New Media Age articles from August 2004

New Media Age archives from August 2004

IAB US questions UK audience metric plans.(Interactive Advertising Bureau)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The US Interactive Advertising Bureau has questioned the decision of the UK online advertising industry to focus on creating a single audience measurement standard. Greg Stuart, IAB US president argues in NMA this week that the ad...

Home Office fears Voice over IP will defy surveillance.(United Kingdom. Home Office)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The recent surge in Voice over IP (VoIP) services is likely to obstruct police investigations in the UK. Experts believe that it's virtually impossible for law enforcement officers to carry out interception warrants on telephone calls made...

BT Retail falling behind in UK broadband share.(partnership with BT Yahoo!)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... BT Retail is rapidly losing its share of the UK broadband market, calling into question the success of its ten-month-long BT Yahoo! partnership. The telco's retail arm is fighting to keep pace with the wholesale market, and its lead...

3 upgrades Premiership video highlights package.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... 3G operator 3 has announced its mobile video package for the new Premiership season with a dramatically improved rights offering. 3 subscribers will now be able to watch Premiership football highlights minutes after the end of the game. ...

BBC claims interactive TV users on the increase.(British Broadcasting Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The BBC is claiming a substantial increase in the take up of its BBCi interactive TV service, only weeks after the board of governors raised concern that usage wasn't increasing in line with availability. According to a BBCi survey, the...

ANM rolls out motoring area for Daily Mail.(Associated New Media)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Associated New Media has added a new motoring channel to the Daily Mail online this week and signed tip the AA as its exclusive sponsor. The channel features in-house and partner content including new and used ear searches, car insurance...

Virgin considers support for betting exchange model.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Richard Branson could become one of the most high-profile supporters of the controversial betting exchange model, with a decision on a Virgin-branded service expected this month. NMA understands that Virgin Games has been holding meetings...

Sky beats NHS to iTV health service.(interactive TV)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Sky is getting into the interactive TV health information business ahead of the NHS, launching a service this week which allows expectant parents to call on advice from a midwife via their remote controls. Sky Family Active has gone live on...

ITVi restructures under pressure to boost output.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... ITV's interactive TV division, ITVi, is restructuring after coming under pressure to improve its performance, industry sources claim. The unit, responsible for SMS, red button and premium rate phone support for shows such as Pop Idol and...

Victor Chandler extends in-game bets.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Victor Chandler is to hugely extend the opportunities for punters to bet on live events during a match, with the help of computer-generated odds. The in-running service will extend from a few current options to 40 bets per game. However,...

Ask Jeeves enters local market.(Breaking)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Ask Jeeves has become the latest search engine to move into the local search market, by linking with US local information portal Citysearch. The company will license Citysearch's local content, which will be integrated with its Smart Search...

TradingSports considers 4.5m [pounds sterling] financing offer.(Breaking)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... TradingSports Exchange Systems, the betting exchange technology firm, is considering an offer to raise 4.5m [pounds sterling] in fresh financing. The AIM-listed firm says it has had a proposal from institutional and other investors, led by...

Channel4 puts hopes in vote flurry for Big Brother final.(Channel 4 Television Co.)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Channel 4 hopes a final vote flurry will put this year's Big Brother ahead of last year's disappointing performance. 8.4m votes had been received via SMS, premium rate telephone and iTV as NMA went to press, with two evictions still to go. Last...

UKTV offers viewers a keyword search on TV listings.(Breaking)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... UKTV will offer viewers a keyword search facility on its interactive TV programme listings from Monday after taking on DITG to develop the service. The BBC Worldwide/Flextech Television-owned network will allow viewers to look up their...

Digital Oxygen launches.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... A new marketing services company called Digital Oxygen has been launched following a management buyout at rich media technology firm First Media. Headed by Mike Weston, former head of sales and marketing at First Media, Digital Oxygen will...

BBC World Service partners with Greek telco Cosmote.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The BBC World Service has joined forces with Greek telco Cosmote and Greek media group Imako Media to launch a range of international news services on the i-mode mobile platform in the Olympic host country. Separately BBC World Service has...

BT and Xbox host online game challenge at Games Festival.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... BT and Xbox have teamed up to host an online gaming challenge at the Edinburgh International Games Festival, in which the Odeon cinemas in Glasgow and Edinburgh will compete against each other. The contest will feature the Xbox Live games...

