The management of London creative agency WCRS has signed a deal to buy 75% of the business from its parent company, French advertising giant Havas (see WCRS Close To Finalising £20 Million Buyout From Havas). WCRS, which created the successful 1970s marathon runners campaign for 118 118, is held by Havas’ Arnold Worldwide Partners (AWP)… Continue reading WCRS Management Takes 75% Stake From Havas

Hollywood media mogul Haim Saban has teamed up with German publisher Axel Springer in his bid to take control of Hollinger International, the beleaguered newspaper group which owns the Daily and Sunday Telegraph. It is understood that the consortium secured backing from venture capitalist house Hellman & Friedman to table the first all-paper (rather than… Continue reading Saban And Springer Enter Hollinger Bid Battle

The UK’s market research industry saw total revenues rise by 3.9% to £1.2 billion in 2003, according to the British Market Research Association’s (BMRA) annual report. The survey, conducted on UK-based market research companies, reveals that domestic sales, which make up 79% of this market, were up by 6.8%. This reflects the general UK economic… Continue reading UK Market Research Grows 3.9% In 2003

Traditional television is not dead – at least not yet, according to a new report from Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM). With the 50th birthday of colour TV approaching, US-based CTAM conducted research to find out if there is any truth behind speculation ‘that traditional TV has had its day’. The report shows… Continue reading Traditional TV Is Not Dead Yet, Finds Survey

Only 78% of UK households are likely to have adopted digital television by the end of 2010 – the Government’s self-imposed deadline for the switch-off of the analogue signal. According to a new report from Ofcom, current market forces will not be enough to persuade all viewers to make the transition to DTV, after research… Continue reading Digital TV Take-Up Will Fall Short Of 2010 Deadline

After a very slow start, high definition television (HDTV) is set to reach 45 million households worldwide by 2008, says a new report by the technology analysts at InStat/MDR. Currently, just over 4 million households have HDTV television display technology. This offers life-like detail and impressive audio performance quality, similar to that of a compact… Continue reading HDTV Expected To Take Off By 2008

The Daily Telegraph saw its readership slump by 8.5% year on year to just under 2.2 million in the six months to February, in a development that could push the newspaper closer to launching a tabloid edition.Rumours have been circulating that the newspaper could be the third broadsheet to go tabloid with £8 million rumoured… Continue reading Readership Slump Could Fuel Tabloid Telegraph

Ask Jeeves, the UK’s third largest search engine, has announced plans to remove all banner advertising from its website in an attempt to improve user loyalty and satisfaction.Until recently banners were the most widely used advertising format on the Ask Jeeves website. However, the search engine claims they are turning users away and plans to… Continue reading Ask Jeeves Ditches Banners From UK Website

GWR’s sales house Opus has announced the creation of a dedicated brand partnerships team to forge stronger links between clients and programmers.The move will allow the company to incorporate the former local radio group sponsorship and promotions teams with immediate effect under the leadership of programmer, Lizzie Moran, former sponsorship and promotions controller.Each member of… Continue reading Opus Launches Dedicated Brand Partnerships Team

Internet search giants Yahoo! and Google have announced plans to drop advertisements for gambling and betting services from their websites in an attempt to curb their effects on underage users.It is understood that the move will initially only affect Yahoo and Google websites in the US, although it is expected that the ban will quickly… Continue reading Yahoo And Google To Drop Gambling Advertising