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BBC1 gained the three highest audiences on Christmas Day, but ITV claims victory in the ratings battle for Christmas week with a 40.6 per cent peaktime share of viewing. This means ITV won the ratings battle every week in peaktime last year, ITV Network Centre said this week…

… ITV launches a Monday night movie season on January 9, which will include premieres of FX2 and Deceived, as well as the films Pretty Woman, Lethal Weapon 2 and Die Hard.

Going Places is to sponsor GMTV’s weather reports in a combined sponsorship and airtime package worth £500,000 negotiated by Zenith Media and sponsorship specialist SPP.

Tim Pinnegar, the Leo Burnett group media director, is leaving the London agency to become regional media director for Leo Burnett in Asia.

The Daily Telegraph’s former owners, the Berry family, are to sell most of their remaining interest in the paper to Hollinger, the Telegraph holding company controlled by Conrad Black.

Channel 4 and BT have commissioned new research into direct response advertising, taking forward their research which was conducted last year and published at a one-day conference on DRTV. A second seminar is planned for this summer.

Cartoon Network gained its highest audience in the run up to Christmas when 238,000 individuals – 30 per cent of which were adults – tuned into The Flintstones, according to BARB.

Chiltern Radio Network is seeking a new group sales director following the resignation before Christmas of John Sanderson.

Leo Burnett has booked the largest bus campaign in the UK for McDonald’s. It breaks on Friday.

EMAP is forming a joint venture company with the government agency, the Building Research Establishment, to publish the BRE’s existing architectural and construction titles.

IPC publisher of Essentials and Woman and Home Jackie Newcombe has replaced Chris Boyd as publishing director of all women’s weeklies.

The BBC has brought forward the US cable TV launch of its joint international news channel,

BBC World.