New Media Age articles from June 2003

New Media Age archives from June 2003

Mobile firms angered by SMS regime change.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... The mobile content industry has slammed the launch of the Mobile Data Association's new regime for premium rate SMS as ill-thought-out and commercially damaging. It's angry the new regime, which is introducing two numbering ranges for...

Sky to promote iTV ad options.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Sky is embarking on a major push of interactive advertising opportunities across its digital channels in the run-up to its release of iTV ad templates to third parties, now believed to be only weeks away. The company has extended the role...

Fears mount over casino exodus from Isle of Man.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... The Isle of Man--one of the two centres for online casinos in the British Isles--has admitted its fledgling offshore casino industry could be facing meltdown. The news follows MGM Mirage's recent announcement that it will be shutting its...

Cahoot becomes latest to rethink mobile banking.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... The viability of mobile banking is being called into question after Cahoot warned its WAP service may be allowed to fade away. Both Abbey National and Halifax are shutting down their WAP banking services from the end of this month. Abbey is...

Habbo and Sulake shuffle roles for gaming network.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... The companies behind the Habbo Hotel sites for teenagers have restructured operations in a move they claim will help the network expand into new markets. Until now, various functions for sites in the UK, Finland and Switzerland were shared...

Volvo test-drives R Concept online.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Volvo has launched a highly targeted online campaign to support the release of its V70 R and S60 R models later this summer. The Swedish car manufacturer has teamed up with the interactive agency Burrows to create a launch platform for its...

Global audit body to debate inclusion of e-paper figures.(International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circulations)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... The International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circulations (IFABO) is aiming to carve out a global agreement on whether e-paper sales can be included in print edition circulation figures. It has created a dedicated working group, led by...

QVC upgrades Telewest service.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... QVC has brought its iTV service on Telewest into line with that on Sky after becoming one of the first channels on the platform to add red button functionality to its programmes. The new QVC Active service on Telewest launched last week,...

Everett departs BBCi to help DG 'make it happen'.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... BBCi controller of development and services Katharine Everett has left her post as number two to new media director Ashley Highfield. She fills a new BBC role, known internally as head of 'Making it Happen', the pet name for director...

Ambre Solaire runs gender games ad.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Sun lotion brand Ambre Solaire is launching a games-based online ad next week as part of a campaign to promote its new-look products. Banners for the Gamier brand, devised by Panlogic. include two pop-up games, one aimed at men and one at...

Vote for the NMA Greatest Individual Contribution award. (Breaking).
June 12, 2003... There's still time to vote for the person you think has made the biggest difference to new media in the past 12 months. The winner of the Greatest Individual Contribution to New Media award in this year's NMA Effectiveness Awards will be chosen...

Teletext Holidays creates Big Brother tie-in microsite. (Breaking).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Teletext Holidays has jumped on the Big Brother bandwagon with a new competition microsite, created to appeal to fans of the reality show. The microsite, developed by Alcone Digital, enters visitors into a prize draw and gives them the...

Guardian Newspapers buys remaining stake in Learnthings. (Breaking).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Guardian Newspapers has taken full ownership of online educational resources company Learnthings, buying out the remaining 45% of the firm that it didn't already own. Learnthings, which operates the Learn.co.uk site, was recently awarded a...

SMS play-along 'Millionaire' uses Tamblin technology. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... The SMS play-along version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, which launched this week on daytime TV, is using technology from interactive TV technology company Tamblin. Celador, the production company behind the show, took on Tamblin's i-Zone...

Alasdair Scott departs from Arnold Interactive. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Digital agency Arnold Interactive has lost one of its creative directors, with Alasdair Scott leaving the agency to pursue his interests in film. Scott was the founder of agency AMX which, acquired by Havas in 1998, merged with Zinc last year...

GoPlayTV acquires rights to Tetris for satellite TV. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... GoPlayTV, the interactive TV games channel owned by Sony Pictures Digital, has acquired the exclusive UK rights for Tetris on satellite TV, bringing an end to Sky's licence for the game on its own Gamestar channel. GoPlayTV bought the rights to...

UK UPA publishes guidelines for usability commissioning. (In Brief).
June 12, 2003... The UK Usability Professionals' Association has published a set of guidelines for managers commissioning usability services. The document offers a checklist to help ensure that the suppliers can answer five key questions, including which...

