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British Sky Broadcasting has announced a fall in pre-tax profits

from pounds 61.6 million to pounds 52 million for the three months to

the end of September.

However, the company announced that more than 100,000 subscribers had

already signed up for Sky Digital - including 30,000 who do not

currently subscribe to Sky analogue - and 65,000 digital sets have now

been installed.

The contract magazine publisher, Brave New Words, has claimed a first in

UK magazine publishing with a holographic front cover picture on its

Cadbury Schweppes publication, the Essence, which is sent to bottling

partners worldwide. Adam Bains, the managing director of Brave New

Words, said: ’Schweppes is making a massive investment in sponsoring the

McLaren Formula One Team and it briefed us to capture the excitement of

Formula One on the front cover.’

Attic Futura this week launched Star Pets, a title aimed at girls aged 8

to 14 who love animals and are interested in pop and TV celebrities.

According to the launch publisher, Mary McGovern: ’It will fill the gap

in the growing children’s and teenage market, which currently includes

Big Time, Girl Talk and TV Hits.’ Star Pets will have an initial print

run of 150,000 and a cover price of pounds 1.50. It plans to go monthly

from January.

In its 14 November issue, TV Times will contain an ad-page scent strip,

which allows readers to peel back a sticker to release the scent of

Lever Brothers’ Comfort Vitality Tumble Dryer Sheets. It is the first

time a scent strip has been inserted during a magazine print run.

Annette Burns has been poached from Emap Elan to be Dennis Publishing’s

group sales director for its consumer division. She will be responsible

for the ad sales teams of Maxim, Auto Express, Stuff, Hi-Fi Choice, Home

Entertainment and Metal Hammer.

Poster Publicity International has set up a research division focusing

on airport advertising. The operation has launched two research

projects, the first to monitor the effectiveness of airport campaigns,

the second to monitor competitors’ advertising activity at airports

around the world.

Gruner & Jahr is testing the health and fitness market with a one-off

title called Vital, which will go monthly if sales reach 150,000 by the

end of this year. The magazine will have an initial print run of 225,000

and is positioned between Top Sante, Marie Claire Health & Beauty and

Zest. Vital will provide a practical guide to health, beauty and fitness

and is edited by Helena Jaworski-Lang, the former deputy editor of

Options.

Celebrating its tenth birthday, New Woman has struck an advertising deal

with the Italian sparkling wine brand, Martini Brut, to produce an

eight-page gatefold cover promoting Martini. The December issue has a

pullout cover which shows a male model stripped naked in a series of

provocative poses. In the last pose he is shown using a bottle of

Martini Brut to save his modesty. The deal includes a competition offer

of pounds 500 worth of Brut for 20 winners .

Talk Radio has signed two sponsorship deals with Welcome Break and

Nutricia’s Cow & Gate. The station’s Eyewitness Travel bulletins will be

sponsored by the motorway service chain for six months, and Cow & Gate

will sponsor a new series of the Lorraine Kelly-hosted show, Having a

Baby.

The Tate Gallery is launching a pounds 100,000 advertising campaign in

support of its new exhibition of portraits by John Singer Sargent. The

media schedule has been planned and bought by Total Media, and the

campaign includes cross-track 16-sheets in central London and ads in the

national press.