The former director-general of the BBC, Greg Dyke, has denied recent speculation that he has held talks with Clive Hollick regarding a consortium bid for commercial broadcaster ITV, according to industry sources. Mr Dyke has had no contact with Lord Hollick and the first he knew of the outgoing United Business Media (UBM) chief executives’… Continue reading Dyke Denies ITV Takeover Rumours

Marketing budgets continued to rise, with further upward revisions reported for the fifth consecutive quarter and internet related marketing, direct marketing and sales promotion are all expected to do well in 2005. The IPA’s latest quarterly Bellwether report, compiled by NTC research, reveals that many companies have set their budgets for the first quarter of… Continue reading Q4 Bellwether: UK Marketing Budgets Continue To Rise

The UK is leading Europe in its internet shopping habits, with over a quarter of UK consumers spending more than £1000 online during 2004, compared to a European average of just 15%. The new research undertaken by global research agency Millward Brown, commissioned by the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA), was designed to investigate the… Continue reading UK Leads Europe In Online Spending

ITV’s future is at the centre of renewed speculation today, with reports surfacing that a possible bid of £6 billion is being prepared for the broadcaster by a conglomerate of investors, including Lord Hollick and former BBC director general, Greg Dyke.The rumours build on comments made by Hollick last week, when the outgoing chief executive… Continue reading Greg Dyke Implicated In ITV Bid Speculation

The first television search engine offering customers over 42,000 hours of clips, has been launched by blinkx TV, allowing users to search online for clips from their favourite news, sports and entertainment programmes.The new technology allows TV and radio programmes from 15 international broadcasters, including the BBC, ITN and Sky News, to be fully searchable… Continue reading First Online TV Search Engine Launched

ITV Sales has announced the appointment of Jeremy Neaves as its new head of customer communications, further underlining the company’s drive to provide a more customer focused approach to its business.Neaves has spent the past 12 years working in agencies, holding positions with some of the nation’s best known direct marketing and relationship marketing agencies,… Continue reading ITV Hires Customer Boss To Boost Client Focus

Media heavyweights, Lord Clive Hollick, Stephen Grabiner and Greg Dyke may launch a £6 billion bid for broadcaster ITV, according to industry reports. The three work for private equity houses and are rumoured to have held talks, discussing the possibility of forming an alliance to fund a bid for the commercial giant. Last week it… Continue reading Possible Consortium Bid For ITV

The ability to avoid TV commercials through the use of PVRs (personal video recorders) is costing UK advertisers £30 million a year, according to a new white paper produced by media analyst Big Picture. The growth in the penetration of PVRs, such as Sky+, has given a significant number of TV viewers the opportunity to… Continue reading UK Ad Avoidance Costing Advertisers £30 Million Per Year

The number of 15-22 year old web users accessing the internet via a broadband connection has experienced dramatic growth, rising to 70% in the final quarter of 2004. Results from a new survey published by youth-oriented online content site, Bolt, show an 11% increase on the previous quarter. One half of total number of 15-22… Continue reading Increased Broadband Uptake By Young Surfers

Speculation has intensified surrounding Associated Newspapers’ Evening Standard, with city brokers Cazenove warning that the paper may have to drop its coverprice or become a freesheet in order to survive intensified competition in the capital.The warning follows similar speculation last month that the newspaper would merge its operations with Associated’s high-profile freesheet, the Metro, and… Continue reading Freesheet Evening Standard Speculation Continues