Justgiving introduces flat rate subscription charges.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Charities signed up to the online donation service Justgiving.com face new charges from next month, as the company introduces a flat subscription rate. Justgiving has, until now, offered its basic services free to charities. From July, the...

BT focuses on content in new broadband campaign. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... BT has revealed that its next broadband campaign will focus on driving broadband content. Its previous strategy had focused on high speed access, based on the assumption that consumers would prefer to choose their own high-bandwidth...

Sony Music Europe in ringtone deal. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Sony Music Europe has struck a deal with French mobile entertainment company Musiwave to allow real song excerpts from a repertoire of over 100 artists to be used as polyphonic ringtones. The 'Musitones' will be extracts from original...

London Elects to run voter site. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... A campaign-awareness drive for next year's London Mayoral and Assembly Elections will be pushed heavily online, with a dedicated voter education Web site to be run by London Elects. The site, which will be created by digital creative agency...

Channel 4 commits to iTV by scalinq up 4 Active offer.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Channel 4 has made a further commitment to interactive TV, with the launch of a range of new enhanced programmes and several interactive services. The move comes on the back of the hit reality TV show Big Brother 4 and will start to take...

Blue Square to be official BB partner.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Channel 4 has signed up Blue Square to become the official gambling partner for Big Brother, in a five figure deal covering the Internet and interactive TV. The deal gives the bookmaker a prominent link to the main Blue Square site on the...

DoubleClick on the hunt for new European head.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Digital marketing technology giant DoubleClick is looking for a new European head following the resignation of Matt Colebourne, as it moves to prioritise sales functions within its business. Colebourne's title was European MD, but the new...

Google and Dealtime in AdWords link.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Google has inked the first major syndication deal for its AdWords paid-for links product that's not with a traditional search engine, signing up the shopping comparison service Dealtime. Dealtime.co.uk said it's using Ad Words links as...

Record labels sign up with Recordstore.co.uk. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Several major record labels have signed deals with e-tailer Recordstore.co.uk to turn their artist Web sites into online shops. Sony, BMG, Warner and independent label Sanctuary have followed Universal's lead in selling music directly from...

Opera Telecom to offer mobile video through new partnerships. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Opera Telecom has broadened its service portfolio to offer mobile video, through partnerships with Real Networks and Oplayo. The company is now aggregating video content to create dedicated news, TV, entertainment and sport channels. ...

Future Platforms completes blogging project for Brighton. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Brighton-based mobile specialist agency Future Platforms has completed a mobile blogging project for the Brighton Festival. The service enabled members of the public to submit photos and reviews of events which were then instantly published on...

Sky Sports forms online partnership with PCA. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Sky Sports has formed a strategic online partnership with the Professional Cricketers Association. Cricnet.com, the official Web site of the PCA, is now being hosted within skysports.com, with the two Web sites exchanging unique and exclusive...

Vanguard Group launches V3Fun for B2C and B2B content. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Mobile solutions provider Vanguard Group has launched a mobile content division, V3Fun, to supply both B2C and B2B mobile content. The first content offering, V3fun.com, has just gone live, supplying content that ranges from picture messages to...

E-tailers fear chip and PIN launch will increase fraud.(Industry Overview)
June 12, 2003... The e-tail industry is scrambling to push through solutions that will counter a feared explosion in online fraud if the launch of chip and PIN cards pushes fraudulent transactions from stores to the Internet. This migration is a great...

Emap ties up with Carphone to launch m-coupon.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Emap has tied up with Carphone Warehouse to launch its first mobile coupon campaign. The SMS campaign is to promote the Carphone Warehouse Mobile Life show running over this weekend. Emap is running promotions for the event across the Kiss...

Lastminute MD Lane Fox admits to past mistakes.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Martha Lane Fox has admitted to a string of errors made in Lastminute.com's marketing and technology strategy in the company's early years. Yet the travel company's group MD said the process of building up the firm had been one of...

Halifax Share Dealing buys up UK arm of IMIWeb. (Finance).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Halifax Share Dealing, part of the Halifax and Bank of Scotland group, has bought the UK arm of IMIWeb, an online share trading firm. IMIWeb has over half a million UK registered customers and will continue to operate under its own brand for...

Jobs.co.uk blames results on reorganisation costs. (Finance).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Online and iTV recruitment firm Jobs.co.uk has blamed reorganisation costs and delays in securing sales for what it described as a poor set of results for 2002. Turnover in the last year rose from [pounds sterling]98,000 in 2001 to [pounds...

