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BSkyB is understood to be joining forces with Telecommunications Inc to bid for Channel 5. The consortium could also include Granada and Yorkshire-Tyne Tees Television.

Pearson reported pre-tax profits of £297.8m for the year to December 31 1994, including a one-off £57.6m earning from BSkyB, in which Pearson holds a 14 per cent stake.

Ulster TV says advertising and sponsorship revenue rose 13 per cent for the year to December 31 1994. Pre-tax profits increased from £5.1m to £7.5m in the same period.

The Ideal Media Company has picked up £750,000 of Ruddles media business previously handled by Pattison Horswell Durden. A new ad push is being developed by Bainsfair Sharkey Trott.

Viva! 963 has appointed BBC Radio Kent managing editor Chris Burns as programme controller.

The Radio Authority has amended its advertising code to allow pools companies to advertise on commercial radio.

Teletext is to develop Travel Text – a new text service for Landmark Travel Channel.

MTV Europe has struck a new advertising and sponsorship deal with Motorola, which will sponsor its Most Wanted show.

Only 14 per cent of the population admit changing their newspaper habits because of the price war. As few as five per cent buy newspapers more regularly because of price, according to CIA MediaLab.

Fininvest, owned by Italian media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi, has invited media companies to become minority partners in its Italian TV interests. This will eventually leave Berlusconi with less than 50 per cent of his media empire.

Thomson Regional Newspapers has appointed Chris Stanley, former regional media manager at Zenith, as national ad sales director.

Samsonite, the US luggage company, has appointed Optimedia International to handle its £3.1m media buying and planning account.

Granada Television chief executive Charles Allen urged Government to be cautious in easing cross-media ownership restrictions at a seminar in London on Monday (Torin Douglas, page 19).