Mother's credentials in the broadcast arena have soared following its high-profile ITV Digital campaign with Monkey and Al. It won the £27 million account from BMP last June without a pitch.
Mother has also been approached by Channel 5 this week. The company has invited the agency to pitch for its account. However it is unclear if the agency will pitch.
Cary Wakefield, UKTV's marketing director, played down the significance of the pitch. "Mother has been invited to pitch as well as BMP for a small, one-off, six-month project," she said. "We wanted a fresh perspective."
She added: "We're not switching business away from BMP. We're happy with the agency." However, insiders suggested the entire account could move to Mother in the future. "At this time we've got nothing further to say," Wakefield stated of UKTV's longer-term agency plans.
BMP won UKTV last March. The agency handles the bulk of its channels, including UK Style, UK Gold, UK Gold 2, UK Horizons and UK Drama. UK Play is handled by Bds Beechwood.
It is unclear if Mother could handle both ITV Digital and UKTV, as they represent rival broadcasters. However, the future of the loss-making ITV Digital is in question -- Carlton and Granada bosses are considering dropping the platform, which has cost them £800 million to date. PHD handles the media accounts for both clients.
BMP referred calls to UKTV and Mother was unavailable to comment. ITV Digital also declined to comment.
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