British media regulator Ofcom has launched a consultation on product placement within UK television, gathering feedback from the industry on its possible introduction as an alternative revenue source for broadcasters.Product placement is currently prohibited under European regulations, although a draft revision published earlier this year proposed a liberalisation of the law.The new regulations could enable… Continue reading Ofcom Launches Product Placement Consultation

Daily Newspaper MarketThe majority of Britain’s daily national newspapers saw declines in readership during the six months to October, with only the compact quality titles managing to increase their audiences.The Independent notched up the largest increase, adding 21.2% to its total year on year, which now stands at 708,000. Elsewhere, the Times added 11%, while… Continue reading NRS National Newspaper Round-Up: October 2005

Satellite giant BSkyB this morning announced subscribers of more than eight million, surpassing its targets to reach record levels of direct-to-home (DTH) customers. “Sky is achieving strong growth,” explained James Murdoch, Sky’s chief executive. “Nearly one in three homes and counting have chosen Sky and we are especially well placed to broaden Sky’s appeal as… Continue reading Sky Subscribers Pass Eight Million

Regional newspaper publisher, Johnston Press, has announced plans to acquire the entire issued share capital of publishers of the Scotsman newspaper and www.scotsman.com, Scotsman Publications. The deal will see Johnston purchase the company for a cash consideration of £160 million, with the newspaper publisher claiming the acquisition will be “earnings enhanced” within the first year.… Continue reading Johnston Buys Scotsman Publications For £160 Million

US advertising expenditure in 2005 is expected to reach $276 billion, a rise of 4.6% on 2004, with overseas adspend increasing by 5%, hitting a total of $293.8 billion, according to the latest forecasts from Universal McCann. Despite not achieving the predicted growth of 6.4% for US adspend and 5.8% for overseas, worldwide advertising expenditure… Continue reading McCann Expects US 2005 Adspend To Rise By 4.6%

Sir Trevor McDonald’s modest sign-off from his last news bulletin drew a similarly modest audience last night, with an average of 2.9 million adults tuning in to see the veteran news reader say goodbye, marking the end of an era in television.The programme, airing at 10:30pm, notched up an audience share of just over 21%,… Continue reading Sir Trevor’s Modest Exit Brings Modest Viewers For ITV

2006 looks set to be the year of video on-demand, with market analysts pointing towards a deluge of new delivery technologies to make personalised, interactive video content a reality.Next year’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas will debut a raft of new products, say market analyst Parks Associates, with video services “a significant area… Continue reading 2006 To See On-Demand Technology Growth

DC Thompson, publisher of long-running comic The Beano, has acquired Puzzler Media Group for £85 million, bringing its portfolio of quiz, puzzle and trivia titles under its control.Founded in 1973 and with a staff of 50, Puzzler Media currently holds a 50% market share in the Puzzle sector, far outweighing its competitors. The publisher currently… Continue reading DC Thompson Snaps Up Puzzler Media

United Business Media (UBM) this morning released a trading update, informing investors that, while the company continued to meet expectations, growth within the print sector is becoming “challenged”.The company stated that its difficulties were in line with the industry, however, explaining that other sectors such as exhibitions, online and news distribution have seen profitable underlying… Continue reading UBM Meets Expectations Despite Pressure In Print

Cable giant Telewest will give all of its customers an early Christmas present this year, as it announces the completed roll out of Teleport, its new on-demand TV and film service.Launching in Yorkshire and west London today, Telewest has now completed its region-by-region launch, cementing its position as Britain’s largest on-demand TV provider.The broadcaster has… Continue reading Telewest Completes On-Demand TV Roll Out