New Screen Media Startup Formed By ITV Sales Execs
A new company has entered the TV and out-of-home ad sales arena, founded by four former ITV sales employees.
Optimal Media Sales has already secured three clients, including Welsh broadcaster S4C, and offers bespoke representation to both television broadcasters and media owners in the out-of-home television sector. The company’s other clients include The Golf Channel, owned by Trustar Global Media and 360 Onboard, operating a network of screens on several major commuter train lines.
The new company’s aim is to offer a fully-resourced commercial sales service outside of the established sales points. Optimal’s service includes spot, sponsorship, interactive, online and integrated sales, back-end implementation, commercials and content production and a management consultancy service.
The four founder directors are Michael Lench, Ian Davis, Geoff Foord and John Doyle. Lench takes up the position of CEO, after setting up his own consultancy seven years ago and having spent 20 years in TV sales working for clients such as S4C, ITN, Sony and SDN. Davis takes the position of managing director with the new firm, after being director of TSMS, the very first ITV Sales House, before becoming sales director of the Diageo-owned screen network, Translucis.
Geoff Foord is Optimal’s sales director, having formerly been a group account director at ITV, while John Doyle takes his position as the company’s business development director, having previously been director of interactive and online sales at ITV.
The new sales house aims to provide cutting-edge interactive advertising solutions for clients through its equity stake in A2A, the interactive media company. Commenting on the new venture, CEO Michael Lench said: “Quite simply, this is the right business at the right time. The commoditised approach does little for small broadcasters so we believe that selling each of our propositions on their own merits will benefit all parties. Advertisers want more from their broadcast media than just spots and sponsorship and through our relationship with A2A we are able to offer that. The fact that Optimal represents both broadcasters and out-of-home screen media gives us a distinctive take on the market.”
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