New Media Age articles from March 2003

New Media Age archives from March 2003

Threat to m-commerce as FSA limits pre-pay.(mobile commerce; Financial Services Authority)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The development of mobile commerce in the UK is being throttled by uncertainty surrounding the regulation of e-money. The mobile operators are being prevented from launching advanced mobile commerce services by an interpretation of the EU...

Kit Kat iTV game first to use Sky DAL innovation.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Kit Kat has become the first brand to use an innovative approach to Sky's interactive TV authoring system for the launch of an iTV game as part of its latest marketing drive. The game is only the second to run on a Sky dedicated advertiser...

IAB appoints Eyre to push use of online advertising.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The IAB has appointed former ITV and Capital Radio boss Richard Eyre as chairman to spearhead its drive to double the amount that advertisers spend online. Eyre's appointment, after months of negotiations, is the latest stage in a renewed...

MSN predicts full operator take-up for mobile service.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Microsoft has hit back at critics of its mobile services strategy, claiming that portal MSN will boast "several million" subscribers across every major operator by December 2003. MSN says it has signed 35,000 subscribers via Singlepoint...

Tesco.com handed reins of new telephony service.(Tesco Telecom)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Tesco.com will take control of its parent's new telephony business, Tesco Telecom, due to launch in the summer, adding a significant new strand to the services offered by the world's biggest online grocer. John Browett, Tesco.com CEO, has...

New media ads face scrutiny in CAP code update.(Committee of Advertising Practice )(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... New media advertising faces greater regulation under the new edition of The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) Code, launched this week. The Code's 11th edition, administered by the Advertising Standards Authority to govern content of...

BBC draws up guidelines for third party SMS firms.(short messaging service)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The BBC is in the process of drawing up guidelines on how it'll work with third party SMS providers. Next month, the corporation also relaunches its WAP site, which will appear on the mobile portals of all four UK operators for the first...

Sportech delays ITV games launch.(interactive television games)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Sportech, the owner of Littlewoods Pools, has pushed back the date for launching games linked to shows on the ITV Network until the summer. The firm had previously said it planned to launch early this year, but negotiations to allow ITV...

Sportech.(plans interactive television games)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Sportech already has a Littlewoods Pools service on Sky Active's Winzone portal. The ITV games will start on Sky, although they're likely to be extended to cable operators in the future. The return path will be through iTV, phone and the Web....

T-Mobile reveals plans for music and video content.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... T-Mobile revealed new content plans on Tuesday, including deals with Universal Music and MTV and video messaging and download services. The operator also announced the launch next month of a major cross-media marketing campaign to stimulate...

GoInteractTV extends iTV services.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Interactive media firm GoInteractTV is to help advertisers and broadcasters to offer iTV viewers new features, including connectivity with mobiles and game consoles such as Play Station, X-Box, GameCube and i-chat keyboards. It has...

Durex launches sex guide microsite. (Breaking).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Durex.co.uk has extended its site with the launch of a 'Better Sex' microsite, conceived and created by McCann-i, the interactive arm of McCann-Erickson Manchester. The microsite isa tongue-in-cheek online sex guide, featuring hot tips, a sex...

Britvic launches viral game to promote J20 drink brand. (Breaking).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Soft drinks manufacturer Britvic has launched a viral marketing push for its J20 fruit juice drink, developed by Graphico New Media. The campaign, which went live in the past two weeks, has already generated 1.2m sessions, which Graphico says...

Granada launches online game for Cold Feet site. (Breaking).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Granada Interactive has launched an online game based on TV drama Cold Feet. Developed by agency Victoria Real and sponsored by car brand Mini as an extension of its on-air sponsorship, it places the show's characters at a dinner party and asks...

Adviva product allows Web sites to manage their own ads. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Adviva Media, which sells ads on a network of 450 UK sites, is introducing a service allowing its sites to easily serve ads they've sold themselves alongside its network ads. The company said its 'a_' product allows Web sites to manage the...

Ad 2-One signs sales deal with Ample.com. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Online sales house Ad 2-One has signed a deal to sell ads for Ample.com, the online financial information service which bought iii.co.uk in 2001. Ample.com, which re-launched in January last year, claims more than 1.3m registered users. It said...

Shelter launches Web-based study for online usability. (In Brief).(Housing charity)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Housing charity Shelter has launched its first Web-based study in an aim to help to improve its online services. Usability is at the heart of the charity's online strategy, which at present is primarily concerned with the consolidation of its...

