Media regulator, Ofcom, has appointed Peter Davies, current head of market intelligence, as its new director of radio and multimedia, overseeing the watchdog’s strategy, policies and activities relating to the two mediums across the organisation.Davies will also lead Ofcom’s radio, multimedia, and media literacy teams in content and standards. The new role will see Davies… Continue reading Ofcom Appoints New Radio And Multimedia Boss

ITV hit back against Channel 4 in the battle between reality shows last night, with Celebrity Love Island‘s ratings topping Big Brother as ex-playboy playmate Nikki Ziering entered the show to deliver a resounding win for ITV.Last night’s performance was second only to that of the programme’s launch night (see 5.7 Million Join ITV For… Continue reading Love Island Playmate Stuns Big Brother

Reports this morning suggest that supermarket giant, Tesco, may be struggling to gain significant revenues from its in-store TV network, Tesco TV, and is considering removing its ad sales business from incumbent JC Decaux.According to a report by MediaGuardian, the supermarket’s ambitious network of plasma screens has failed to prove its worth, with the company… Continue reading Tesco TV Shopping For New Sales House

London’s Jazz FM will be consigned to the internet and digital airwaves this morning, as GMG Radio officially launches Smooth FM in its place across the capital.The transition, due to take place at 10am, will mark the final phase in the station’s shift to attract a larger audience share through a wider range of music.The… Continue reading Smooth FM Hits London Airwaves As Jazz Bows Out

Ulster TV has approved its offer for the Wireless Group (TWG) at an extraordinary company meeting, held yesterday. UTV made a bid for TWG group in April, offering £98.2 million for the group, equating to 91 pence in cash for each Wireless share (see UTV Offers £98.2 Million For Wireless). UTV directors believe that the… Continue reading UTV Approves Bid For TWG

Internet advertising in the US totalled over $2.8 billion for the first quarter of 2005, resulting in the highest reported quarter in nine consecutive growth quarters. According to the latest figures released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Q1 2005 revenues represent a 26% increase over Q1 2004 and a 4.3% rise… Continue reading US Online Adspend Hits $2.8 Billion In Q1 2005

Japan is leading the Asia-Pacific region in the retail e-commerce division, with sales of $38.4 billion in 2004, making it roughly one-third the size of the US market, according to eMarketer’s new Asia-Pacific E-Commerce report. South Korea was shown to reach sales of $6.3 billion in 2004, with China and Taiwan tied third, each with… Continue reading Japan Leads Asia-Pacific For E-Commerce

National youth channel, SUBtv, has announced the launch of a new MMS-to-screen facility offering advertisers another way to reach young audiences, with SMS campaigns possible through the new system.Students will be able to send an image of up to 150 characters, which will be displayed on the SUBtv plasma screens installed at 85 universities across… Continue reading SUBtv Launches MMS To Screen Facility

Big Brother carried out its first eviction of the series on Friday, with the two-part show attracting a peak of 5.3 million viewers as white witch, Mary, left the house.The show’s first half, aired at 9pm, saw a peak audience of 4.5 million tune in to hear the result of the public eviction vote. However,… Continue reading Big Brother Beats Love Island As BBC Stays On Top

Ofcom has revealed the shortlisted bidders for the new FM licence in the Swindon area, with Moonraker FM, Now FM, Radio Swindon and Swindon FM all having applied for the rights to broadcast to the region’s adult population of 150,000.The exact coverage of the new station will be determined by the location of its transmitter… Continue reading Ofcom Reveals Swindon Radio Bidders