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Agencies

- Typhoo names agencies

Tea brand Typhoo has appointed BJL Group and ZenithOptimedia to handle its £2m advertising and media accounts.

- Kyali leads new trading group for MindShare

MindShare has appointed Haldun Kayali as global head of its new trading arm, The Exchange. The Exchange was created by MindShare as part of a restructure in April.

- Sorrell faces £1.2bn tag for Taylor Nelson Sofres

Sir Martin Sorrell will have to bid at least 300p a share - or roughly £1.2bn based on latest share prices - for Taylor Nelson Sofres to prevent the proposed £2.2bn merger between the data outfit and Germany's GfK.

- PHD nets AA and Saga consolidated business

The AA and Saga are expected to appoint PHD to handle the two brands' consolidated media planning and buying accounts. PHD has handled the AA's £20m planning and buying business since 2005.

TV

- Drink ad ban is mooted

The Government is considering the introduction of a ban on alcohol advertising on TV before 6pm. Following the introduction of restrictions on the advertising of so-called junk foods, it is believed the Government may be considering imposing curbs on alcohol promotion.

- EC names terms for £14m C4 funding

Brussels wants the UK government to demonstrate that a proposed £14m payment to Channel 4 to help with its digital switchover costs is proportionate. The European Commission has said that the planned support should not "result in overcompensation".

- MTV fined for use of bad language

Ofcom has fined MTV Networks £255,000 for offensive language on some of its channels. The regulator said that MTV Networks was guilty of "persistent failure" to comply with its rules.

- Howell protests at lack of prime-time ad time

Rupert Howell, ITV managing director for brand and commercial, has hit out at restrictions on ad airtime. Howell said that, in peak-time at weekends, ITV often had a string of high-rating shows with not enough ad minutes to support them. He further claimed that this shortage had led to the axing of the popular Michael Parkinson chat show.

- Sony buys hit producer 2waytraffic for £114m

Sony Pictures Entertainment has completed the £114.3m purchase of 2waytraffic, the Dutch TV production company that has been behind a string of hit UK shows, including Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

- SC4 invests in Welsh language online TV

S4C, the Welsh-language broadcaster is investing in Inuk Networks, an internet TV company that is backed by Wales' first billionaire, Terry Matthews.

- Radio DAB veteran moves on

Quentin Howard, founder and chief executive of Digital One, the national DAB multiplex, is stepping down at the end of June.

He was instrumental in creating Digital One, the world's first commercial DAB service, 10 years ago.

- UTV unveils plans for £50m share issue

TalkSport owner UTV plans to raise almost £50m in a share issue ahead of expected worsening credit market conditions.

- Press Express profits soar

Express Newspapers has reported a six-fold increase in pre-tax profits for last year, which swelled to nearly £55m, according to accounts filed at Companies House. The owner of the Daily Express, Sunday Express and Daily Star national newspapers has reported a pre-tax profit of £54.8m, on turnover of more than £280m, in the year ending 31 December, 2007.

- UBM looks for £3bn merger with Informa

Talks are under way to create a £3bn media company through the merger of United Business Media and Informa. Informa admitted it had received an approach from UBM about a "possible all-share merger". The two companies each have a stock market value of around £1.5bn.

- INM report designed to deter O' Brien assault

Independent News & Media has moved to head off further attacks from shareholder Denis O'Brien ahead of this week's AGM.

It has published a consultant's report that it says demonstrates the company's solid corporate governance. O'Brien has called for major changes in the running of the firm.

- Sales slump follows Daily Sport relaunch

Daily Sport publisher Sport Media Group has deemed the relaunch of the newspaper "disappointing" and is commencing a strategic review of the business led by the acquisition of the publisher of the lads' magazine Front. The company said that, following the April relaunch of the Daily Sport, circulation had fallen by around 11% in May.

- Digital BBC1 goes live online

The BBC is to launch a live online feed of BBC1 - making it the first of the corporation's analogue TV channels to be simulcast on the web. The channel will be available as a live video stream via bbc.co.uk.

- Increased Vod content planned for iPlayer

The BBC intends to build on the success of the iPlayer by developing bbc.co.uk with more video-on-demand content and interactive forms of media. But the move will be subject to scrutiny by the BBC Trust, which has said it will not approve new investments until it is confident that improved management controls are in place.

- Five shortlists agencies for website relaunch

Five has created a roster of digital agencies ahead of the relaunch of its website and video-on-demand service. The agencies will lead the promotion of its developing online services over the next 12 months.

- Google tests financial services offering

Google is testing a new service in an effort to better compete with search aggregators and price comparison sites such as Moneysupermarket.com. The internet giant is currently testing Google Merchant Search in the UK for secured loans from financial service providers.

- Mirror chief outlines website makeover

Mirror Group is to overhaul its flagship website, mirror.co.uk to offer different online content from the print title. Richard Webb, managing director of Mirror Group, has given the Daily Mirror team reponsibility for changing online content within months.

- Havas partners with Yahoo's Right Media

Havas Digital, the interactive arm of Havas Media, has followed rival network WPP by partnering with Yahoo's online ad exchange, Right Media. The development involves Havas working with Right Media to develop a media trading platform for Havas clients.

NEWSMAKER - MALCOLM BLUEMEL

Millionaire rocker and radio fan Malcolm Bluemel is the newest player in UK radio. Planet Rock, GCap Media's national digital-only radio station, has been purchased for an undisclosed sum by a new company called Rock Show, backed by a group of seventies' rockers.

Bluemel has financed the deal, supported by Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, Thin Lizzy's Gary Moore and Marillion's Fish.

The deal marked one of the last acts by existing GCap Media management, before its £375m acquisition by Global Radio was formally completed last Friday

- Soundbite

"I intend to ask our new board to hire a talented and experienced CEO to replace Jerry Yang and return Jerry to his role as 'Chief Yahoo'."

Carl Icahn steps up his attack on Yahoo's board to persuade it to reopen merger talks with Microsoft.