Comic Relief's Viral Challenge finalists now online. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The viral campaigns from the five finalists of Comic Relief's Viral Challenge for Red Nose Day 2003 (NMA 30 January) are now online at rednoseday.com/viral. Visitors to the site can download the virals, forward them to friends and vote for...

Kodak digital camera competition winner. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Congratulations to Colin Rye, head of e/m-commerce business development at Sainsbury's Bank, whose entry for NMA's Win a Kodak digital camera prize draw was the first pulled out of the hat.

Leisure Link set to roll out UK's biggest wi-fi network.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Gaming machine giant Leisure Link is on the verge of rolling out the UK's largest network of wireless hotspots. The move is expected to see pubs, clubs, betting offices, bingo halls and casinos across the UK launch wireless LAN services...

DMA aims to be marketing body leader via iTV Council.(Direct Marketing Association )(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is launching an Interactive TV Council as part of its bid to become the leading body for all channels of interactive media. As part of its launch on 2 April, the DMA iTV Council will publish...

Helkon SK plugs film on Emap sites.(Collinwood)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Film distributor Helkon SK is using Emap online properties Empireonline.co.uk, Newwoman.co.uk and FHM.com to promote the upcoming film Welcome to Collinwood, starring George Clooney. Empireonline.co.uk is hosting a microsite at...

Levi's Europe rethinks strategy.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Levi's Europe has overhauled its digital strategy with the aim of strengthening its global brand. The lead element of the new strategy sees the relaunch of its eu.levi.com site. The site, designed by re-appointed full service agency...

Xbox Live launch provokes shake-up of games sector.(Microsoft online game service)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The imminent launch of Xbox Live is provoking a shake-up among online gaming services, with BT axeing its multi-player service. BT Openworld quietly withdrew the multi-player offering from its Games Domain site on 17 February, and Telewest...

Industry unites to promote phone crime awareness.(stolen mobile phones)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Mobile phone retailers and network operators, backed by the Government and the Metropolitan Police, are placing an information-led Web site at the heart of a [pounds sterling]1.5m ad campaign aimed at increasing public awareness of phone crime....

MGM Mirage to use viral campaign to boost brand.(online gambling)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... MGM Mirage Online is to launch its first viral marketing campaign within weeks in a major customer acquisition and branding drive. The refer-a-friend viral campaign will involve a simple game based around people guessing whether the next...

Victoria Real denies move to London.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Speculation is mounting that Brighton-based agency Victoria Real is moving to London to be closer to clients and Endemol, which has held a 50% stake in the business since 2000. Local papers in Brighton reported that the agency will...

FT.com makes first profit after move to paid-for content. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... FT.com has made a profit for the first time, signalling that owner Pearson's long-awaited move into paid-for subscription is beginning to bear fruit. The site hit breakeven in Q4. Revenues were up 9% to [pounds sterling]25m. Losses for FT...

Loot.com teams with Opera to launch mobile content. (In Brief).(Opera Telecom)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Classified ads newspaper Loot.com has teamed up with Opera Telecom to launch a range of premium mobile content with the aim of driving traffic to the Web site. Loot will launch services including games, horoscopes and alerts. ...

Lycos Europe plans to earn [pounds sterling]68m from paid-for services. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Lycos Europe is aiming to earn at least [pounds sterling]68m a year from paid-for services within five years, accounting for a third of its revenues. CEO Christoph Mohn said its restructuring programme was now almost complete and, having hit...

Times Online teams with MLIM to provide investor centre. (In Brief).(Merrill Lynch Investment Managers )(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Times Online has partnered with Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM) to launch a new investor centre on its Web site. It's the first time that Times Newspapers Limited has used online as a distribution channel for its financial guides, and...

Private Media to run first TV ads in support of adult SMS.(adult short messaging services)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Global adult entertainment giant Private Media Group is planning the first TV ad campaign for adult interactive services. The volumes of premium traffic Private is generating through its mobile services means the TV campaign is being funded...

Freeserve sees losses rise [pounds sterling]4m.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Losses at Freeserve have increased over the past year, from [euro]86m ([pounds sterling]59m) in 2001 to [euro]92m ([pounds sterling]63m). Announcing the results, the ISP's parent company Wanadoo pointed to "a regulatory environment that's...

Nielsen announces May launch for UK MegaPanel.(Internet audience measurement service)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Internet audience measurement company Nielsen/Net//Ratings has revealed it intends to hard-launch its UK MegaPanel on 9 May. Nielsen said the MegaPanel, which will examine the surfing habits of 50,000 households, will allow smaller Web site...

