More Industry News articles

Wikipedia has become the latest publisher to block online advertising system Phorm from tracking users across its portfolio of sites.The system, which builds profiles of users by scanning keywords on websites they visit and then assigns relevant ads, has been up against tough opposition over the past few weeks.Wikipedia released a statement, which said: “The… Continue reading Wikipedia to block Phorm

Independent News & Media has postponed publishing its annual results for a second time while debt talks continue.INM was due to release its 2008 figures this Friday but the company’s management will continue to hold talks about reducing its £1.3 billion debt until it announces its results next Thursday.Reports suggest that the company was hoping… Continue reading Independent News & Media delays annual results announcement

New research has found that UK internet users are spending less of their online time shopping and more time browsing online media. During March 2009, 8.6% of all UK internet visits went to online retail websites and 9.8% to social networking websites, according to research from online intelligence firm Hitwise. Robin Goad, Hitwise’s director of… Continue reading UK internet users spending less time shopping online

Global Radio is understood to be on the verge of selling eight of its Midlands stations to Bauer Media in a deal worth £30 million. Global said last August that it would be selling the stations to quell fears expressed by the Office of Fair Trading over its £375 million takeover of GCap Media. Bauer… Continue reading Global Radio on verge of selling Midlands stations to Bauer Media

While audience fragmentation is continuing, viewing of video content – including via the television set – is growing, according to the second Accenture annual Global Broadcast Consumer Survey. The survey, of more than 13,000 consumers in 13 countries, found that consumption of video content has risen during the past year in virtually every age range… Continue reading Consumers increasingly watching video content on multiple platforms

Britain’s Got Talent performed well in the weekend ratings war, pulling in the highest overall viewing figures despite competition from the big FA cup match.The second audition show, presented by Ant and Dec, even managed to beat its return ratings, with more than 12.3 million peak viewers compared to last week’s peak audience of 11.4… Continue reading Britain’s Got Talent performs well

The BBC is set to appoint its first Online Access Champion in a bid to bridge the digital divide, according to its chief operating officer Caroline Thomson.Speaking at the Digital Britain summit in London on Friday, Thomson announced that Seetha Kumar will take on the role to make sure the BBC plays its full part… Continue reading BBC steps up to bridge the digital divide

Trade secretary Peter Mandelson has hinted that the government could be ready to fund the implementation of UK-wide next-generation broadband.Speaking at the Digital Britain summit held in London last Friday, Mandelson said that government money could be used to improve the current situation where 12.5 million homes in the UK still have no access to… Continue reading Mandelson hints at government funding for next-gen broadband

Internet search engine Ask.com is returning to its original name, Ask Jeeves, in the UK and bringing back its iconic butler.Jeeves was retired in 2006 but is returning in a move that also gives users a choice of URL to reach the search engine – ask.com, ask.co.uk, askjeeves.com and askjeeves.co.uk.Cesar Mascaraque, managing director of Ask… Continue reading Ask.com brings back Jeeves

Over 66 million US consumers across demographic categories are using the internet while watching TV, according to market research firm In-Stat. Based on In-Stat’s recent survey of US TV viewing habits, 33% of all male respondents, across age groups, reported that they are sometimes using a personal computer simultaneously while watching TV. Among some male… Continue reading Over 66m US consumers go online while watching TV