Manning Gottlieb Media and OMD have written to television sales departments to announce they will negotiate jointly on all TV deals in the new year.
OMD insisted this was not a new initiative and said both companies had 'implemented joint buying and planning strategies in the past'. However, a senior ITV sales executive said this was the first time the relationship had been made official.
The letter stated that Ian Lomas, OMD broadcast director, would handle upfront buying negotiations, while John McGeough, MGM broadcast director, would be responsible for briefings.
ITV sales representatives said the move was part of a growing trend in the industry. Carat, Feather Brooksbank and BBJ Media Services recently centralised their TV trading, creating a powerful negotiation unit to counter the increasingly strong ITV combination of Carlton and Granada.
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