Ulster TV (UTV) has announced the appointment of Scott Taunton as chief executive officer of The Wireless Group (TWG), taking up his new post with immediate effect following UTV’s acquisition of the company last month.UTV acquired TWG in a deal worth around £98 million. Taunton’s appointment sees him replace former chief executive, Kelvin MacKenzie who… Continue reading UTV Appoints Taunton As New Wireless Chief

Sky Sports’ Soccer AM has been rapped by Ofcom over the use of product placements, after giving a brand of basketball boots editorial airtime and endorsementsOfcom took exception to a presenter on the morning sports show describing the boots as being worn by a quarter of NBA players, and making reference to the boots’ manufacturer.Sky… Continue reading Soccer AM Has Wrist Slapped After Product Placement

GCap Media has merged its two FM networks to create The One Network from The Mix and Capital FM, offering more comprehensive solutions for advertisers and smoothing the path for bespoke national campaigns.The move will see advertisers offered easily implemented advertising campaigns on a national scale through the network, which spans a massive 39 local… Continue reading GCap Merges Mix And Capital Networks To Form One

Saturday’s Live8 concert generated a huge spike of online interest, according to Nielsen//NetRatings, with visitors to the charity’s official site numbering 707,365 from the UK alone on the day of the concert itself.The new figures, provided by the internet measurement specialist’s NetView service, show UK visitors viewing over 8.75 million pages of content on the… Continue reading Live8 Sparks Surge Of Online Interest

Publicis Groupe-owned ZenithOptimedia has revised downwards its UK advertising expenditure forecasts for 2005, citing worries over the health of the economy as well as a ‘signicant fall-off in advertiser demand’ in the second quarter of this year. The agency has cut its predictions for UK advertising growth from the 4.9% forecast in April, to just… Continue reading ZenithOptimedia Cuts 2005 Adspend Forecast

Aegis has delivered an optimistic trading update this morning, buoying investors’ confidences ahead of its close period, despite several uncertain forecasts. The media and communications group states that, after five months trading, overall results are in line with expectations outlined at its AGM in May (see Siemens Wins £2bn Deal From BBC Technology). The company’s… Continue reading Aegis Positive Despite ‘Patchy’ European Ad Growth

Cable giants NTL and Telewest look set to announce their long-awaited merger this month, with reports over the weekend predicting that the two companies would begin formal steps towards consolidation before the end of July. The Independent on Sunday claims the tie-up will have begun to take shape within weeks, with a source close to… Continue reading Cable Giants Set To Announce Merger This Month

Sky has today announced its coverage of football games for the new season, these are:Sky Sports:Sun, Aug 14: Arsenal v Newcastle (1.30pm), Wigan v Chelsea (4pm). Sun, Aug 21: Chelsea v Arsenal (4pm). Sun, Aug 28: Newcastle v Man Utd (4pm). Sun, Sep 18: Liverpool v Man Utd (12noon). Mon, Sep 19: Arsenal v Everton… Continue reading Sky Announces Football Coverage For New Season

The 2005 Radio Academy Radio Festival will kick off in Edinburgh this afternoon, with high-profile delegates and speakers swarming to the event, which promises to lift the lid on the latest radio research, as well as offering insight from some of the industry’s top names.Amongst those due to address the event are Ofcom chief executive,… Continue reading Radio Festival Kicks Off In Edinburgh

Channel 4 is preparing to launch a fifth channel on the Freeview platform before the end of the year, reports have suggested, with the broadcaster believed to be planning an interactive quiz channel, to be run by its commercial arm, 4 Ventures.The move would follow the launch of More 4 later this year, according to… Continue reading Channel 4 To Launch Freeview Quiz Channel