Diary.(Calendar)
March 6, 2003... 11 March 2003 BIMA Dialogue: Is the Traditional Agency Model Dead? London 01277 658107 bima.co.uk Outsourcing in Digital Media London 020 8357 7349 nmk.co.uk/outsourcing.cfm Connect Scotland:...

Cahoot cuts losses by 60%. (Finance).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Cahoot cut its losses by more than 60% last year. The online bank, which is owned by Abbey National, made a pre-tax loss of [pounds sterling]25m in 2002, compared to a [pounds sterling]63m loss in the previous year. Losses in the second half of...

Easynet anticipates strong growth after cutting losses. (Finance).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Easynet, which sells broadband access to businesses, says it's anticipating strong growth this year after sharply cutting its losses in 2002. Turnover for the year was up 29% to [pounds sterling]91.5m, with a 20% increase from the first half to...

Eckoh Tech makes first profit. (Finance).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Eckoh Technologies, the mobile and voice services company, has broken into profit for the first time, making [pounds sterling]193,000 before tax in the last three months of 2002. This compares to pre-tax loss of [pounds sterling]8.5m for the...

Mixed results for online gambling industry. (Finance).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... There have been mixed results for the online gambling industry. Rank Interactive Gaming made a [pounds sterling]5m loss in 2002, its first full year of operations, on turnover of [pounds sterling]2.4m. On a brighter note, though, Ladbrokes...

Mobix pledges millions to back Interactive division. (Finance).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Mobix Group has promised to back its new wireless streaming business, Mobix Interactive, with a seven-figure sum as it prepares to launch its services. The new division is planning to deliver real-time video content to mobile and broadband...

Strathdon in early stage of plan for corporate funding. (Finance).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Technology venture capitalist Strathdon Investments is looking closely at launching a new investment fund for corporates. Although plans are still at an early stage, CEO Hugh Stewart said he expected several companies to be involved, and...

IDS secures [pounds sterling]250,000 from Herald. (Finance).(Interactive Digital Solutions )(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Interactive Digital Solutions has boosted its cash position by [pounds]450,000 after sealing a funding deal with Herald Ventures. IDS provides streaming software for broadband services in hospitals, hotels and shops and last week announced...

Empower raises [pound sterling]4m in fourth round to boost global expansion. (Finance).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Wireless messaging firm Empower Interactive has raised a further [euro]5.75m ([pound sterling]3.9m) in its fourth round of funding. The latest tranche of money came from two of its existing investors, IDG Ventures Europe and Telesystem Argo...

BT and GB Group to launch online identity checking tool.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... BT has unveiled an online identity checking service which it believes will become the de facto national identity verification system. According to a recent report from the Home Office, identity fraud costs UK firms an estimated [pounds...

Roundpoint and WorldPay to take papers to PDA.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... WorldPay has teamed up with Roundpoint to provide the first UK subscription-based PDA editions of national newspapers. Leading broadsheets including The Times, The Independent and The Daily Telegraph, plus regional papers like The Glasgow...

Ministry of Sound adds chat to player in revamp.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Dance music brand the Ministry of Sound has developed new software for its relaunched site to allow Web radio listeners to chat online at the same time as listening to tunes. The move is part of a major relaunch of the Ministry's online...

DBI offers game firms route to market.(Digital Bridges)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Mobile entertainment technology firm Digital Bridges has unveiled a new global distribution service for Java mobile games developers. The system, DBI Distribution, is designed to leverage Digital Bridges' links with mobile entertainment...

Mkodo adds MMS support to desktop messaging platform. (Technology).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Messaging firm Mkodo has added MMS capability to its Interactive Messaging Platform SMS platform, enabling companies to run MMS campaigns from their desktops. Mkodo expects to announce its first client in the next. month.mkodo.com

Frontworks offers emergency alert messaging system. (Technology).
March 6, 2003... FrontWorks has launched Alert!, a dedicated messaging service to ensure that key personnel are contacted during an emergency. In a crisis predefined messages are relayed automatically to a contact list by phone, SMS, email and fax. A cascade...

Centacom adds Convey software to Talk'n'View. (Technology).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Centacom has combined Convey Systems' OnDemand software into its Talk'n'View online communications solution, enabling users to simultaneously talk and share Web pages or PC applications via a single Web connection. The technology is geared to...

