Comet first to Race Online
Comet has become the first retailer to sign up to the UK government’s Race Online 2012 initiative to get the UK close to 100% internet enabled by the end of the Olympic year. Comet joins Google, McDonalds, Microsoft, and BT in supporting the challenge, led by the government’s newly-appointed digital champion, lastminute.com founder Martha Lane Fox, to get more of the UK’s adults online. More than 10 million adults in the UK have never used the... [Read More...]
ITV creates social media platform for top shows
ITV has created a social media platform to encourage viewers to interact with some of its flagship programmes, including ‘This Morning’, ‘Loose Women’ and ‘Coronation Street’. From this month, viewers of some of the broadcasters most popular shows can engage with one another before, during and after programmes are shown. ITV viewers will also be able to use the social media platform by Demand Media in its football... [Read More...]
William Hill targets casual gamers with revamped site
William Hill has updated its gaming site with brands Deal or No Deal Jackpot, Bejeweled Slot, The X Factor and Millionaire’s Club, in a bid to capture a slice of the growing casual games market in the UK. William Hill players can now access Instant Play TV-themed games, arcade-favourites, as well as Marvel Comic superhero slots and video-poker classics, with many more well-known premium games set to be launched in the coming weeks. The Games site... [Read More...]
Project Canvas appoints technology and marketing heads
Project Canvas has appointed Anthony Rose and Tim Hunt as chief technology officer and director of marketing respectively. The positions will be on an interim basis while the proposed on-demand TV service from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, Arqiva, BT and ISP TalkTalk awaits the go-ahead from the BBC Trust. Rose joins from the BBC where he was future media controller of the vision and online media group. Previously he was head of digital media technology,... [Read More...]
Digital broadcasters in HD battle
Free-to-air digital broadcasters Freeview and Freesat are to go head to head with campaigns backing their HD TV services. Satellite TV service Freesat will roll out its biggest ad push of the year this week. Running across TV, print, digital and PR, it will target football fans planning to watch this summer’s FIFA World Cup in HD. The campaign coincides with the launch of an HD service on rival platform Freeview, including content from the BBC,... [Read More...]
Simon Carrington becomes publisher of Top Gear magazine
BBC Magazines has promoted Simon Carrington from the role of associate publisher to publisher on Top Gear magazine. Carrington replaces Adam Wadell, who became managing director of the title in February 2008. Carrington, the associate publisher at the title for the past three years, had taken on the majority of Carrington’s duties after he left the role. Adam Waddell, Top Gear’s managing director, said: “Simon has effectively been... [Read More...]
ISP to research promotions and consumer behaviour
The Institute of Sales Promotions (ISP) and Westminster Business School, University of Westminster, is to undertake a research project aimed at improving the understanding of how promotions affect consumer behaviour and loyalty. The ISP says promotional marketing is becoming an increasingly important element of the marketing mix, a fact highlighted by the imminent rebranding of the ISP as ’The Institute of Promotional Marketing’. Promotions play... [Read More...]