MEC to secure BBC Worldwide account

by Isabella Piasecka, Media Week 06-Sep-07, 15:20

LONDON - Mediaedge:cia (MEC) is poised to scoop the estimated £3m media planning and buying account for BBC Worldwide's Global Channels business.

The WPP agency is in final conversations with BBC Worldwide although nothing has been officially confirmed.
BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, put the account out to tender in August, ahead of launching a host of new channels across EMEA and the Asia-Pacific region.

The review, handled by the AAR, does not affect the £1m media planning and buying account for BBC Magazines' activities in the UK, currently handled by Omnicom's PHD.

This latest win for MEC would follow a string of recent account gains, including Freeview earlier this month and the BT media planning account, previously handled in-house.
BBC Worldwide, which includes global TV sales, magazines and digital media, spent just over £7m on advertising in the 12 months to the end of June, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Global Channels, which launched 18 months ago, covers wholly owned
channels BBC Prime, BBC Food and BBC America, as well as a range of
themed channels – including BBC Entertainment and BBC Knowledge – which are being rolled out globally.
BBC Worldwide has seen a threefold increase in profits over the past three years. It posted record profits for the 12 months to 31 March this
year, with a pre-tax rise of 24% to £111.1m, including a 5% rise in international sales to 46%.