Inbro launches consumer marketing filter. (Technology).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Consumers can now tailor online marketing to their lifestyle and interests with the launch of Inbro Select, part of the Interesting Times stable of services. A software button added to a client's site lets customers highlight useful information...

Ripe designs online portfolio for Carey Jones Architects. (Agencies).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Leeds-based design agency Ripe has designed an online showcase for architectural practice Carey Jones Architects. The Web site, careyjones.com, which launched this week, will exhibit the full range of the Carey Jones portfolio and features the...

4T2 Multimedia. (Agency Wins).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Bournemouth-based digital marketing agency 4T2 Multimedia is to create a series of sites for Norbain SD, a distributor of CCTV and Access Control equipment. After launching the initial corporate site, 4T2 will focus on drawing attention to...

Digital marketing communications agency. (Agency Wins).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Digital marketing communications agency Dowcarter has been appointed by the Chip and PIN Programme Management Organisation to manage its online communications to interested parties. Chip and PIN is the means by which consumers can authorise...

London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (Agency Wins).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Media solutions provider Fresh01 has been taken on to redesign the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Web site. The site will be built by Fresh01's partners TISL (Thames Information Services Limited). It'll offer a corporate...

Aspect reveals plans to buy out technical rivals. (Agencies).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The Aspect Group has emerged as the latest agency to follow the market trend and try to buy up its struggling rivals. Chairman and CEO Roy Abrams predicts that the agency landscape is set to transform, with an ever-increasing divide between...

Agencies launch site accessibility service. (Agencies).(requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1999 )(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Digital solutions services group Perception has launched a joint initiative with Web site strategy company Thinking Virtual aiming to address Web accessibility. The Usercentricity Check service has arisen out of the need for accessibility...

Perceptor turns branding focus online in restructure. (Agencies).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Branding consultancy Perceptor has repositioned itself as an online agency in order to focus entirely on interactive solutions. Prior to this restructuring, all interactive work was carried out through Perceptor's online department, which...

Voluntary site Do-it assigns entire ad budget to online. (Marketing).(Do-it.org.uk )(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Voluntary Web site Do-it.org.uk is sinking its entire marketing budget into online advertising for the first time in an aggressive bid to boost Web recruitment. A [pounds sterling]210,000 Home Office grant has been awarded to Do-it to fund...

MP3.com to run online survey. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Music site network MP3.com Europe is planning to run an online survey across six countries as part of its strategy of segmenting its user base in order to better appeal to a wide range of advertisers. MP3.com Europe, which hosts an online...

QinetiQ adopts multimedia to promote interactive site. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Science and technology solutions specialist QinetiQ is embarking on its first multimedia campaign to drive traffic to a new interactive microsite designed to capture data on prospective clients. Central to the campaign is an interactive...

Deal Group Media delivers [pounds sterling]150m in sales to clients. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Digital direct response marketing agency Deal Group Media said it delivered [pounds sterling]150m in sales during 2002 for clients including John Lewis, Comet and Carphone Warehouse. Deal Group Media is expanding from its core affiliate...

Vignette launches Dialog software in Europe. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... US-based content management company Vignette has launched its cross-media campaign management tool in Europe. The company said its Dialog software can automate personalised communications with customers across Web, email, mobile and direct mail...

Eminem game receives 20,000 plays a week on TOTP site. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... An Eminem online rap game, featuring audio clips from the film 8 Mile, is enjoying a record 20,000 plays a week on the BBC's Top of the Pops Web site. The Flash-based game, from agency Digital Outlook, challenges players' rhyming skills and...

BA launches SMS campaign in time for Six Nations push. (Marketing).
March 6, 2003... British Airways is launching its first SMS campaign during the current Six Nations Rugby Championships. The campaign, from Flytxt, is aimed at encouraging fans to register at ba.com. BA staff will hand out leaflets at matches, asking mobile...

Italian government to use Autonomy data analysis tool. (International).(Intelligent Data Operating Layer )(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The Italian government has taken on Autonomy's Intelligent Data Operating Layer (IDOL) to aid it with national security. The platform aggregates and analyses content from sources including text, voice and video. It'll be used by various...

France votes to add EU privacy directives to law. (International).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... France has voted in favour of legislation to bring the European directive on privacy in electronic communications into national law, creating an opt-in framework for email marketing. The move comes as the UK admitted it was pushing back...

Amazon gets US chat patent. (International).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The US Patent and Trademark Office has awarded Amazon.com a patent for an online retailing chat technology, protecting its right to a technology that will let its customers interact with one another on its site. The online chat facility hasn't...

