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Channel 5 Interactive will open its doors for business on 25 August.

Paul Curtis, the station’s former deputy sales director, has been named

chief executive of the start-up.

The operation will offer two core areas to agencies and advertisers: UK

and international internet sales and interactive TV opportunities.

It will use the European offices of the media conglomerate RTL, 65 per

cent shareholder in Channel 5, to offer advertisers a ready-made network

covering Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Hungary

and Switzerland.

Curtis stated: ’We saw a gap in the market to offer agencies and

advertisers a much stronger and more reliable internet service.’

He said the venture was a ’natural extension’ of Channel 5’s TV

business.

Channel 5 Interactive will bring sales for Channel 5’s websites inhouse,

removing the contract from 24/7 Media.

These include Channel5.co.uk and Jailbreak online, the site supporting a

forthcoming programme in which ten ’prisoners’ are given three weeks to

escape.

The company has taken on the sales contract for RTL’s Banana.loto.co.uk

and Curtis in talks with Sky and Open about launching interactive

services for a range of clients.

Curtis will oversee Nick Bampton, who has moved over from airtime

management at Channel 5 to become sales director, while Neil McCallum

joins from Open as its sales controller.

Damon Letzer, from Granada Media, and Noel Lindsell, a former account

director at Channel 5, have been hired as account directors.

Nick Milligan, sales director at Channel 5, said: ’After 18 years of

working together, it’s about time Paul stood on his own two feet.’

Mark White, sales controler of Channel 5’s TV operation, will replace

Curtis. White’s job will be split between three account directors: Kelly

Williams, Mark Swift and Jason Talley.