Channel 4 has poached one of ITV’s highest profile stars, with Paul O’Grady switching sides to leave ITV management “ashen faced.”O’Grady will front a daily show for Channel 4 for half the year beginning in spring, as well as taking on some peaktime work with the broadcaster. Richard and Judy will present a teatime show… Continue reading O’Grady Latest Chat Host To Leave ITV

Emap’s Kiss has appointed former brand marketing director of Chrysalis Radio’s Galaxy Network, Nick Button, as its new marketing director.Button will take up the newly-created position on 16 January, overseeing all of Emap’s Kiss marketing, creative and brand strategy planning, initially focusing on the London-based Kiss 100 before developing the network as a whole.Commenting on… Continue reading New Marketing Director For Emap’s Kiss

News International will next month launch its first women’s weekly magazine, putting increased pressure on an already crowded market and, according to industry speculation this morning, sparking a price war as rivals scramble to attract readers.The publisher has remained tight-lipped over its plans for new title, Love It, but has reportedly hired former New Woman… Continue reading New Launches Threaten Price War For Women’s Weeklies

ITV has retained chocolate giant Cadbury as the exclusive sponsor of prime-time soap, Coronation Street, guaranteeing the confectioner’s coverage for a further two years in a deal worth £10 million per year.The deal sees Cadbury retain the Coronation Street coverage for its 12th year, covering all episodes transmitted on the ITV family of channels, including… Continue reading ITV Retains Cadbury As £10m Corrie Sponsor

Guardian Media Group (GMG) Radio has revealed a healthy performance for its stations, despite the tough conditions in the current commercial radio market, showing revenues for the October to December quarter of 2005 to be up by 22% year on year. The group’s strong trading results follow record annual figures for the year ended March… Continue reading GMG Radio Enjoys 22% Increase In Revenue

Market research firm, Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) is expected to reveal a modest rise in full-year profit in a trading statement, with a recovery in the second half of 2005 offsetting weak trading in the UK and North American markets. The final quarter of 2005 showed some signs of improvement in the overall market research… Continue reading TNS Hopes To Reveal Rise In Full-Year Profits

Mobile phone gaming is growing into a multi-billion dollar market, with increasing advances in technologies pushing the industry further in terms of revenue growth. According to eMarketer’s new Mobile Gaming brief, world-wide gaming revenue reached $2.5 billion in 2005, with James Belcher, senior analyst and author of the report, saying the industry is “not a… Continue reading Mobile Phone Gaming Continues To Grow In Popularity

Podcasting has made its presence felt on the internet over the past year, with data from Bridge Ratings showing that around 5 million radio listeners downloaded at least one podcast in 2005, with the figure predicted to nearly double this year, and double again in 2007. A new survey commissioned by Podtrac and conducted by… Continue reading Podcasting On The Rise

Marketers look likely to extend their reach in the online advertising arena in 2006, with a new report from investment bank Credit Suisse claiming that overall online adspend will increase by 32% by the end of year, reaching $14.9 billion. In a survey of chief marketing officers at Fortune 500 companies, nearly half of those… Continue reading Online Adspend Set To Increase Through 2006

Visits to UK retail websites were up by 14% year on year in December 2005, outperforming earlier estimates that the sector would enjoy an increase of 12% during the Christmas month. According to online competitive intelligence monitor, Hitwise, visits to retail websites were up significantly in the week after Christmas, seeing a rise of 16%… Continue reading Visits To UK Retail Websites Up 14% In December