Week commencing 4th June 2007
 The
television industry has turned a corner, according to research released
by Thinkbox this week. Commenting on the finding that 81%
of people in media agencies now believe TV is a relevant medium,
compared to 46% a year ago, chief executive of the TV marketing
agency Tess Alps said that the future is looking brighter for TV.
"2006 will go down as the absolute nadir - there was a year
of madness about the internet killing TV, but this year people are
realising they can coexist fantastically," she added. She said
the more positive responses to TV advertising were the result of
a concerted effort across the industry to improve its image in the
past year. The research, called Tracker and carried out by SPA on
a sample of 6,000 professionals in January and February this year,
showed significant improvements in the perceptions of TV advertising
among advertisers, media and creative agencies. A total of 78% of
respondents agreed that TV is engaging to audiences, up from 62%
the previous year, and 75% agreed TV is the home of great brand
advertising, compared to 41% in 2006. Moreover, 48% believed that
TV advertising is innovative, up from 11%. Source: MediaWeek
Sky One has acquired the exclusive rights
to the next series of US show Prison Break, which is currently broadcast
on Channel Five. BSkyB's pay-TV entertainment channel is understood
to have paid around £500,000 an episode for Prison Break,
topping Five, which was paying around £400,000 per episode.
Sky One has also acquired the rights to new US drama Journeyman,
which features actor Kevin Kidd - star of Trainspotting, Dog Soldiers
and Rome. The network has secured the rights to the first two seasons
of Journeyman. Source: Media Guardian
Virgin Media, the cable TV group, has suffered a blow after
being downgraded by Standard and Poor's. The influential credit
rating agency said it was revising its outlook on the UK-based operator
to 'stable' from 'positive', because of the group's 'persistently
limited revenue growth'. The company, in which Richard Branson is
a major shareholder, was formed after NTL merged with Virgin Mobile.
It is involved in a legal battle with rival pay-TV operator BSkyB
over the price it charged Virgin to screen some of its most popular
channels. Virgin withdrew several Sky channels, including Sky News
and Sky One, in the wake of its disagreement with the company. The
news comes as analysts at investment bank Morgan Stanley downgraded
Virgin shares over fears that the benefits of its recent merger
will be offset by the number of customers deserting the services.
Source: Media Guardian
 The
Independent on Sunday is to be the first tabloid-sized Sunday
newspaper to run full-page ads on its back page when it relaunches
this weekend. Like other tabloids, the paper has previously used
the back page of its main section, for sport, which will now start
on the inside back cover.The title is also offering advertisers
the opportunity to run strip ads on a new weekly double-page centre
spread feature. The paper will now be published in just two tabloid-size
96-page sections. The first is led by news and comment and also
features travel. The second, The New Review, is a slightly larger,
full-colour version of The Sunday Review magazine incorporating
elements of its former ABC supplement, including a central arts
and books section and TV
listings. Source: Brand Republic
The Sunday Telegraph is getting a new look from next weekend, with a new typeface and
layout. Unlike the recent relaunch of the Independent On Sunday,
the Sunday Telegraph will not have its content or structure changed.
Patience Wheatcroft, editor, is quoted by the Guardian as saying:
"It's a redesign of the look of the newspaper, not of the content.
"The new typography and layout will freshen up the newspaper,
making it a little bit lighter and a little bit younger. "We
aim to retain the Telegraph's character and feel but make it more
visually appealing." She added: "We have taken our time
over the redesign to make sure that we get what we think is the
right look. At the same time we are tidying up the typography throughout
our supplements. "The masthead is also being hand drawn to
make it more attractive although it is a subtle change and may not
be obvious to most readers." The Independent On Sunday relaunched
in a new slimmer style with less pull-outs than other Sunday quality
titles and shorter news items intended to appeal to younger readers.
Source: Mediatel
 Research
by outdoor specialists Posterscope has explored the mindset
of consumers at different times of day and how they interact wit
advertising. Through a mix of qualitative and quantitative research,
Posterscope found consumers are unable to explain in any depth what
outdoor advertising formats they come into contact with but are
able to articulate their understanding and receptivity to messages
once they are taken to specific environments . Creative was the
key factor in 'noticeability' . But size, movement, duration and
novelty all played a large part ! Source: Media Week
Clear Channel UK has
won a nine year contract from Glasgow City Council to develop and
operate 10 'landmark advertising sites' around the city. Source:
Media Week
 VidZone the UK's leading music provider to mobile networks for the independent
record label sector, has signed a deal granting it full access to
Sony BMG Music Entertainment UK's digital catalogue for mobile and
PC use. VidZone will now offer customers platinum selling acts such
as Justin Timberlake, Westlife and Beyonce, available for streaming
and downloading in audio and video formats. The announcement follows
the recent launch of VidZone's cross platform solution, which allows
third parties to offer branded PC and mobile music services with
a single account linking both platforms. Users can purchase music
via either device and later access it on the other. Service providers
today want a "one-stop-shop" encompassing content, technology
and customer reach, Vidzone's chief technology officer Michael Russo
said. Source: Mediaweek
Telegraph Media Group is rolling out a personalised news service on its 'My Telegraph'
web offering. From today, readers will be able to tailor the news
they want from the sources they prefer. They can choose headlines
in eight categories - news, sport, business, opinion, arts, travel,
living and the environment - from around 100 news providers. Their
personalised settings will be saved for future visits. My Telegraph'
was launched in May, as part of the group's drive to increase its
web offerings.Telegraph.co.uk's communities editor Shane Richmond
predicted "readers would become increasingly demanding in terms
of getting the news they want served to them", and called this
"a huge step in direction of personalised news content".
Source: Mediaweek
 GCap and Emap are understood to be in discussion about forming
a single radio group to rival the BBC. This would necessitate Emap
selling its radio assets to GCap and retaining a series of publications
including some magazines that link up with radio brands. Emap Radio
has put its Irish radio business up for sale and is developing content
for Channel 4's second national digital multiplex bid, but the future
of the division is in question. Source: Media Week
 Primesight and Pearl & Dean have teamed up to create the Cinema
Bluetooth service. The new service, which will be available at Vue
cinemas, will allow advertisers to provide consumers with relevant
downloadable content direct to mobile. Branded games, ringtones,
video clips or music can be sold across either Primesight or Pearl
& Dean and will be delivered remotely to each destination. Primesight
Bluetooth will be launched in 25 Vue cinemas nationwide and will
eventually be rolled out at 56 Vue sites later this summer. It will
be able to cover a whole cinema foyer with only one or two base
units. Source: Mediaweek
UK Top Ten (1st - 3rd June)
1. Pirates Of The Caribbean
2. Wedding Daze
3. Spider-man 3
4. Paradise Lost
5. Zodiac
6. The Hitcher
7. Bridge To Terabithia
8. 28 Weeks Later
9. Mr. Bean's Holiday
10. Cheeni Kum
Source: Neilsen EDI
Edited by the buying team |