ISPs agree on Code of Practice for swapping providers.(Internet service provider)(Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Broadband migration has been simplified by a new Code of Practice agreed between 16 of the UK's largest service providers, making it easier for consumers to change from one ISP to another. The self-regulatory working group represents 70% of the...

Mersey TV to launch MMS spin-off of Hollyoaks soap.(Multimedia messaging service)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Mersey Television will later this year launch an MMS spin-off of Hollyoaks as a precursor to a full mobile video version. The company, through its Conker Media interactive content company, is planning to use mobile to develop products...

O2 funds free-to-air video mobile channel with ads.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... O2 has launched the first free-to-air video mobile channel funded entirely by ads, NMA can reveal. The mobile operator has partnered with Warner Bros and consumer magazine publisher IPC for an eight-week trial, to deliver streaming video...

UKbetting relaunches Totalbet site.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... UKbetting will relaunch its Totalbet.com site by the end of the week. The firm said that the new version would look more like its sister site UKbetting.com, and would have more emphasis on virtual, skill-based games, such as golf. ...

IPT delays plans to float on AIM.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Online marketing company IPT has become the latest high profile new media firm to delay its plans to float on the London stock market. The company, which runs a network of sites including MyOffers and PayFinder and counts AOL and Lastminute...

Portals increase pressure to stop underage gambling.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Major portals are putting pressure on gambling firms to improve their systems to block underage gambling, as the industry tries to put its house in order over the problem. This comes a week after the report from GamCare and children's...

Trinity Mirror restructures its i-services division.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Trinity Mirror has significantly restructured its interactive voice and mobile services activities, cutting back on its in-house abilities in favour of a new multi-million pound outsourcing deal. The deal with Eckoh Technologies marks a...

Number of VC firms to halve within five years.(venture capital)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The number of venture capitalists actively investing in new media companies in the UK and other parts of Europe could halve in the next few years, according to one leading technology investor. Rod Perry, director of technology investments...

M-bar-go secures 400,000 [pounds sterling] funding.(M-bar-go)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Mobile couponing firm M-bar-go bas secured 400,000 [pounds sterling] funding to roll out its Light scheme throughout the North-East. The roll out, which follows a trial, will take place in Jacksons convenience stores in Hull. The...

Dialogue to open in Australia.(Dialogue Communications)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Mobile services provider Dialogue Communications has announced the opening of its Australian office. It plans to cash in on the recent opening up of the premium market. dialogue.net

Think-tank to push digital issues to the Government.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The Institute for Public Policy Research, a left-leaning think-tank, has launched a scheme to push digital issues into the mainstream of political discussions. The body is to host a series of seminars and conferences over the next seven months,...

Ofcom undertakes review of premium telephony industry.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Ofcom is to undertake a review of the regulation of premium telephony. This will include options to increase regulator Icstis's powers, driven by recent concerns over scam Internet diallers. Ofcom.org.uk

Sky Sports plans Premiership highlights on interactive TV.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Sky Sports will offer viewers highlights of eight Premiership football matches each Saturday via iTV from the first day of the season on 14 August. This extends Sky's pioneering coverage of the UEFA Champions League, which also offered viewers...

Adobe boosts security with launch of Lifecycle platform.(Technology)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Document security has received a long-awaited boost from Adobe's new Lifecycle platform, which enables companies to switch off information outside their firewall. The desktop design tool will help companies to protect their electronic...

Intelligent search engine developed.(Technology)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... A semantic-based search engine has been developed by search specialist Infolution, which mimics human interaction and allows companies to search through multiple corporate databases. The Intelligent Search Portal will be released in...

Eyeblaster and Dynamic Logic offer brand surveys.(Technology)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Online ad technology firm Eyeblaster has launched a new service in partnership with Dynamic Logic that enables clients to track the branding effectiveness of their online ad campaigns. The Eyeblaster Brand Test integrates Eyeblaster's rich...

Coding Technologies licenses use of audio codec to AOL.(Technology)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Compression software firm Coding Technologies has licensed its audio codec to AOL for use with its media delivery platform. The aacPlus v2 technology will enable AOL to deliver high-quality audio and video services at low bit-rates to its...

RNID helps develop synthetic talking face technology.(Technology)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) is assisting with the development of synthetic talking face technology that could be used in lip-readable phones. The project uses Synface software designed by a Swedish team of developers called...

Sicap plans to combat text message bullying.(Technology)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Mobile software provider Sicap is testing an Intelligent SMS Centre (iSMSC) in a school is Switzerland, which is designed to prevent text message bullying. The software enables children receiving bullying text to log the mobile number of the...

