RTÉ has announced that the Managing Director of Television, Noel Curran, will move on from his position, with effect from 26 May 2010. Mr Curran is leaving the organisation to pursue other interests but will continue to work in an advisory capacity with RTÉ in the future. Speaking today, Mr Curran said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my seven years as Managing Director. “I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some incredibly talented people both in RTÉ and in the independent sector. I want to thank them for all their continued hard work and creativity. Their work has filled our schedules with the best in Irish programme-making.” RTÉ Director General Cathal Goan said: “As MD TV, Noel Curran has played a pivotal role in maintaining RTÉ Television’s creative and popular success: During his time as MDTV, RTÉ has maintained its pre-eminent position with Irish viewers, despite unprecedented growth in competition.”"It has also held on to almost all of its major sports rights on behalf of the Irish public. This has been done against a backdrop of significantly reduced costs over the last two years which will position Television strongly for the future.” “RTÉ is grateful to him for his enormous contribution. We wish him well and RTÉ looks forward to continued association with him in the future.”
As part of their outdoor campaign Malibu ran with some hoarding at the George Bernard Shaw pub in Portobello in cycle 6 to promote the nights which were held in the Camden Palace with the slogan “Brings the Caribbean to Dublin”. Vizeum was behind this innovation.
In Melbourne Australia, IKEA used projections onto buildings that made it appear that people were actually decorating with IKEA from within. This shows clever and innovative planning at a low cost!
Picture works which specializes in social media can create the same innovations in Dublin.
CBS Outdoor has launched the first Mall Digital formats in Ireland. The new formats have been rolled out in the recently refurbished Square Town Centre in Tallaght. In all there are a total of 30 DEPs (Digital Escalator Panels) leading from the Central Plaza on level 2 to level 3, split between 20 on the travelator and 10 on the escalator. Five LCD screens complete the digital offering. According to Marie Lawlor, sales and marketing director of CBS Outdoor, “the Square Digital formats offer advertisers a fresh and vibrant opportunity to engage with audiences in one of Ireland’s largest shoppingcentres. Advertisers have access to 10 second commercials on all 30 DEPs for two weeks with similar campaigns available on 5 LCD Screens.”
The Square attracts over 300,000 shoppers every week with over 65,000 square metres of retail, mall, food and leisure facilities. “We are very excited about the digital opportunities in the Square. It offers a platform for true innovation and creativity for our clients in a vibrant environment and responds to the demands of a digital savvy audience,” says Lawlor.
Carlton Screen Advertising (CSA) has announced that Eoin Wrixon has been appointed General Manager. Wrixon has been a member of the CSA team for over 3 years and he formerly held the position of Senior Account Manager at CSA and comes from a television sales and account management background.
Wrixon will replace Sales Director Eithne Billington with immediate effect. After 13 years of valued service with Carlton Screen Advertising Billington has decided to move on. Eoin Wrixon, General Manager, Carlton Screen Advertising said ‘’I am delighted with the new appointment and look forward to leading the team and growing the business in 2010’’.
A consumer spending survey by Ireland’s telecoms regulator ComReg has confirmed what traditional telcos fear the most – consumers are spending more time online and less time on their fixed or mobile devices. ComReg’s first residential survey of 2010 of 1,003 people between 15 and 74 found that mobile phone penetration at 94pc is continuing to rise while fixed line penetration at 65pc has decreased marginally. The average bi-monthly spend on fixed line services continues to fall, with consumers spending just under €80 on their fixed line services compared to more than €96 in December 2008. Similarly, average monthly spend in the mobile phone market also continues to fall, declining from just more than €41 in December 2008 to just more than €36 in January 2010. Respondents claim an average monthly spend on broadband access of just under €34. There has been an increase in satisfaction with complaint resolution among fixed line users compared to a year ago (from 53pc to 63pc), and to a lesser extent among mobile users (from 65-69pc). Home internet access has remained relatively steady at 66pc. The average time spent on the internet per week has risen from 10 hours in December 2008 to 13.2 hours in January 2010.
Americans increased their overall media usage and media multitasking according to The Nielsen Company’s latest Three Screen Report, which tracks consumption across TV, Internet and mobile phones. In the last quarter of 2009, simultaneous use of the Internet while watching TV reached three and a half hours a month, up 35% from the previous quarter. Nearly 60% of TV viewers now use the Internet once a month while also watching TV.“The rise in simultaneous use of the web and TV gives the viewer a unique on-screen and off-screen relationship with TV programming,” said Nielsen Company media product leader Matt O’Grady. “The initial fear was that Internet and mobile video and entertainment would slowly cannibalize traditional TV viewing, but the steady trend of increased TV viewership alongside expanded simultaneous usage argues something quite different.”
The Dubliner magazine is changing to a weekly format beginning 8th April and will be distributed every Thursday with the Evening Herald.
The editorial mix will be retained in addition to more listings information and the new format will open up new possibilities for events and sponsorships along with the significant increase in circulation. Paul Trainer, Managing Editor of the Dubliner says “This is a major partnership between VIP Magazine Group and Independent newspapers and we’re excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for The Dubliner as Dublin’s weekly magazine.”
Popular as e-readers may be, most consumers aren’t ready to trade their daily newspapers for them just yet.
According to the findings of a new survey by iReach Market Research, the majority of consumers are without doubt unwilling to give up their daily newspapers anytime soon. 78% surveyed said that they would not change to e-readers or similar electronic devices as they prefer the physical connection with a newspaper or magazine.
Print got the thumbs up from 58% of respondents because it gave them a better reading experience in comparison to the Amazon Kindle or Apple iPad, for example.
Oisin Byrne, General Manager, iReach Market Research, added: “Apple brand awareness and brand loyalty score extremely highly in Ireland, however consumers still like the feel of holding a newspaper or magazine to enjoy the overall reading experience. Electronic devices no matter how iconic, don’t make this physical or tactile connection with traditional news print.”
The research which was completed in conjunction with Carat Ireland highlighted how successful Apple has been in terms of building strong brand awareness in the marketplace with 92% of consumers surveyed being aware of the recent Apple launch of the iPad. In Ireland, 28% of iPhone users plan on purchasing an iPad in coming months, compared to 5% of consumers in Ireland.
The Connacht Tribune and Eo Teilifis have joined forces to launch Gaelscéal the new Irish language newspaper for the island of Ireland. A bright, lively 32 page, full colour tabloid it will be published every Friday starting from 26th March 2010. The Irish language community is strong and growing, encompassing native Irish speakers in the traditional rural Gaeltacht areas; strong urban centres of population such as Dublin, Belfast and Derry; schools and universities; as well as Irish speakers all over the country and the world.
