Campaign

22 July 2005

ntl to pool 30m business into Rapier ahead of merger

ntl is set to consolidate its £30 million integrated advertising and direct marketing account into Telewest's agency, Rapier, as the two cable companies move towards their long-awaited merger.

Rapier already handles the direct and print advertising accounts for ntl's cable rival Telewest. The agency has now moved into advanced negotiations with ntl and confirmation of its appointment is imminent.

The appointment will reunite Rapier with ntl after a three-year split, during which time it started working on Telewest's consumer business.

Rapier was axed following ntl's debt restructuring. However, the impending merger of the two cable companies means the agency can handle both accounts concurrently.

Rapier will provide creative and strategic solutions focusing on customer acquisition and cross-selling ntl's products to subscribers. Its first task will be a major autumn push for ntl's triple-play offer of telephony, digital TV and video-on-demand.

"We are excited at the prospect of working together again, particularly at a time when its offering is so strong versus its competitors," the chief executive of Rapier, Jonathan Stead, said.

The merger between ntl and Telewest, which would allow them to combine to compete better against BSkyB, has long been speculated upon.

However, with growing speculation that Telewest is selling its TV content division, Flextech, the merger is now thought to be imminent.

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