st to 20th 2006 reached $5.5 billion, representing a… Continue reading Online Shopping Pushes Forward In 2006

Gaming is increasing in popularity within the older generation, with a new study from Peter D.Hart Research Associates showing that 35% of US parents play computer or video games. Although one-fifth of parents surveyed were found to play games on consoles, computer gaming was found to be more prevalent, with 34% of the 35% gaming… Continue reading Gaming Increases In Older Generation

The UK economy looks set to stage a modest recovery in 2006, with the latest forecasts from the National Institute Economic and Social Research (NIESR) projecting gross domestic product (GDP) to grow by 2.3% in 2006, rising to 2.7% in 2007. The NIESR attributes the economic pick-up to domestic demand as investment, government consumption and… Continue reading Modest Recovery For 2006 UK Economy