Telecom Plus increases turnover by 78% to [pounds sterling]58m. (Finance).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Turnover at utility firm Telecom Plus increased by 78% to [pounds sterling]58m in the year to 31 March. Pre-tax profits were up 38% to [pounds sterling]5.6m. The company provides Internet access, mobile phone, gas and electricity services and...

Virtual Internet bought by Norwegian firm Active ISP. (Finance).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Virtual Internet, a Web hosting company, has been bought by Norwegian firm Active ISP. With this acquisition, Active ISP will now manage more than 300,000 domain names, 100,000 shared hosted Webs and 450 dedicated servers. The value of the deal...

Video Networks in talks with potential investors.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Video-on-demand company Video Networks has started funding talks with potential new investors, according to a confidential letter sent to shareholders. The company, which runs the HomeChoice service in London, has undergone major...

ROO Media Europe to list on AIM after [pounds sterling]3m deal.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... A video-over-Internet company is to join the stock market next month, after putting together a [pounds sterling]3m financing package. A Cohen & Co, an LSE-listed company which until now has been involved in metals and recycling, is changing...

Sharecrazy secures [pounds sterling]40,000 funding.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Share trading site Sharecrazy has raised new funding which it hopes should be enough for it to become cashflow positive. The company has secured [pounds sterling]40,000 from Sussex Enterprise, with half being given immediately and the rest...

Durlacher offers to buy Web-Angel.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Investment bank and stockbroker Durlacher has made an offer to buy the one-time Internet incubator Web-Angel. Although Durlacher has been moving away from investing in technology companies, the deal will give it stakes in two firms: Delsy...

Sandvine creates system to ease P2P broadband traffic.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Canadian company Sandvine has developed a new peer-to-peer (P2P) management system that's designed to distribute file-sharing traffic across high-capacity areas of an ISP's network. The P2P Policy Management technology reduces the cost of...

Xpherix makes contacts available to mobile users.(via iPhonebook)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Start-up Xpherix has launched an application for users to access contacts data from Microsoft Outlook and Palm software via a mobile. The iPhonebook application has been launched through Revolution, 02's third-party premium mobile content...

M&S targets retailers for fraud protection software.(Marks & Spencer's Intellagent developed by Conchango)
June 12, 2003... Retail giant Marks & Spencer is to offer retailers a Web-based application to help fight retail fraud. By the end of the year, retailers will be able to use Intellagent, the Web-based system based on M&S intellectual property and developed...

QuickTime 6.3 in line with 3G standard.(from Apple)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Apple has updated multimedia tool QuickTime, making it first to be compatible with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard. QuickTime 6.3 enables users to share high-quality video, audio and text over wireless devices such as...

Nokia develops Mediamaster digital TV receiver. (Technology).(Nokia Mediamaster 121T )
June 12, 2003... Nokia has developed a new digital TV receiver that will be released as part of its Nokia Mediamaster range in July. The Nokia Mediamaster 121T is said to be more streamlined that its predecessors. and will be marketed as an affordable way to...

RIM launches colour and tri-band Blackberry. (Technology).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Research In Motion (RIM) has launched its first colour tri-band Blackberry Wireless handhelds in the UK, through T-Mobile International. The Java-based BlackBerry 7230 and BlackBerry 6230 will will offer email, phone, SMS, browser and organiser...

SealedMedia updates document security system. (Technology).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Digital rights management firm SealedMedia has unveiled version 2.6 of its document security solution and signed up music retailer HMV and research firm RHK to use it. The new solution adds functions to seal and protect emails and all popular...

Sybase invests in Wi-Fi research project. (Technology).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Software company Sybase is investing $25m ([pounds sterling]15.1m) into a Ni-Fi research project aimed at pushing wireless computing into the business market. The initiative will include the launch of a network of Wi-Fi competency centres and...

Good Technology completes second phase of Albert Hall site. (Agencies).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Good Technology has completed the second phase of the Royal Albert Hall's new site. The focus of this phase was to build closer relationships with the Hall's customers by increasing personalisation. Customers can now get email newsletters...

Preloaded launches episode tie-in site for 'Spooks'. (Agencies).
June 12, 2003... Digital media agency Preloaded has just launched the new site for BBC Drama's second series of Spooks. The site, phase 2 of the project, features an episodic rollout of 10 games and additional Web content. Games tie in with particular events in...

