Things we like

Ladbrokes’ darts idents on Sky Sports

We enjoyed last weekend’s coverage on Sky Sports of the Grand Slam of Darts. The idents from its sponsor, Ladbrokes, completed our satisfaction, combining the rousing "stand up if you love the darts" anthem with some amusing footage of darts fans savouring the action. Ladbrokes has certainly hit the bullseye with this activity.

Thinkbox winning research award

As an industry, we are obsessed with research. But, sometimes, it’s hard to know what is credible and what isn’t. That’s why we applaud Thinkbox for winning the Grand Prix at the 2012 Media Research Group Awards for Screen Life: The View From The Sofa, in which the TV marketing body looked at the impact of multi-screen viewing on engagement with TV shows and ads. The research also picked up awards for the Best Trade Body Research and Best Research Initiative in the UK.

Secret State

The US has had a monopoly on quality political thrillers, so it’s good to see Channel 4 attempting to fight back with the homegrown drama Secret State. Gabriel Byrne plays Deputy Prime Minister Tom Dawkins unpicking a rumoured cover-up of a blast at a petrochemicals plant, before stepping up as the temporary prime minister when his boss is killed in a plane crash. The plot occasionally demands a suspension of disbelief, but makes for an entertaining watch, if only for Byrne’s excellent performance as that rare breed – a politician with principles.

Women in radio

Sound Women, the networking and development group for women in radio, has done lots of good things to develop the careers and profile of women in the medium since it launched last year. Today (22 November), it is hosting a panel discussion at Absolute Radio with Maggie Philbin, the former Tomorrow’s World presenter, that hopes to encourage more women
to consider a career in digital, interactive and development roles in the radio and audio industries.

AND ONE THING WE DON'T…

Falling audiences for Children In Need

We were saddened to hear that BBC One’s Children In Need, hosted by Sir Terry Wogan and Tess Daly (pictured), witnessed its lowest audience ratings in five years last Friday. The 32-year-old fundraising event pulled in eight million viewers on the night – and a record amount of money – but was down by close to two million compared with last year. While Girls Aloud and One Direction did their best to draw in viewers, some were apparently put off by the repetition of stories illustrating the hardship of children in the UK instead of fresh accounts. Some people switched off as a result, which is a real shame.

This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk