On 11 March the Advertising Association held a meeting with Lord Simon, the UK minister for trade and competitiveness in Europe, to discuss three issues: ˇ the recently-adopted Communication from the Commission, following up the Green Paper on Commercial Communications ˇ Article 169 infringement cases and the Commission’s response to them ˇ the arrangements to… Continue reading UK: AA meets Lord Simon
The European Parliament’s Environment Committee has postponed a vote on the Schnellhardt Report on the labelling, presentation and advertising of alcoholic drinks, following calls for further discussions. The report – which aims at bringing the labelling and advertising of alcoholic beverages into line with a 1979 Directive on foodstuffs – will create new rules for… Continue reading EU: Rule changes postponed
Unofficial BARB figures report that Channel 5 achieved its best ever week in terms of viewing figures for the week ending 22 March.The channel averaged a 4.6% audience share, beating its previous best of 4.2%. Thursday’s The Real Monty is being hailed as C5’s highest rating ‘documentary’, attracting 2.2 million viewers – a 12% viewing… Continue reading Channel 5 Achieves Its Highest Weekly Viewing
J.Sainsbury, one of Britain’s largest supermarket retailers, is about to conduct three-month tests in 13 stores of a new interactive touch-screen technology, imported from the US. The screens are advertising points for manufacturers who pay to advertise special discounts to customers. Sainsbury is the first European retailer to introduce this type of technology, which if… Continue reading UK: Supermarket touch-screens
The PPA is seeking a change in ITC ruling to allow masthead programming on terrestrial television channels. In a submission presented to the ITC today, the PPA calls for ‘masthead programming across the full television spectrum’.Currently, ITC code only allows masthead programming on cable and satellite channels. The PPA argues that these programmes have not… Continue reading PPA Calls For Extension Of Masthead Programming
Margaret Beckett, President of the Board of Trade, has appointed David Edmonds as director general of telecommunications watchdog Oftel. Edmonds was previously a director at NatWest Group.He replaces Don Cruickshank, who announced his resignation last year (subscribers see Cruickshank Steps Down From Oftel), and will take up the position on April 1.Commenting on the appointment,… Continue reading New Head Of Oftel Appointed
Chris Evans’ media group Ginger Media has teamed up with GWR Group to create Digital One, a digital consortium which will bid for the only national commercial digital radio licence advertised by the Radio Authority today (see earlier Radio Authority Advertises National Digital Licence story).Quentin Howard, head of GWR’s Digital Division, will become Digital One’s… Continue reading GWR And Ginger Create Digital Consortium
Lesbian lifestyle title Diva has decided to change its frequency from bi-monthly to monthly from April onwards.The magazine’s publishers, Millivres, claim that from an initial print-run of 8,000 Diva‘s circulation has risen to over 30,000, with rapid expansion overseas and a ‘healthy’ increase in ad revenue.The title will also get a facelift along with new… Continue reading Diva Goes Monthly
The Radio Authority today placed an ad in the FT for the first and only national commercial digital radio multiplex.The licence is granted for a period of twelve years and some of its capacity is reserved for broadcasting the three existing national commercial stations. Remaining capacity may accommodate a range of new national services, the… Continue reading Radio Authority Advertises National Digital Licence
Cable company NTL is believed to have made an offer of £550 million for General Cable. Although NTL declined to comment this morning, it has been in talks with General Cable for some time (subscribers see General Cable In Takeover Talks).Telewest was also in discussion with General Cable but it is reported that its offer… Continue reading NTL In General Cable Takeover Rumours
