MediaCommunications

MediaCom View: Publishers of the free London newspaper, City AM, have moved to register the trademark of City PM. First thoughts are that this will be a secondary evening title with more editorial dedicated to lifestyle and analysis to partner their morning newspaper, currently circulating in the region of 70,000 through distribution in the City, Mayfair, Canary Wharf and at City Airport. There has been much talk over the past year on the TFL tender for an evening newspaper with Richard Desmond, Rupert Murdoch and Associated Newspapers having already thrown their hats in the ring, should City AM decide to take the evening newspaper route they will be facing stiff opposition from some of the biggest players in the industry. City AM are not giving too much away at the moment. With either an evening newspaper or a website both under consideration once the trade mark is in place. Either way expect an extension to the City AM brand to appear some time in 2006.

MediaCom View: To put it into context, the survey was carried out with 3,000 university students, an audience which is known to have heavyweight internet usage, meaning that the survey may be indicative for this audience only. However, this does demonstrate the multi-purpose nature of the internet as a community, news provider, entertainment centre, educational tool, and both broadcast and narrowcast medium. It may also indicate the future of digital consumer behaviour as consumers pull the content they want, when they want it, as consumers can now watch TV and play games on the internet, on demand. 98% of those surveyed had mobile phones, so when you consider that roughly half of 16-24s have accessed the internet by phone there is potential for this audience to access content on the move another shift in behaviour.

MediaCom View: ITV continues to forge ahead with its client centric philosophy and in particular the Value of Fame research project initiated in 2004. Content already covered includes TVs Ability to Build Awareness, Enhancing Brands and Brand Fame. Forthcoming content focuses on the financial benefits of television fame. The study concludes that TV is the most effective tool for return on investment and driving market share.

MediaCom View : Five has made an incisive move into the world of digital platforms with the broadcaster taking an unspecified stake in Top-Up TV, which will allow Five onto the Freeview platform. The alliance will enable Five to develop free to view and pay TV channels. Rumours suggest a female focussed lifestyle channel will be the first of their new stations. This is a major step for Five and its backers RTL, as it will provide a foothold for growth in the digital arena, which has up to now been a huge hindrance in Five increasing its market share. It will also allow Five to compete as a platform provider.

MediaCom View : Virgin Radio is extending its two digital radio stations Classic Rock and Xtreme onto Telewest's digital TV platform, boosting the potential audience reach of the stations by an additional 1.2 million Telewest subscribers. Virgin has a strong brand recognition and this opportunity to reach more listeners in better quality across the country will be a major boost to the station. It means that advertisers have an opportunity to target the older Classic Rock audience or the younger Xtreme listener on another TV platform in addition to the internet and DAB.