Thinkbox

Thinkbox is the marketing body for the main UK commercial TV broadcasters – Channel 4, ITV, Sky Media, and Turner Media Innovations. UKTV joined Thinkbox in January 2011.

Thinkbox was launched in February 2005 with a consortium consisting of eight companies, and was initially run as a virtual organisation. In 2006 the group changed direction, hiring Tess Alps as the CEO and undergoing significant internal changes, including the loss of one of the original eight companies involved in creating the organisation. Five left the organisation at the end of 2010.

Thinkbox's activities include supporting research into aspects of marketing using television, supporting various television marketing awards (including their regular Thinkboxes), running a series of events and training programs, and providing information to marketers about television advertising.

Thinkbox was founded in February 2005, by a consortium of eight media companies: Channel 4, Five, GMTV, Sky Media, IDS, ITV, Turner Media Innovations, Viacom Brand Solutions. Thinkbox's budget was set by charging a flat fee to each of the eight member organisations and an additional variable rate tied to their share of the TV advertising market, the new body was developed to improve sales of television advertising. Nevertheless, the member organisations were expected to continue to compete for advertising, and they retained their existing sales departments.

Structurally, Thinkbox began as a virtual organisation, lacking both a dedicated executive body and physical headquarters. Instead of a dedicated executive, the staff working on the project were overseen by a committee consisting of representatives of each of the eight member organisations, and Thinkbox was initially chaired by ITV's Justin Sampson. However, this structure – particularly the lack of an executive body – was met with a degree of criticism from both inside and outside the organisation.