Aegis is to cut 5% of its global workforce, around 780 employees, as it seeks to cut costs in the economic downturn.The firm revealed the cuts today as it announced its financial results for 2008. It said that the job losses would help it save £20 million in 2009.Aegis reported a pre-tax profit of £166.8… Continue reading Aegis to cut 5% of global workforce

A new survey claims that 50% of the UK population have used on-demand services, with 20% using them every week.The survey, commissioned by the Association for Television On Demand (ATVOD) and conducted by YouGov, found that viewing is across a range of platforms with 48% of those using on demand services watching through their TV,… Continue reading Half of Britons now using video-on-demand

Crain Communications, parent company of Advertising Age, has announced job cuts at its 30+ media properties, as well as a 10% salary cut.Crain announced on March 5 that it was closing Automotive News Europe, Business Insurance Europe, RCR Wireless News and Financialweek.com.Keith Crain, chairman of Crain Communications, said: “We hope the economy stabilizes soon. Our… Continue reading Ad Age parent company to cut jobs and salaries

Phorm, the behavioural targeting company at the centre of a recent row over privacy, has hit out at Google’s Latitude mobile service, accusing the firm of “adding yet more personal data to the extensive user information it collects”.Latitude, which lets mobile users allow people on their Gmail contact list to track where they are, was… Continue reading Phorm airs privacy fears over Google’s Latitude

Google’s first tentative steps into behavioural targeted advertising have met with a pretty warm reception, particularly as it has attempted to steer clear of the privacy issues that have dogged companies such as Phorm.Google’s system tracks users via a cookie related to only one browser, so the system does not track email or documents which… Continue reading Google’s first steps into behavioural targeted ads

Total UK adspend fell by 3.9% in 2008, with spend in Q4 2008 down 9.6% year on year, according to new research from the World Advertising Research Center (WARC) on behalf of the Advertising Association.Newspaper spending was down 12% in 2008, with magazines also suffering, down 9.9% for the full year.Newspapers grabbed a 25% share… Continue reading Total UK adspend down 3.9% in 2008

Four of the main five terrestrial channels suffered dips in viewing share in February, with BBC Two managing a slight year on year rise of 0.1 percentage point.All ViewingBBC One’s viewing share has fallen to 21.8% following a year on year fall of 0.6 percentage points, while ITV1’s has dropped to 18.7% after a fall… Continue reading Television Viewing Round-Up – February 2009

ITV and the BBC have signed a memorandum of understanding that could see the pair co-locating regional news centres and sharing technical facilities.ITV said that it estimates that there is the potential for a saving of £1.5 million in 2011 rising incrementally to around £7 million per annum by 2016.According to ITV, the current cost… Continue reading ITV and BBC could share regional news centres

Bauer Media’s national radio brand Kiss has introduced a new mobile streaming service.Currently, the Kiss Kube “listen live, listen again” media player carries a wide range of the brand’s network daytime and specialist audio output online.This offering will now also be available on the iPhone/iPod Touch platform, in what Bauer says is a radio industry… Continue reading Kiss unveils new mobile streaming service

ITV chief executive Michael Grade has attacked the government’s decision to rule out product placement on UK television.Grade said: “Given the extraordinary economic pressures ITV, and others, face, we can’t let a decision like this simply go through without trying to fight it.“We are considering our next steps and I am consulting my legal team… Continue reading ITV attacks government ban on product placement