RTL Group & Virgin Media Join Thinkbox

LONDON: RTL Group and Virgin Media have joined Thinkbox, the marketing body for commercial TV in the U.K., as its first associate members.

RTL Group and Virgin Media will provide consultation and involvement across Thinkbox activities and within its working groups. Full shareholder status is reserved for TV broadcasters and their sales reps. Thinkbox’s shareholders are Channel 4, ITV, Sky Media, Turner Media Innovations and UKTV.

Tess Alps, Thinkbox’s chief executive, said: “We’re delighted that both RTL and Virgin Media have decided to support Thinkbox’s mission by becoming our first associate members. We’re also grateful for the acknowledgement of the work we are doing and their desire to help us do more to explain the commercial opportunities in TV’s rapidly developing future, be that TV on-demand, addressable advertising or product placement. We look forward to working with them and our shareholders to continue helping advertisers enjoy the unparalleled success that TV advertising, in all its forms, brings.”

Oliver Herrgesell, RTL Group’s executive VP of corporate communications of public affairs and marketing, commented: “RTL Group has always believed in the fundamental strength of commercial, advertising-funded TV. Not out of complacency, but because the facts speak for themselves—and facts delivered by Thinkbox are convincing, its research innovative and thought-provoking. We look forward to a close co-operation to enforce the power of TV.”

Mark Brandon, the commercial director at VMDS for Virgin Media, added: “Virgin Media is pleased to become an associate member of Thinkbox. The TV advertising value chain is evolving fast, with next generation TV platforms such as Virgin Media playing an increasingly prominent role in this evolution. We look forward to bringing our content knowledge, on demand expertise and business perspective to Thinkbox.”