This week saw the first event held by the new TV marketing body, Thinkbox, attracting a healthy mix of delegates from clients, agencies and sales houses all keen to listen to the marketing opportunities that television has to offer.TV personality Clive Anderson led the Thinkbox Experience, with board members Nick Bampton, Andy Barnes, Clive Crouch,… Continue reading Thinkbox Experience A Hit With Participants

News International (NI), the publishing arm of News Corporation, is reported to be inviting potential bids for the Times Educational supplement along side other specialist titles, with the education business valued at approximately £250 million.According to the Financial Times, Rupert Murdoch has discussed the potential disposal of the assets at a News Corporation board meeting… Continue reading News International To Sell Education Titles

Ofcom has reduced, Five’s, licence fee payments by a massive 30% to £9 million for 2005, signalling the Government watchdog’s awareness of the pressures on broadcasters due to the impending analogue switchover and multi-channel programming.The new terms mean the cost of Five’s analogue licence has been reduced by 64% over the last three years, down… Continue reading Five Sees Licence Fees Slashed By Ofcom

Trinity Mirror has received a bid for its flagship tabloid, the Daily Mirror, from a consortium led by multi-millionaire conference organiser Marcus Evans, according to reports this morning.However, according to The Times, the bid has been rejected despite Evans offering between £700-800 million for Britain’s third-best selling daily.A spokesman for Trinity Mirror said that the… Continue reading Trinity Rejects £800 Million Take-Over Bid For Mirror

Online gaming firm, 24h Poker, will be sponsoring ITV2’s exclusive new peak series, The Rebel Billionaire, with the deal putting the online gaming site on one of the most watched channels in multi-media homes.24h Poker is a Swedish-owned company within the gaming industry, operating a gaming website, 24hpoker.tv 24hpoker.tv, and designing software for online gaming… Continue reading Poker Firm To Sponsor ITV2 Branson Series

ITV’s annual fee payable to industry regulator, Ofcom, has been cut by £135 million to less than £80 million, as part of a review into licence fees by the watchdog, which takes into account the increasing growth of digital TV.The broadcaster paid £215 million for its 12 licences in 2004, astounding city analysts who predicted… Continue reading ITV Has Licence Fees Slashed

Communications company, BT, has revealed plans to deliver TV over broadband connections in the UK via Microsoft TV internet protocol television (IPTV), expecting to offer the service to customers in the summer of 2006.The Microsoft TV IPTV software enables broadband network operators to deliver engaging, high-quality video content and services to their customers using their… Continue reading BT And Microsoft Reveal Plans To Launch Internet TV

Readers of August’s edition of top music magazine, Q, will be given the chance to listen to over a million tunes for free with online downloading service, Napster.The initiative will see Emap’s flagship music magazine boast the biggest covermounted CD ever, featuring 15 summer tracks from artists such as, the Flaming Lips, The Magic Numbers,… Continue reading Q To Draw Readers With A Million Free Songs

ITV has announced plans to invest at least £15 million into new male-focused channel, ITV4, aiming to fill the channel with American imports to compete against rivals Channel 4, Five and Sky One.Although there is no set date, it is thought that the broadcaster will launch the new free-to-air channel across Sky, Freeview and cable… Continue reading ITV Invests £15 Million In Male-Orientated ITV4

The Children’s Food Bill was re-introduced to Parliament yesterday afternoon by Mary Creagh MP, reigniting the debate over food advertising to children, and the possibility of an outright ban on the promotion of so-called ‘junk food’ to young TV viewers.A new report, The Children’s Food Bill – Why we need law, not more voluntary approaches,… Continue reading Food Fight Continues Over Children’s Advertising