Week commencing 3rd March 2008
 Sky has publicly confirmed that it has restarted talks with
Virgin Media over the deal to return Sky's basic channels to the
platform. In February 2007 Sky pulled its channels after the two
failed to agree on a price that the cable company should pay. As
part of the resumed talks Virgin is pushing for a deal that also
covers what Sky pays for its TV channels such as 'Challenge'. However
a deal could be way off as there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding
Virgin Media TV. The company is said to be considering the future
of its business. Source: Media Week
The BBC has put aside £250m more than necessary from
viewers' license fees to pay for the digital switchover, according
to the National Audit Office. Apparently the early take up in the
Cumbria region has indicated that demand for the BBC to help the
disabled and the aged to switch to digital was overstated. Source:
Media Week
Non terrestrial channels accounted for more than three quarters
of viewing for the first time in Q4 2007. Previously the terrestrial
channels held at least a quarter of viewers' patronage, which is
defined as the percentage of the population tuning into the channel
at least three minutes during the week. New channels on digital
platforms are slowly eroding traditional broadcasters' viewing share
according to the IPA Trends in TV report. Source: Mediatel
 Paid for regional newspapers saw their circulation decline
continue as readers move towards online and other sources of local
media, including the freesheets. According to ABC figures for the
six month to the end of December 07, the top 10 paid for titles
all saw considerable falls based on Monday to Saturday circulation.
ABC director Martyn Gates said the regionals' decline was not unexpected;
however he pointed out that with the papers delivering content in
other ways such as online the latest print figures are "part
of the bigger picture". Source: Media Week
 Radio
ad spend in Q4 2007 reached £150 million for the first
time in over two years; this was boosted by record levels of sponsorship
activity. Total radio ad spend does remain below the record levels
of 2004 and 2005 but its future is positive. National stations'
ad revenue grew by 11.3% yr/yr whilst sponsorship and promotions
revenues reached their second highest quarterly figure. Source:
Media Guardian
 H
Bauer is readying its first digital initiative since its acquisition
of Emap. It will be a social network site for film buffs and music
enthusiasts. The launch of Ditto.net is the first in a series of
planned music themed extensions to Bauer. The launch is planned
for late April or early May and is proving a success in the testing
that has been done. Billed as the "entertainment matchmaker"
the site will introduce people that share the same tastes and preferences.
Discussion forums will also allow users to make recommendations
and share their opinions. Source: Mediatel
Google's growth rate finally appears to
be slowing down, with the number of consumers 'clicking through'
to adverts carried by the web giant falling significantly in January
08. Source: Media Week
The online listings guide viewlondon is
to roll out its platform across the UK, beginning with Manchester
and Brighton shortly. Source: Media Week
Channel 4 has announced that its video on
demand service, 4oD, has received over 100 million streams or downloads
since it launched in December 2006. Source: Media Week
CondeNet Uk the digital arm of Condenast
will be taking its mobile sites off-portal therefore making its
services available to a wider potential audience. From this week
GQ Mobile and Glamour Mobile will be the first to go off-portal,
which means that instead of accessing sites via their mobile network
portal users will be able to access them on the internet. There
are also plans to roll out Vogue Mobile off-portal as currently
all of these sites are only available via Vodafone Live and O2 Active.
Source: Mediatel
 UK Cinema Top 10
1. The Bank Job (15)
2. Semi - pro (15)
3. Jumper (12A)
4. The Accidental Husband (12A)
5. Juno (12A)
6. Be Kind Rewind (12A)
7. There Will Be Blood (15)
8. Untraceable (18)
9. Rambo (18)
10. National Treasure (Book of Secrets) (PG)
Source: Pearl and Dean
Edited by Abi Ward |
