Bampton tells MediaTel TV Summit he is joining Channel Five

Even before the panel discussions got under way at the MediaTel Group TV Summit this morning, there was surprising news for the 160 senior delegates to take in.

Nick Bampton, who is sitting on the opening panel at the event said he is to join Channel Five in the next two weeks as commercial sales director.

He will be responsible for ad, sponsorship and digital sales and commercial development across the Channel 5 portfolio and will work closely with the other divisions in Northern & Shell.

Bampton, who was managing director of VBS until it was subsumed into Sky Sales last year, had since set up his own business, The Third Way, with two former VBS colleagues. VBS had won a number of industry sales awards.

Channel Five is now under the ownership of Richard Desmond, who has promised to invest in the station, which is constantly linked with a revival of Big Brother.

Stan Myerson, Northern & Shell’s group managing director, said: “Nick Bampton’s track record certainly needs no introduction. He is a major player in the industry, well respected by colleagues, agencies and advertisers alike.”