Media news & analysis

Marks & Spencer loses AdWords battle to Interflora

Marks & Spencer has lost the right to bid on the 'Interflora' trademark on Google AdWords, ending a five-year legal battle.

Initiative scoops Amazon global media business

Amazon has moved its global media account into Interpublic Group agency Initiative, after a final pitch against incumbent Mindshare and its sister Group M agency, MediaCom.

TalkTalk to sponsor fifth X Factor

TalkTalk, the telecoms and TV company, has extended its sponsorship of ITV's 'The X Factor' for a fifth year.

Peugeot and Samsung sign up to motorway screen sheet

Peugeot, Stella, Ford and Samsung are some of the advertisers motorists will see on a new LED digital screen sheet, equivalent to a 500-inch TV screen on the Aston Expressway near Birmingham.

Yahoo unveils complete overhaul of Flickr

Yahoo has followed up its $1.1bn acquisition of Tumblr by unveiling a complete overhaul of Flickr, its photo sharing service.

Bepanthen to sponsor baby and parenting shows on Discovery

Bepanthen, the nappy care brand, has signed a six-figure deal to sponsor all baby and parenting programming aired on Discovery Network UK's Home and Health channel for 10 months from Thursday.

Santander reviews £27m media account

Santander, the UK retail and corporate bank, has called a review of its £27 million media planning and buying account, currently held by Carat.

Hatch and Grant to chair Media Week Awards 2013

Steve Hatch, chief executive of MEC, and Linda Grant, managing director of DMG Media free division, will lead proceedings at the industry's biggest night of recognition as co-chairs of the Media Week Awards 2013.

Mancini thanks Man City fans with press ad in the MEN

Roberto Mancini, the sacked manager of Manchester City, took out an ad in the Manchester Evening News on Saturday to thank the club's fans.

Army begins recruitment drive despite redundancies

The Army has begun a recruitment campaign aimed at bringing in 10,000 new soldiers and officers over the next 12 months.

Goodstuff awarded £1m Diesel TimeFrames business

Goodstuff Communications has picked up the UK media planning and buying business for Diesel TimeFrames, a joint venture between Fossil Watches and Diesel, after a pitch against incumbent Mindshare.

Sky sponsors Sun documentary on boxing star Carl Froch

BSkyB has paid for The Sun to produce a mini-documentary about British super-middleweight champion Carl Froch, as part of the broadcaster's promotion ahead of Froch's next bout this Saturday.

Nokia and McDonald's among the takers for C4's ad offer

B&Q, Nokia, McDonald's and Bulmers are some of the most recent brands to sign up to broadcaster Channel 4's new advertising strategy for 4oD.

Blippar connects disjointed families, says MEC executive

TV ads with augmented reality technology like Blippar can bring disjointed viewers in a family together, according to Jide Sobo, MEC's head of mobile.

Rajar Q1 2013: Views from Mindshare, RadioWorks and UM London

Radio specialists from Mindshare, RadioWorks and UM London were encouraged by the growth of digital listening and intrigued by the changes in the London market in yesterday's Rajar figures.

Toshiba runs zero gravity flight competition for Superman fans

Toshiba is offering Superman fans the chance to win a zero gravity flight experience as part of its exclusive partnership with Warner Bros' upcoming 'Man of Steel' movie.

Fans take on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Twitter-powered tennis game

Tennis fans have been given the chance to take part in a training session with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the world number eight, ahead of the French Open, using a Twitter-controlled robot to position shots to him.

Rajar Q1 2013: Bauer Media and Absolute Radio share their views

Steve Parkinson, managing director, Bauer Radio London, and Tony Moorey, Absolute Radio's content director, give their views on this quarter's Rajar figures.

Trinity Mirror revenues fall 10% in Q1 amid 'difficult' ad market

Trinity Mirror, the national and regional newspaper group, has reported a 10% drop in revenues for the start of 2013 following double-digit falls in display advertising.

Ian Katz to leave Guardian for editor role at BBC Newsnight

Ian Katz the long-time deputy editor of The Guardian and heir apparent to Alan Rusbridger is to leave the paper and take up the top job at 'Newsnight', the BBC's troubled current affairs flagship.

Rajar Q1 2013: Record listeners tune in to Chris Evans

The Chris Evans Breakfast Show attracted its biggest ever audience of 9.8 million a week on average, up nearly 600,000 year on year, according to today's official Rajar figures.