Unit9 runs Nissan Flash film campaign in Japan. (International).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Agency Unit9 is running an online campaign for the Nissan Skyline model in Japan. It's a Flash film split into three episodes, delivered via a downloadable movie player. Unit9 said the 80-second clip is only 700K including sound. ...

KPN takes on Comverse fixed-line SMS solution. (International).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... KPN Telecom is to use Comverse's Wireline SMS Solution to allow its Dutch network subscribers to send and receive text messages on home and business phones. The deal allows fixed-line users to text each other or mobiles via Comverse's short...

Match plans local offices to support global growth.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Online dating agency Match.com will open up offices across Europe and Asia in the next few months in a multi-million-pound bid to claim the number one spot in local markets it already serves via the Web. The division of Ticketmaster, owned...

Cheapflights makes move into US online travel sector.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Independent travel site Cheapflights.co.uk is expanding into the US after extending its partnership deals with some 20 of its biggest advertisers, including BA, Travelocity and MyTravel. It will open a Boston office in April, deploying COO...

Antilles casinos forced into Dutch ban.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... A Dutch court has ordered two Caribbean online casinos to ban citizens of the Netherlands from accessing their Web sites. The ruling follows last week's news that Ladbrokes is to appeal a similar Dutch decision against its own bookmaking...

Monaco Telecom to launch ADSL video on demand.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Monaco Telecom has unveiled what it says is an "unprecedented" ADSL-based video-on-demand service. The firm has teamed up with Alcatel and French film distribution company Moviesystem to launch SesameTV in the principality. 300 of...

Asia-Pacific mobile phone subscribers up by a third. (Trends).(Baskerville's Global Mobile Subscriber Database)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Almost 104m people took out mobile subscriptions in the AsiaPacific region last year, according to new figures from Baskerville's Global Mobile Subscriber Database. The region saw a 31.5% growth in subscribers year on year, with 433m wireless...

Majority of US teens have downloaded music. (Trends).(Ipsos survey)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Over half of teenagers in the US had downloaded audio material from P2P file-sharing networks by the end of last year, according to a survey from Ipsos. The survey also revealed that one in 10 American teenagers downloaded MP3s and other audio...

Consumer traffic predicted to double each year to 2007. (Trends).(IDC report)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The volume of Internet traffic generated by end users worldwide will nearly double annually over the next five years, according to the IDC. It described the volume of Internet traffic that will be generated every day in 2007 as 64,000 times the...

Scandinavia and Portugal take lead in switch to digital TV. (Trends).(Datamonitor report)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Nordic countries and the Iberian Peninsula will emerge as Europe's first comprehensive digital TV markets by 2010, says a new report from Datamonitor. The study reveals that Scandinavia and Portugal are poised to overtake the UK in the race to...

Online publishers win over users with original content. (Trends).(UK Association of Online Publishers survey )
March 6, 2003... Over 17.5m Internet users visit original content sites every day, according to the UK Association of Online Publishers (AOP) in its first membership survey. The survey has found that AOP member sites including FT.com, Guardian Unlimited...

Mobile devices prove to be unpopular for Web access. (Trends).(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Europeans are shunning mobile Internet access despite high penetration of laptop, handheld and phone technology, reports eMarketer. In EU countries where PC penetration is high, such as the UK and Sweden, only 10% log on using a laptop. The...

Worldwide online users top 0.5bn. (Trends).(research from Nielsen//NetRatings)
March 6, 2003... Over half a billion people worldwide now have Internet access, finds new research from Nielsen//NetRatings. Nielsen reports that the fourth quarter of 2002 saw a 4% increase year on year in online populations in the 11 major markets it...

Telecoms sector will lead move to electronic billing.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... A third of UK bills will arrive electronically by the end of 2004 as suppliers seek new ways to trim overheads, finds Pitney Bowes. A sample of the UK's top 1,000 companies were quizzed on the future of electronic billing and payment....

Time to look beyond broadband take-up. (Analyst Speak).
March 6, 2003... In preparation for the upcoming 'Broadband worldwide' report, eMarketer has crunched some numbers and come up with five tiers of broadband penetration at the end of 2002 for 27 countries worldwide. Tier I countries are those with broadband...

One in five 15-34s buy SMS alerts.(Mobile Metrix and NOP World stdy)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... One fifth of all UK adults between 15 and 34 have purchased mobile phone logos and paid-for SMS alerts, according to the latest research. A study by Mobile Metrix and NOP World this week found this demographic spent almost [pounds...