Week commencing 10th March 2008
 City analysts are warning of a tough TV ad market during the second half of 2008, despite optimism from ITV and Five after they both posted comparatively strong sets of advertising figures for last year. ITV executive chairman Michael Grade is upbeat about the TV ad market this year, announcing last week that he was heartened by the positive response of advertisers to its recent programming overhaul. He revealed that ITV advertising revenues are set to be nearly 2% higher in Q1 2008 than the same period last year.
Despite Michael Grade's trumpeting the performance of ITV's revamped programming schedule, ITV 1's share of commercial impacts fell by more than 7% among ABC1 adults. Source: Media Week
Freeview sales for 2007 hit an all-time high with 9.7 million Freeview branded products sold, an increase of 64% year-on-year. The Gfk Q4 figures also reflect the success of Christmas sales with 3.8 million purchases, Freeview's best quarterly figures to date. Source: Mediatel
 News International's multimillion- pound investment in launching News of the World glossy magazine, Fabulous, is paying early dividends with the paper one of only two Sunday titles to increase circulation. Its performance was only bettered by The Observer, which increased its circulation by 4.3% to 464,005 copies. The Sun and The Financial Times were the only national dailies to post year-on-year circulation increases, according to the February ABCs, despite both hiking cover prices this year. By comparison, circulation for competing red-top titles the Daily Mirror and the Daily Star, both fell by more than 4 per cent over the year. Source: Media Week
 Last week GCap resumed talks with Global Radio after Global made a third and "final" offer for GCap Media, valuing the Capital Radio and Classic FM owner at £370 million. The offer, at 225p a share in cash, is conditional on the recommendation of the board. The offer is around 20% higher than Global's original offer in December of £313 million. Source: Mediatel
 Ocean Outdoor has unveiled a new premium site along the A40, with fashion retailer French Connection as its first client. Ocean claims the 14-metre high structure, called Tower 400, is a first because it is framed in super-smooth high gloss GRP (glass reinforced plastic). It is also backlit and double-sided, and is therefore visible to commuters travelling in both directions on the major A-road. Ocean hopes to target 160,000 commuters each day, on one of the main arterial routes into London. Source: Media Week
CBS Outdoor is poised to win the estimated £60m internal advertising contract for Westfield London, the £1.6bn shopping centre due to open in West London this year. The internal sites will be almost entirely digital, including a network of LCD screens in major walkways. The shopping centre's car parks, also part of the internal contract, will feature traditional outdoor formats. The centre will include four main stores, around 265 speciality shops, restaurants, a cinema, a health and beauty retreat and a gym. According to a Westfield spokesman, the new centre has a catchment area of 2.7 million people, with an estimated combined retail spend of £5bn. Source: Media Week
 News Corp-owned MySpace was the only leading social media site to post a fall in popularity over the past year, according to Nielsen Online data. Between January 2007 and January this year, the amount of time spent by users visiting MySpace declined by 17% - the only one of the leading social networks to post such a decline. Source:Media Week
Zattoo, the online video service that streams TV channels from around the world, is to carry advertising in the UK for the first time. The player, which is available in the UK, is offering advertisers pre-roll rich-media ad spots, with a clickable link alongside. Zattoo will also provide advertisers with the ability to track their campaigns and provide clients with their own tools to direct viewers to action.The service offers ads according to varying segments, such as by programme, user profile or TV channel. Existing client relationships outside the UK include those with brands such as Coca-Cola, Nissan, Heineken, Nokia, General Motors and Sony. Source: Media Week
The National Magazine Company Cosmopolitan is to relaunch its website with a host of new features, including online video service Cosmo TV, with the aim of tripling visitor numbers within a year. The Cosmo website currently attracts around 176,000 unique users each month and the goal of the new-look website is to attract 500,000 within a year of relaunch. A key development will be the launch of an online video channel, featuring a mixture of clips from "red carpet" events and shows as well as video made in-house by NatMags. Cosmo TV will open the door for Hearst Digital, the new media arm of Nat Mags, to sell a range of premium-priced advertising around videos. Stuart Flint, the Hearst Digital sales director, said that the company would offer ad options around Cosmo TV content including sponsorship, pre-roll ads, ad-funded programming for the service and, in the future, in-video ads. Source: The Guardian
 ITV has sold part of its cinema advertising subsidiary Carlton Screen Advertising to a new joint venture company owned by Odeon Cinemas and Cineworld Group in a deal worth £500,000 in cash to the broadcaster. Source: The Guardian
UK Box Office Chart:
1. Vantage Point
2. The Other Boleyn Girl
3. The Game Plan
4. The Bank Job
5. The Accidental Husband
6. Jumper
7. Be Kind Rewind
8. Juno
9. Semi-Pro
10. There Will Be Blood
Source: www.imdb.com
Edited by Andy McCarthy |
