RTL has secured complete control of Five, after agreeing with United Business Media to acquire the outstanding 35.4% shareholding for £247.6 million. The transaction is expected to be finalised by the autumn, although it remains subject to regulatory approval from competition watchdogs. The announcement sees RTL command a 100% share holding, having built up its… Continue reading RTL Seizes Full Control Of Five

New research from America shows that women are the principal users of digital video recorder (DVR) technology, with men seemingly relenting their stereotypical control of family TV viewing.In a national survey of 1,000 DVR users, the study showed 48% of married women making the decision to buy into the technology, while 55% believed they had… Continue reading Women Take Control In DVR Homes

RTL has secured complete control of Five, after agreeing with United Business Media to acquire the outstanding 35.4% shareholding for £247.6 million.The transaction is expected to be finalised by the autumn, although it remains subject to regulatory approval from competition watchdogs.The announcement sees RTL command a 100% share holding, having built up its interest in… Continue reading RTL Seizes Full Control Of Five

New research from interactive specialists, Zip TV, claims that 30% of potential advertising interactors, dubbed ‘Unimpressed Pragmatists,’ are not pressing the red button because there are too few incentives.According to the study, a further 22%, referred to as ‘Apprehensive Stargazers’, are too daunted by the prospect to interact with an ad.The findings, ZipTV claim, highlight… Continue reading Advertisers Urged To Engage Interactive Audiences

Channel 4’s head of sport, David Kerr, is to become the new director of broadcast with British Eurosport, charged with managing all programming, production and promotions for the rapidly expanding digital channel.The move will see Kerr take up his new position at the end of August, reporting to Francois Schmitt, the company’s deputy-managing director of… Continue reading Channel 4 Sports Boss Gets Transfer To Eurosport

New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the number of broadband connections in Britain now exceeds that of their dial-up counterparts, marking a sea change in the way consumers access the internet and paving the way for more rich-media content and bandwidth-intensive websites.Adoption of broadband connections has exceeded that of dial-up for… Continue reading Broadband Penetration Exceeds Dial-Up For First Time

Long-serving radio host Jono Coleman is to turn his back on commercial broadcasting, returning to BBC London 94.9 where he began his British broadcasting career in the early 90s.Coleman will present a daily magazine show on the station from 25 July, comprising interviews, topical discussion, listener interaction, humour and music, before taking over the breakfast… Continue reading Coleman Makes Return To Breakfast Radio

The latest IPA Bellwether survey has signalled a downward revision to current marketing budgets in Q2 – the first budget cut recorded for nearly two years. Published by NTC Research on behalf of the IPA, the Q2 Bellwether Report shows a trimming of marketing budgets, reflecting weaker than expected sales and profits as well as… Continue reading Q2 2005 Bellwether: Growing Concern Over Economy Leads To Budget Cuts

Mobile video is proving a tough commodity to shift, according to American media analyst, In-Stat, which has published a new report, showing two thirds of mobile phone subscribers in the US are not ready for video services on their handsets, a number that is nearly unchanged from the previous year’s survey. The findings, published in… Continue reading Mobile Video Set For Slow Growth In US

Global advertising expenditure is estimated to increase by 4.7% this year, bringing 2005 adspend growth in line with expected GDP growth, according to forecasts published today by media group ZenithOptimedia. The agency’s outlook for 2006 is also positive, with advertising spend estimated to be up 6.1% compared to just 4% for the economy. These latest… Continue reading Global Adspend Growth Forecast In Line With GDP