Channel 4 has acquired the broadcast rights to a number of hit American shows from Warner Bros, continuing its strategy of importing big-budget comedy and drama programmes, as outlined in its spring schedule earlier this year.The move will see new disaster series, Invasion, included in Channel 4’s schedules, while sitcom The War at Home promises… Continue reading Channel 4 Bolsters Schedule With New US Shows

The BBC has acquired extra satellite bandwidth from Luxembourg-based SES Global, but this morning denied that it was preparing for an imminent launch of high definition (HD) services.A spokeswoman for the Corporation was quick to quash reports that a roll-out of superior quality broadcasts was on the cards, stating that, although there has been extensive… Continue reading New BBC Bandwidth Could Lead To HDTV Launch

IPC advertising has announced the appointment of Dan Handscomb as ad director for IPC Innovator, marking the media boss’s return to the group after taking the position of group business development manager with Haymarket Publishing.The new role will see Handscomb reporting to Neil Perkin, ad director for marketing and strategy within the new look group… Continue reading Handscomb Returns To IPC As Ad Director

European e-commerce is rising in popularity across Europe, with increases of 40% expected for 2005, spurred on by the adoption of broadband across the continent. According to eMarketer’s latest report, Western Europe E-Commerce, online shopping and purchasing is on the rise even in countries that are seeing deteriorating offline retail sales. Commenting on the research,… Continue reading European E-Commerce Forecast To Rise By 40% In 2005

Mobile gaming is increasing its presence in the advertising market, with video games and mobile phones set to collide and impact on the cultural relevance of marketing techniques and channels. The increasing penetration and the depth of content available on mobile phones is forcing advertisers to identify new ways to reach audiences in order to… Continue reading Mobile Gaming Impacts On Marketing Techniques

Personal video recorder (PVR) penetration is continuing to gather pace in the UK’s digital TV market, with new research revealing that almost one in ten people in digital homes own a PVR. According to Ipsos’ Digital Audience Research Tracker (DART) out of the 29 million people who have digital television, 9% claim to own PVRs.… Continue reading UK PVR Uptake On the Rise

Advertising expenditure in the UK rose by 5.6% to £18.4 billion in 2004, enjoying an increase of 4.2% in real terms, according to the latest figures released by the Advertising Association (AA). The AA’s Advertising Statistics Yearbook 2005, researched and complied on its behalf by the World Advertising Research Centre (WARC), shows that although adspend… Continue reading UK Adspend Up 5.6% In 2004

New media usage is growing fastest among the 18-24 year old age group, with their early adoption of technology causing problems for advertisers marketing models, according to results from BIGresearch’s latest Simultaneous Media Survey (SIMM VI). The study questioned over 14,000 consumers on their media consumption, including the internet, picture photos, instant messaging, blogging, cell… Continue reading Youth Market Corners New Media Arena

Broadband connections in the US rose by 34% to 37.9 million users during 2004, according to data released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Cable and digital subscriber lines (DSL) were shown to be leading the growth in terms of broadband penetration, with DSL lines increasing by 45%, to 13.8 million in 2004. High-speed cable… Continue reading US Broadband Up 34% In 2004

United Business Media (UMB)looks likely to sell its 35% share in Five, after reports this morning over a buyout deal from European broadcaster, RTL. In May, the Sunday Express claimed that UBM was preparing to offload its 35% stake in Five, with 65% stakeholder, RTL, in line to purchase the remaining share for £250 million.… Continue reading UBM To Sell Five Share