ITV’s sale of special effects house, Moving Picture Company, has attracted the attention of several major players, including Sir Martin Sorrell’s international advertising giant, WPP. The sale of MPC, undertaken as part of ITV’s £550 million disposal of non-core assets, is also understood to be of interest to former Carlton chairman, Michael Green, French electronics… Continue reading WPP Amongst Bidders For ITV’s Special Effects Group

UBC Media, the UK’s largest independent radio production company, has announced details of a development agreement with Channel 4 to create a radio station from the company’s existing Oneword digital radio station. In a statement this morning, UBC stated that it had agreed to work with Channel 4, as well as with third party companies,… Continue reading UBC Announces Plans For Radio With Channel 4

The Mobile Data Association has been forced to revise its usage forecasts for the UK’s text messaging services after figures for the first seven months of the year revealed a staggering 15 billion messages had changed hands. The MDA’s forecast now predicts a total of 25 billion messages for 2004, up from its previous forecast… Continue reading Text Message Forecasts Revised Following Massive Usage

The Hallmark Channel is launching a national advertising campaign to support the UK premier of US police dramas Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, which will air on the channel next month.The marketing campaign, which has been created by Skin Media, launches this week and runs until mid-September with… Continue reading Hallmark Launches Campaign To Push Police Dramas

Cash-strapped Cosmopolitan readers have been thrown a lifeline by the magazine’s website as it prepares to launch a new online service offering impartial financial advice.The new service, dubbed CosmoMoney, will build on the popularity of the magazine’s website, cosmopolitan.co.uk and will offer advice on getting the best deals on everything from household bills to personal… Continue reading Cosmopolitan Offers Online Readers Financial Advice

MSN UK has restructured its sales team in an attempt to increase revenues and improve client services as the boom in internet advertising continues.The shake-up has seen the sales division doubled over the last three months to include 43 members, with a new sales strategy and planning team created to support the existing advertising, agency,… Continue reading MSN Restructures Sales Team To Cash In on Web Boom

As a result of better than expected advertising revenue at Johnston Press, Merrill Lynch has revised upwards its advertising growth forecast for the regional newspaper publisher to 5.3% this year and 4% in 2005. In light of Johnston Press posting impressive profit growth of 16%, to £77.3 million from January to June 2004, Merrill Lynch… Continue reading Latest Johnston Press Forecasts From Merrill Lynch

Bluewin, a division of Swiss telecoms group, Swisscom, is set to become the first European commercial trialist of the new Microsoft television system, which will initially provide 600 homes with 25 channels via broadband telephone lines. As well as receiving multiple new channels from September, participants will also have access to five pay-television channels and… Continue reading Trials Of Microsoft TV Begin In Europe

Merrill Lynch has today announced that it is revising down its 2004 and 2005 US advertising forecast to 6.5% and 5.2% respectively, due to increased pressure being put on advertising agency margins. Despite slightly tweaking down the targets in the US, the global advertising forecast remains unchanged for this year at 5.5%, with 2005 sliding… Continue reading Merrill Lynch Lowers US Ad Forecasts For 2004 & 2005

The Advertising Standards Authority has refused to censure a poster for McVitie’s Mini Cheddar biscuits that featured a nun dressed in a PVC costume, despite wide-spread complaints that it was tasteless and offensive.The poster, which featured the provocative headline ‘Sister or Stripper’, also drew criticism from those who felt that it ridiculed the Christian faith… Continue reading ASA Brushes Off Complaints Against Mini Cheddars