Clear Channel Communications has been sold for $26.7 billion, to private equity firms Bain Capita and Thomas H Lee.Clear Channel Communication’s management team, led by founding family members and shareholders Mark and Randall Mays, will stay on the board.Last week it was rumoured that JCDecaux was on the verge of making a bid for Clear… Continue reading Clear Channel Communications Sold For $26.7 billion

Cadbury is to end its £10 million a year sponsorship deal with Coronation Street after 10 years, saying that it wants to look at new opportunities for the brand.According to reports in the trade press, Cadbury’s current two year deal with Coronation Street runs out at the end of 2007, although the confectionary giant has… Continue reading Cadbury To End Coronation Street Sponsorship Deal

Google and Yahoo! search’s share of the search market is growing and driving up the share of referrals from search engines to retail websites, according to new data from Hitwise UK.Hitwise says that Google powered 78% of UK internet searches in the four weeks to October 21, up 9% year-on-year, whilst Yahoo! took the number… Continue reading Google And Yahoo! Drive Referrals To Retail Websites

ITV has suspended its search for a new chief executive following last week’s merger proposal from NTL.According to a report in the Guardian, the candidates vying to replace Charles Allen have been contacted and told that the recruitment process has been suspended whilst merger talks with NTL are still ongoing (see NTL Telewest Could Merge… Continue reading ITV CEO Search Suspended

I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here returned to our screens last night and was easily the most watched show in its 9pm timeslot.The first in the series brought in a peak audience of 8.5 million adults (a 40.7% share of the audience) all keen to see how David Gest and the rest would fare… Continue reading I’m A Celebrity… Gets Off To Strong Start

The European Parliament has relaxed the rules on product placement on TV shows in Europe, with new laws which would require broadcasters to tell viewers every twenty minutes which branded products which have been placed in a show.At a meeting held in Brussels yesterday, EU ministers agreed to allow product placement on TV shows, with… Continue reading European Parliament Relaxes Rules On TV Product Placement

Trouble, the Flextech owned youth entertainment channel, has announced its first-ever long-form, cross platform advertiser funded programming (AFP) agreement.Trouble has signed the deal with Pitch, the mobile phone entertainment service, to co-fund a 25 x 30 minute TV series, My TV: Homegrown.The deal will also see branded content from My TV: Homegrown and exclusive user-generated… Continue reading Trouble Signs Cross Platform AFP Deal

NTL’s proposed merger with ITV could come under the scrutiny of the Office of Fair Trading because of NTL’s 50% stake in digital pay-TV provider UKTV.Flextech, which is owned by NTL, could be required to sell its stake in UKTV, which is a joint 50/50 venture with BBC Worldwide if the merger went ahead, according… Continue reading Office Of Fair Trading Could Intervene In NTL/ITV Merger

Vodafone has announced that is to launch its own premium broadband service, Vodafone at Home, which will go on offer to Vodafone consumer contract customers on January 8 2007.The broadband service will cost £25 per month, including line rental, and Vodafone says that customers will receive unlimited broadband and inclusive landline calls at anytime to… Continue reading Vodafone To Launch Broadband Service

BSkyB has today announced several senior management appointments, including the newly created role of chief technology officer.Didier Lebrat is joining Sky in December in the new chief technology officer role from Vodafone Italy, where he currently holds the same title.Sky says that new role, bringing together the leadership of Sky’s Information Technology, Customer Technology, Network… Continue reading BSkyB Announces Senior Management Appointments