Dare ups staff count by six.(Agencies)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Digital marketing agency Dare has hired six more staff following business wins from both new and existing clients. Senior appointments include account director Nadya Powell, who has joined from Joshua Interactive to head the Barclays team, and...

Itraffic adds to BA team.(Agencies)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Itraffic has boosted its team on the British Airways account to cope with the growing workload. The move follows BA's announcement earlier this year that it would increase marketing spend on interactive. Mei Szetu joins from parent company...

Digital printing and photo-sharing service PhotoBox has appointed creative agency Gurus to redesign its Web site following a three-way pitch.(Agency Wins)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Digital printing and photo-sharing service PhotoBox has appointed creative agency Gurus to redesign its Web site following a three-way pitch. The aim of the redesign is to better highlight the company's services and allow easier navigation....

Online marketing agency OTP-Media has been appointed to represent astrologer Russell Grant's official Web site.(Agency Wins)(OTP-Media )(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Online marketing agency OTP-Media has been appointed to represent astrologer Russell Grant's official Web site. The contract, initially for three months, will see OTP sell both premium and run-of-site advertising on russellgrant.com. ...

WPP buys Digit and brings it alongside GT Network.(WPP Group PLC, Digit Ltd.)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Agency group WPP has snapped up independent digital creative agency Digit for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition, which was overseen by Richard Davies, chairman of GT Network, will see the agency sit alongside GT under the MediaEdge:CIA...

Proximity shuffles digital team for expansion drive.(Agencies)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Proximity London has overhauled the management of its digital team in preparation for an expansion drive aimed at boosting growth in digital revenue. The 40-strong team will now be headed by Stewart Atkins, who has been a senior member of...

Mook takes on ex-EHS Brann VC.(Agencies)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Interactive design agency Mook has taken on Phil Jones, former vice-chairman of EHS Brann, as non-executive chairman to advise on growth opportunities as it looks to attract more long-term clients. Jones, who will spend two days a month at...

Smile selects wine offer for Guardian Money campaign.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Banner and skyscraper ads will 'communicate' with each other in an online campaign for Smile, the Internet bank. In the campaign, a bottle of wine will pour from a banner at the top of the page and land in a glass in a skyscraper ad format...

Diageo builds on key relationships.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Drinks company Diageo will try to build its key customer relationships with with a new on and offline data planning/buying drive. It has taken on Tonic Direct Marketing to carry out on and offline data planning/buying activities for Great...

Sony pushes widescreen camcorder with viral film.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Sony has employed a little-known indie film production company to produce a viral campaign for its widescreen camcorder range. Bristol-based Rubberductions has created a 70s-style American car chase parody to point out the width limitations...

Lovefilm in free DVD trial with burger chain customers.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Online DVD rental firm Lovefilm is offering free DVDs for a month to customers of the Wimpy burger chain. Leaflets will be given to customers who buy a meal deal at any one of 260 Wimpy restaurants in the UK. The campaign will run throughout...

Zoolook takes on Naked Penguin Boy to create Flash viral.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... San Francisco-based branded entertainment company Zoolook Entertainment has commissioned UK creative design agency Naked Penguin Boy to create a viral for its Flash storytelling competition, which is running later in the year. The competition,...

Screen Pages designs new site for N. Peal luxury brand.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Cashmere fashion brand N. Peal is promoting itself via a new Web site, which has been developed by Screen Pages in a bid to broaden the company's customer base. The npealworks.com site aims to reinforce the company's luxury image on the...

Cable modem operators lead with cuts in broadband prices.(Trends)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Broadband prices have fallen sharply since the beginning of the year, according to analyst Point Topic. Cable modem operators cut monthly rentals across the EMEA, Americas and Asia-Pacific regions by an average of 16% over six months, while DSL...

Quarter of US adults taken in by fake financial emails.(Trends)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Over a quarter of US adults are fooled by phishing emails, claims a study from anti-spam company MailFrontier. 28% of 1,000 people questioned couldn't identify bogus emails asking for personal and financial details. 31% of respondents believed...

PC viruses multiply.(Trends)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... The number of computer viruses affecting PCs has risen by 21% over the past year, says anti-virus software company Sophos. In the first six months of the year, it identified 4,677 different viruses worldwide. The Sasser worm accounted for a...

