GMTV is launching a web service this week to update site users who have been alienated by spam and malware.

As part of plans to encourage participation in online promotions, the broadcaster has developed a client program for its viewers that sends desktop alerts when new content is available.

GMTV already uses email newsletters, but the growth of spam is causing problems, according to Gareth Herincx, the channel’s new media editor.

“It is becoming more difficult to rely on email, largely because of over-aggressive filtering systems,” he said.

“More spam is getting through, and it has the effect of diluting everything else in the inbox.

“The web application will not completely replace newsletters, but it will complement them and offer a subtle way of notifying people,” he said.

Research cited by GMTV suggests an average of 90 per cent of direct desktop alerts are successfully delivered, and nine out of 10 of users click through to the advertised content. By contrast, email typically manages a 70 per cent delivery rate, with a click-through rate of 20 per cent.

Exploring new means of communication is vital to create a regular user community for a web site, according to Herincx.

“It is not just broadcasters who face the problem, every site owner has to think about new ways to communicate,” he said.

GMTV's alert system is provided by elertz.