The Priory. (Agency Wins).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Design and build agency Precedent is to redevelop the site for independent healthcare firm The Priory following a five-way pitch. The new site will launch this month. Precedent will also develop a sister site blenheim.co.uk, using a defined...

Zendor. (Agency Wins).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Manchester-based interactive and fulfilment company Zendor has been appointed by Lloyds TSB Insurance to work with its e-commerce team. Zendor will be providing its usability and design consultancy services for Lloyd TSB's online sites...

Manning Gottlieb integrates digital further with new role. (Agencies).(Phil Nunn to become director of digital and direct)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Media planning/buying firm Manning Gottlieb OMD has boosted its focus on new media with the appointment of its first director of digital and DIRECT. Phil Nunn, former commercial director at rival Zed Media, was headhunted by Manning...

Gyro expands workforce to boost new media capacity. (Agencies).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... International integrated brand communications agency Gyro is expanding in a drive to increase its new media offering. The agency, which has offices in London, San Francisco and Geneva, has taken on Jeremy Mal in the new role of head of new...

Thoughtengine set to seek clients. (Agencies).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Strategic thinktank Thoughtengine, brainchild of two ex-Orange directors, is gearing up for business. Thoughtengine, whose directors Nick Foggin and Patrick Harris were previously strategy directors at Orange, has been set up to offer...

Neutralize offers sites greater search visibility. (Agencies).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Internet marketing agency Neutralize is to offer content management vendors focused packages to integrate search engine marketing and optimisation into Web site design and build. The move was prompted by a perceived neglect of search engine...

Sony launches spoof sites to plug PlayStation portal.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has launched a series of promotional microsites imitating sites selling serious software, to drive traffic to its European playstation.com portals. The sites' design follows that typically used to...

Google to provide context-relevant ads to Lycos.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Search engine Google is to provide context-relevant ads to Lycos's home page building community, Lycos Tripod, across Europe. Google said that the deal will extend the reach of its syndicated paid-for links product, AdWords, to an extra 4m...

Monster runs B2B push for its Post a Job service.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Online recruitment service Menster.co.uk is launching a threemonth B2B online ad campaign to push its Post a Job service. It's targeting HR portals such as Personnel Today, UK Recruiter, HR Look and Online Recruitment magazine with banners...

ValueClick to provide search marketing products to Europe. (Marketing).(buying U.S. firm, Searchl23.com)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Digital marketing company ValueClick says it will bring search marketing products into Europe by the end of the year, following its acquisition in the US of Searchl23.com. ValueClick is looking to cash in on the boom in search marketing, led by...

Walkers to run Text2Win campaign with l2Snap. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Snack manufacturer Walkers this month launches what it claims is the biggest on-pack text-and-win campaign to date. The campaign is also the first time consumers will be able to win text credits to their mobile phone. The Text2Win campaign will...

Digital One launches DAB promotion with metro.co.uk. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Digital One, the national commercial digital radio service provider, has launched a marketing campaign with metro.co.uk, one of the Web sites in the Associated New Media stable of online properties. The deal involves banner ads on all site...

Royal Mail launches two email marketing products. (Marketing).(Digital Marketeers and Determine)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Royal Mail has launched two email marketing products, allowing advertisers to generate DM campaigns using their own templates, graphics and data. E-relationship marketing (e-rm) has worked with Royal Mail to develop its Digital Marketeers...

MTV to launch as MVNO in Sweden this month. (International).(mobile virtual network operator)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... MTV this month launches as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in Sweden. The launch, a testbed for services throughout Europe, is in partnership with operator TeliaSonera and will leverage MTV's content assets and brand. mtve.com

Elata uses Optimus to provide next-generation services. (International).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Wireless software specialist Elata has been chosen by mobile operator Optimus to enable it to deliver next-generation data services to its 2.lm subscribers in Portugal. Optimus has launched the 'Optimus Zone' service using Elata's managed...

BBC World Service targets Hispanic audiences in the US. (International).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... BBC World Service is targeting Hispanic audiences in the US, encouraging them to sample its online services. It held a public forum this week, supported by US media, on the state of education for latinos, which was Webcast live on the BBC...

Reitan agrees final cash offer for mobile company Sense. (International).(Sense Communications)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Scandinavian retailer Reitan has agreed a final cash offer for mobile company Sense Communications. The deal was first announced on 1 April and the two companies have now agreed on a price of NOK3.99 (35p) per share for Sense. This values Sense...

