Bowley named as Digital Cinema Media director

Martin Bowley, the former Carlton Sales chief executive, has been appointed as managing director of sales house Digital Cinema Media.

Bowley will take over the newly created role on February 1 and will work alongside acting chief executive Debbie Chalet. She joined after the sale of the business to DCM, a company formed by Odeon Cinema and Cineworld Group, for £500,000.

DCM rebranded from Carlton Screen Advertising in July this year after being sold by ITV. It was owned by Carlton when the ITV region merged with rival Granada in 2003. The move led to Bowley’s departure (MW November 3, 2003).

Bowley has been linked with a number of high-profile jobs since his departure from Carlton, including the RadioCentre chief executive role later taken by Andrew Harrison.

Bowley is currently Europe, Middle East and Africa managing director of mobile entertainment company PlayPhone. He was previously chief operating officer of the mobile company Pitch Entertainment Group and also co-launched a content venture with Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy called Amplified, before moving to the recruitment company Kendall Tarrant.

He joined Carlton in 1992 and was part of a management buy-out of sales in 2002. The plans did not go ahead and he lost out to Graham Duff, his counterpart at Granada Enterprises, for the top sales role after the Carlton/Granada merger.

ITV’s decision to sell CSA was part of a move to rid itself of non-core assets such as its stakes in the football clubs Liverpool FC and Arsenal.

DCM, the UK’s biggest cinema advertiser, has a market share of more than 60% including deals with Odeon, Cineworld, Empire, Showcase and Picturehouse circuits.