Click-through rates up by a quarter over past year.(Trends)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Advertising click-through rates in EMEA and Asia-Pacific have risen by more than a quarter since Q2 2003, possibly due to the growing sophistication of online creative and placement, says DoubleClick. The marketing technology company's Q2...

Boom in acquisitions of tech companies.(Trends)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Acquisitions of technology companies in Europe have increased by two-thirds over the past 12 months, reaching levels not seen since the dotcom boom, claims a new report. In the first half of 2004, 1,118 deals involving IT, software,...

M-payments predicted to be worth 20bn [pounds sterling] by 2008.(Trends)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Global mobile payment transactions will grow tenfold over the next four years, despite market predictions of the service producing high revenue proving to Ere unfounded so far. Research company Arthur D Little estimates that the volume of...

Online music retailers winning market.(Trends)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Online music retailers' market share has risen taster than that of any other music sales channel over the past five years, according to analyst company Verdict Research. Between 1,998 and 2003, sales of music and videos from Web sites grew...

Online ads must build on solid foundations.(Analyst Speak)
August 5, 2004... According to PricewaterhouseCoopers' Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2004-2008, this is the year when the good times return to the Internet ad market. Total worldwide spending on Internet advertising during 2004 will finally edge back...

Overture.(Trends)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... www.uk.overture.com Search statistics in the SMS sector The information below represents searches carried out through June on Overture's search network, which reaches 88% of the UK online population *. Overture provides...

iPod compatibility lands Real in trouble with Apple: Real Networks' attempt to bring interoperability to digital music has pleased some but angered others, especially Apple.(News Analysis)(Apple Computer Inc. iTunes Music Store)
August 5, 2004... The news that Real Networks is launching a new version of its music store, enabling consumers to buy music that can play on Apple iPods, has sent shockwaves through the digital music industry. Within hours of the announcement at the Jupiter...

Attitudes are changing towards online advertising.(Leader)(Column)
August 5, 2004... In last week's column I wrote about the growth in online advertising. That leads to another question, one that I'm being asked a great deal at the moment: how big can the online ad market be? The most commonly quoted estimate is between 10%...

Context development is key for the future.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
August 5, 2004... Alan Arnfeld, site director and architect, Cheapflights.com Your leader article, 'Context will be king', hit a key user experience nail right on the head (NMA 22 July). Blinkx is indeed an exciting new technology which seeks to enhance the...

Web accessibility still needs high standards.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
August 5, 2004... Mark Gristock, marketing director, JKD I've recently spoken to a number of clients concerned with the impact of the Disability Discrimination Act and the confusing messages emanating from agencies and accessibility specialists. Their...

Let customers track their email addresses.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
August 5, 2004... Steve Masters, marketing manager, Emailkey.com One of the biggest problems with privacy protection is that, despite any laws in place to protect you from spare, direct mail or other types of messaging, there's no real enforcement. Even if a...

Will the Olympics prove to be a missed opportunity?(investment risks)
August 5, 2004... By the time you read this, the opening of the 2004 Olympic Games will be just a week away. But what will the mood be in the boardrooms of major sponsors and associated corporations around the world? This year's games have already been...

Creative standards on the rise at Cannes.(Opinion)(Cannes Advertising Film Festival)
August 5, 2004... Once again, we bid Cannes 'au revoir' for another year, and as the sun sets over La Croisette for one final time, we can take the opportunity to reflect upon what made this Cannes Advertising Festival special. Was it the rare camaraderie and...

Changing channels: since buying digital agency Victoria Real, TV production company Endemol has been delving further and further into digital media, a move driven by director of interactive media Peter Cowley.(Peter Cowley)
August 5, 2004... "Peter, Teddington." The words flash up on the Avago leader board. Endemol UK's director of interactive media punches the air. Peter Cowley is still an avid fan of the original iTV gaming channel, having won on a number of occasions. "The power...

Perfect Information.(Moves)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Perfect Information, the global provider of online financial information, has taken on Paul Acott as commercial director, based in its London headquarters. He previously worked at business information provider Dun & Bradstreet, most recently...

Associated New Media.(Moves)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Associated New Media, the digital publishing division of Associated Newspapers, has appointed AOL's former executive director of international sales, Mary McGregor, as sales director. She will be responsible for revenues across display ads,...

ValueClick.(Moves)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... ValueClick, provider of media, technology and services for interactive marketing channels, has appointed Alison Rowley as marketing communications manager for ValueClick Europe and Tina Wild as business development account manager for...