Justgiving breaks into US market via Boston office.
June 12, 2003... Online charity donation service Justgiving is breaking into the US by opening an office in Boston. The appointment of Mark Sutton as CEO, to be based in Boston, marks Justgiving's commitment to establishing itself in the US. While the US...

PlayJam increases French focus with games for TPS.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... PlayJam, the interactive TV games channel owned by OpenTV, is strengthening its position in France with the launch of new games on another of the country's digital satellite operators, TPS. OpenTV has agreed a deal with HiScore TV, which...

Adculture signs up to Falk network.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Adculture, described as Ireland's largest digital ad agency, has signed up to the Falk adserving network to improve its campaign management service. The agency, which has offices in Dublin and Belfast, offers a full range of services...

Microsoft makes play for iTV with software launch.(Microsoft TV Foundation Edition)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Microsoft has unveiled its latest attempt to become a global force in the interactive TV industry with the launch of new software for cable TV companies. Microsoft TV showcased its new Microsoft TV Foundation Edition in the US this week,...

Holidaying over-50s create boost for travel sector. (Trends).(according to 50connect.co.uk)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Online travel operators are enjoying a boom in business from the over-50s, with holiday and plane ticket bookings from this group growing by more than a third over the past year. According to Web portal 50connect, which surveyed 13,452 over-50s...

Corporate networks struggle with peer-to-peer software. (Trends).(Packeteer research)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Up to 80% of corporate networks in the UK have unauthorised peer-to-peer software running on them, claims new research from Packeteer, the application traffic management specialist. It warns that many network and IT managers don't have the...

South East firms have most up-to-date office technology. (Trends).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... SMEs in the south-east of England are ahead in terms of office technology, says new research from corporate turnaround specialist Begbies Traynor. A nationwide survey of 200 SMEs revealed that only 22% of firms in the South East used technology...

Asian mobile users go 3G. (Trends).(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... A quarter of mobile phone users in Asia are connected to next-generation wireless services or will upgrade within the next six months, says a new report from TNS. The study covered 11 Asian countries and reveals that people are willing to pay...

Film industry must act to beat illegal downloaders.(according to Deloitte & Touche report)
June 12, 2003... The film industry has yet to wake up to the damage that Internet file swapping could inflict on its revenues, says a report from professional services firm Deloitte & Touche. Music companies are fighting back against peer-to-peer (PSP)...

File sharing not the only problem for music sales.(according to NPD Group reports)(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Illegal downloading is having a significant negative effect on recorded music sales, two new reports this week accept. But both say there are wider underlying causes which are just as impactful. The first report, from The NPD Group, argues...

Search for top companies' sites draws a blank.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... Web sites of the country's leading companies have been attacked for failing to communicate readily with the general public. A survey by site promotion specialist WSPS found 32% of the sites for FTSE 100 companies can't be found by major UK...

University sites barely reach basic levels of accessibility.
June 12, 2003... One-third of university Web sites don't meet minimum accessibility requirements, claims digital design company Nomensa. Its research suggests disabled students across the UK are being discriminated against by the lack of accessibility of...

Rise in WAP page impressions puts daily figure at 21m.(Brief Article)
June 12, 2003... The number of WAP page impressions shot up in April by 13% over the previous month. The Mobile Data Association (MDA) recorded 646m page impressions in April. This figure takes the daily average for 2003 so far to 21m, double September...

Pulling users further up the value chain. (Analyst Speak).
June 12, 2003... One of the inherent problems with companies developing and marketing products and services in the digital age is that the consumer is still referred to as the end user or end consumer. This is a product of the way that industries, and in...

Convincing consumers of online shopping's safety: online retailers are planning to promote the security of e-tail. But can they do enough to overcome people's fears? (Analysis).(and related article)(Industry Overview)
June 12, 2003... It's officially still under wraps but the industry body for online retailers is organising a 24-hour Internet shopping day in July, with the aim of setting the nation straight about the myths associated with online shopping. This is the...

Do BT's moves in broadband deserve much credit? (Leader).(Column)
June 12, 2003... A few weeks ago Tasked whether broadband in this country had reached the tipping point, the moment when social change moves from the gradual to the dramatic (NMA 29 May). The question was raised by Oftel's announcement that last month the UK...