Week commencing 21st January 2008
 Despite the growth in sales of digital video recorders and their ad-skipping technology, television viewers are watching more TV ads than ever before, according to Barb's full-year figures. Total commercial impacts increased 3.9% year-on-year to 2.25bn a day last year, an all-time high. The average TV viewer now watches an average of 40 TV ads a day. At the same time, viewers are watching an extra 11 minutes of commercial TV a day than they were a decade ago. This will come as a surprise to some because the number of people owning digital video recorders such as BSkyB's Sky+ or Virgin Media's similar box has soared. In November, Sky reported a record 14% quarterly growth in subscribers to Sky+, up 323,000 on the previous quarter to 2.7m. The service is now in almost a third of Sky homes.
The television industry will also be buoyed by the news that two key demographics for advertisers -- 16- to 24-year olds and ABC1 viewers, have experienced a growth in impacts. Impacts for 16-24s increased by 1.5% to 31 TV ads a day, while impacts for ABC1s increased by 3.6% to 32 ads a day. Thinkbox, the commercial TV marketing body, attributed the growth to digital TV penetration, which has now reached 85% of UK homes, and the growing attraction of digital channels among viewers.
Tess Alps, the chief executive of Thinkbox, said: "TV advertising had an impressive 2007; increased impacts, a creative renaissance and new commercial opportunities on the emerging platforms for TV that are giving people yet more ways to watch the TV they love. Source: Brand Republic
MTV is to close its user-generated content based channel MTV Flux after just 15 months and replace it with a one-hour timeshift of its main music service. MTV Flux, which launched in September 2006 in an attempt to tap into the burgeoning online community phenomenon, will be replaced by MTV One Plus 1 next month. The company intends to keep the MTV Flux online community alive and integrate the user-generated content concept into its MTV-branded music channels. Source: Media Guardian
 All five national newspaper websites that report monthly ABCe figures were hit by a seasonal traffic slump during December as the nation spent Christmas offline. Despite the seasonal drop, year-on-year growth was once again strong, with three national newspaper websites seeing their traffic rise by more than 20% growth compared to December 2006. Latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations Electronic show that telegraph.co.uk was worst hit, seeing traffic fall 17% from November to 10,549,554 unique users last month. Source: Media Guardian
 Last.fm has launched a service it dubs the "world's biggest jukebox" to allow anyone to listen to music via its website for free. The UK-based website, acquired by American TV network CBS last May for $280m (£140m), has struck deals with the four major record companies and more than 150,000 independent labels to enable users to listen to tracks online for free. Until now Last.fm has based its model on providing either a linear listening experience via deals with radio stations or through its much-publicised music recommendation service. Last.fm users will now be able to listen to any track as a stream up to three times. However, tracks will not be offered as downloads to own by Last.fm, which means users cannot put music on to an MP3 player. After listening to the streamed version Last.fm users will be given the option of buying the track as a download through partners such as iTunes, Amazon and 7 Digital. Last.fm is also launching a new artist royalty scheme so that artists who are not signed to a label can receive a payment every time one of their tracks is played. The royalty scheme is based on a revenue share of advertising that runs onscreen while users listen to tracks. Source: Media Guardian
 Titan Outdoor has installed the first of its digital 48-sheet billboards – the company’s first major digital project since it entered the UK market in 2006.The screen is the first of 15 the company is aiming to roll out in London and Manchester this year. The first LED screen, located in Kensington, London, is the latest in a series of digital developments for the company. It is also trialling digital six-sheets at Birmingham’s Bullring shopping centre and London’s Victoria Station. The digital 48-sheet screens allow campaigns to be updated instantly, with Titan envisaging improved levels of creativity as a result, as well as providing an economically sound and environmentally friendly delivery system. Meanwhile, Titan has taken over the ad management for the Trafford Centre’s food-hall screen, set to be replaced in the coming months. Titan also owns the advertising rights to Transvision, the Sky News and information product installed at major rail stations. Source: Media Week
Clear Channel Outdoor has created a package for advertisers that focuses on Liverpool as the city holds the mantle of the European Capital of Culture 2008. The contractor has compiled an offering that allows brands to target the two million extra visitors expected to visit the city this year. More than 350 events will be put on in Liverpool and Rob Atkinson, group sales director of Clear Channel Outdoor, believes that with 84% of the six-sheet market in the city and more than one-third of all billboards, Clear Channel's sites are best placed to reach target audiences. Source: Media Week
 BBC Worldwide has struck a deal with MySpace to make programmes including Doctor Who and Top Gear available to the website's 100 million-plus global users. The partnership will initially see around 150 clips of BBC programming made available online via a dedicated BBC Worldwide channel on the social networking website's video service, MySpaceTV. The MySpace deal is only the second of its kind BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm, has struck following reaching an agreement with YouTube in March last year. Users will be able to watch the clips on the BBC Worldwide channel as well as embed them on their MySpace profiles or share them with friends.The BBC and MySpace will share revenue made from forms of advertising such as channel or genre sponsorship and pre-rolls. Source: Media Guardian
The online advertising industry should consider a TV-style watershed ban to restrict the marketing of products including alcohol on the internet, according to a report. Online advertising's rapid growth will lead to the medium facing a "barrage of obstacles" this year, forecast the trend report by Deloitte's technology, media and telecommunications practice. The report argues that with this continuing growth will come the increasing scrutiny of digital media advertising by regulators keen to see the industry introduce self-regulatory controls seen in other media. UK TV channels adhere to a 9pm watershed, policed by communications regulator Ofcom, before which programming and ads deemed unsuitable for children cannot be broadcast. Source: Media Guardian
The Independent has recently relaunched its website, revealing a new look that includes better navigation, more colour and a music downloads store. An editorial announcing the relaunch said the new look site "will not only match the best in terms of reliability, but also enable us to bring even more online". Independent.co.uk now includes web-exclusive columns from its commentators and, for the first time, photos and videos throughout the site. The site also features a new IndyBest section highlighting the top 50 features and top 10 stories of the day, new sections covering gadgets, wellbeing and fashion and a voting tool. Readers are invited to post comments and join discussions on key "talking point" issues each day. The Independent does not make public its official Audit Bureau of Circulations Electronic figures, although the latest statistics published by web measurement firm comScore put Independent.co.uk at 1.785 million unique users for November 2007. Source: Media Guardian
Cinema ad spend rose last year for the first time in three years, posting a 10% rise from 2006, after retail and online brands significantly upped their use of the medium. Cinema Advertising Association figures for 2007, provided by Nielsen Media Research, show cinema ad spend in 2007 totalled £170m, up from £154m in 2006. Apple was one of a number of companies to significantly increase its cinema spend, along with John Lewis, eBay and Ford. Agencies said that the rise was largely due to the release of strong films last year, cinema ad sales teams increasing their presence in agencies and the introduction of new ad methods such as interactive foyer sites. Source: Media Week
UK Box Office Chart:
- Aliens Vs. Predator – Requiem
- No Country For Old Men
- P.S. I Love You
- I Am Legend
- Charlie Wilson’sWar
- St.Trinians
- Alvin And The Chipmunks
- Enchanted
- The Golden Compass
- Bee Movie
Edited by the TV Team
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