Jobsite UK.(Moves)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... David Ray has been promoted to the position of marketing manager of online recruitment service Jobsite UK. Having been at the firm for over four years, he will now be responsible for marketing planning across Jobsite, CityJobs and LondonJobs....

postoffice.co.uk.(Moves)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Allison Wightman has joined postoffice.co.uk as e-commerce commercial manager, where she will be responsible for increasing revenue from the company's expanding product range. Wightman joins from Marks & Spencer, where she was channel...

Handbag.com.(Moves)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Women's lifestyle site Handbag.com has appointed Shakeel Mughal as head of agency sales. He previously worked at Associated Newspapers on Metro as head of client sales. nma.moves@centaur.co.uk

Interactive Prospect Targeting.(Moves)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Interactive Prospect Targeting, supplier of digital direct marketing solutions, has taken on Dan Bannister as direct group sales director, responsible for the company's list rental division IPT Direct. He takes the newly created position after...

Unique Digital.(Moves)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Unique Digital, the online marketing agency, has recruited two new trainee account managers. Michael Kemal joins Unique after working in the catering industry as an assistant manager, while Kate Hussey joins after completing a university degree...

Ambergreen.(Moves)(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... Edinburgh-based search marketing company Ambergreen has appointed Gill Smith as new account manager. She joins from Deutsche Bank.

Eye on the global market: with an expansion record most companies would envy, RS Components seems to be constantly running on full steam. But has it overlooked some of the basics?(Strategic Play RS Components)
August 5, 2004... Many companies have pretensions to be global players. Having spent the best part of the last three years rolling out a system of online sales across the globe, RS Components isn't far off attaining that status. It has done so at breakneck...

Fast forward: how are advances in mobile and interactive technology going to affect the viewing landscape? A panel of industry experts recently met to discuss the future of the medium.(Panel Discussion)
August 5, 2004... As broadcasters and producers face up to the realities of working within a multichannel environment, in which technology has given viewers more control over how and when they watch TV programmes, the challenge for them is to produce more...

Stay standing: it seems the dotcom crash has caught up with investors, with many VCs expected to go the way of their one-time clients. But for the new media sector, the survivors may be stronger than ever.(venture capital)
August 5, 2004... On the face of things it doesn't sound good: Rod Perry, director of technology investments at 3i, reckons that half of the venture capitalists around Europe will simply disappear within the next five years. That doesn't include his firm,...

Time to sort out user numbers: the IAB is exploring the idea of a single online audience measurement currency, but does the industry really need it?(Interactive Advertising Bureau )
August 5, 2004... GREG STUART President, Interactive Advertising Bureau US Of course the industry should want a single currency. The problem is that everyone is using the same word and assuming it's the same thing. Currency means that money is changing...

Sport relief viral challenge.(a case study, Proximity London)
August 5, 2004... Client: Comic Relief Agency: Proximity London BACKGROUND: Humanitarian charity event Sport Relief wanted to raise awareness of its 'Go the extra mile' campaign, a series of one-mile running events sponsored by Fitness First which took...

Sean Hannebury, head of CMW Interactive, Clark McKay & Walpole.(Ad Watch)
August 5, 2004... With sharks, gorillas, fish and a dog named Lucky all featuring in the creative line-up, it'll be interesting to see if the old adage 'never work with children and animals' can be proved wrong. First up is the online campaign for Canon...

Putting a stop to the brain drain: as digital agencies receive ever more ad work, the sector must work to avoid a new skills shortage.
August 5, 2004... The sharp growth in online advertising spend has sparked a hiring frenzy in the digital agency sector, with agencies rapidly staffing up to meet growing demand. Look at the recruitment pages of any new media or marketing trade magazine and...

Top ten new campaigns July 2004.
August 5, 2004... Data Supply by Nielsen/NetRatings LemonAd 1 VIRGIN CREDIT CARD Advertiser: Virgin Creative: Glue Timing: 20 October 2003-15 July 2004 Placement: 41earning, AOL, Boots Online, Breathe, BT Openworld, Channel 4, Disney,...

Top ten viral campaigns July 2004.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2004... 1 LEVI'S Guard Creative: Tony Bishop 2 SPLINTER CELL Nocturnal E-missions Creative: New Media Maze 3 BACKYARD WRESTLING Hot Backayard Action! Creative: New Media Maze 4 LAND ROVER Penalty Pain Creative: RKCRY&R...