BBC Two scored a surprise victory over rival terrestrial broadcasters last night, as genealogy programme Who Do You Think You Are trumped the competition, including MP George Galloway’s spectacular exit from Channel 4’s Celebrity Big Brother.The family history show, featuring Stephen Fry tracing his grandfather back to modern-day Slovakia, drew an average adult audience of… Continue reading History Beats Hysteria As BBC Two Tops Big Brother

Iconic darts gameshow, Bullseye, is to be revived by Challenge TV, albeit without gravel-voiced host Jim Bowen, and will return to screens in the spring.The Flextech-owned entertainment channel has seen success airing the original series, and hopes to capitalise on the nostalgia value attributed to the modern day remake.The updated show will retain many elements… Continue reading Challenge Brings Back Bully For Ratings Bullseye

Viacom Outdoor has announced an expansion of its national rail business following new contract wins with FirstGroup plc. The new contracts will see Viacom Outdoor manage all poster sites at stations operated by First Greater Western and First Capital Connect, franchises of FirstGroup. The FirstGroup contract was previously held by poster specialist, Maiden Outdoor, which… Continue reading Viacom Outdoor Wins Rail Contract From Maiden

Kelvin MacKenzie has been appointed non-executive chairman of UK communications group, Media Square, taking up the position with immediate effect. Media Square expanded its operations last year, buying Huntsworth PLC’s marketing services for £55 million in November. Commenting on MacKenzie’s new position, Jeremy Middleton said: “Kelvin’s expertise in, and knowledge of, the media sector, plus… Continue reading MacKenzie Gets New Role At Media Square

Specialist magazine publisher, Future, expects a satisfactory outcome for the financial year as a whole, with trading in the first quarter, October to December, broadly on track. Commenting on the expected results, Roger Parry, chairman of Future said: “The current market conditions are challenging and we continue to take a cautious view on the near… Continue reading Future Reveals Q1 Trading On Track

Sir Martin Sorrell has announced that he is still interested in buying Aegis’s research division, Synovate and taking a small stake in the remaining media business. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Sorrell told delegates of his plans, claiming that before a deal could be done, WPP would have to study Synovates’… Continue reading Sorrell Still Interested In Aegis

Online advertising expenditure looks set to continue expanding its presence in the advertising arena, with a research note from Piper Jaffray claiming that estimates of 24% growth in online adspend for 2006 are likely to prove “conservative”. The report, from Safa Rashtchy, senior analyst at Piper Jaffray, claims that agencies are facing increasing demand for… Continue reading Online Ad Growth To Surpass Expectations In 2006

Cable operators are pushing ahead with their broadband and voice offerings, enabling them to offer customers the increasingly popular “triple-play” service that looks set to enjoy a surge in popularity over the coming years. Despite figures suggesting that cable operators are losing subscribers to DSL line adoption, Doug Shapiro from the Banc of America Securities… Continue reading Cable Providers Push Triple Play Offerings

H. Bauer’s TVChoice magazine is to increase its cover price from 30p to 33p later this month, increasing the title’s retail sales value (RSV) by a massive £1.8 million, bringing the total to £19.5 million per annum.The change, effective from 31 January, will help Bauer capitalise on the success of TVChoice, which has seen its… Continue reading TVChoice Ups Cover Price To Boost RSV

Channel 4 scooped prime time victory last night, with almost 5 million adult viewers tuning in to see fireworks erupt between the Celebrity Big Brother contestants.An average audience of 4.9 million for Channel 4 secured victory over ITV1’s Holiday Showdown, with 3.2 million, and BBC One’s Surviving Disaster with 2.6 million.The effects of Big Brother‘s… Continue reading Big Brother Fireworks Secure Ratings Win