Richard Desmond, owner of the Express Newspaper Group, has sold off his soft porn titles for an estimated £20 million in an attempt to improve his chances of buying the Daily Telegraph.It is understood that Desmond feared his ownership of magazines such as Asian Babes and Big Ones might work against him if media regulators… Continue reading Desmond Pawns Adult Magazines For Telegraph Bid

Centaur Communications is expected to be floated on AIM next week following its sale to Numis Securities. A holding company, Centaur Holdings, set up by Numis, has entered into a sale and purchase agreement to buy the B2B publisher, which includes The Lawyer and Marketing Week in its portfolio, for £145m.It plans to float the… Continue reading Centaur To Float On Junior Share Market Next Week

The Barclay brothers are understood to be putting together a new deal to buy the Telegraph titles, which could include finding a private equity partner to launch a bid for all the assets of Hollinger International.The reclusive media moguls were forced to rethink their options last week after a US court scuppered the £260 million… Continue reading Barclays Seek Equity Partner For Hollinger Bid

MediaCom was the most successful individual media buying agency in terms of billings during 2003, according to the latest league table published by Nielsen Media Research.The Grey Global-owned agency rose from third place in the previous year’s rankings, overtaking ZenithOptimedia and Carat to take the top spot with an 11% increase in billings to almost… Continue reading MediaCom Comes Out Top In Terms Of Billings

The Financial Times posted a loss of £32m during 2003, as advertising revenues slumped 15% and sales continued to fall. A cost-cutting programme across the business daily has failed to stem losses, which were £9m higher than in 2002, according to the full-year results of its parent company Pearson released today.The company blamed a “savage… Continue reading Losses Widen At FT And The Outlook Remains Uncertain

Centaur Communications is expected to be floated on AIM next week following its sale to Numis Securities. A holding company, Centaur Holdings, set up by Numis, has entered into a sale and purchase agreement to buy the B2B publisher, which includes The Lawyer and Marketing Week in its portfolio, for £145m. It plans to float… Continue reading Centaur To Float On AIM Next Week

The Barclay brothers are understood to be putting together a new deal to buy the Telegraph titles, which could include finding a private equity partner to launch a bid for all the assets of Hollinger International. The reclusive media moguls were forced to rethink their options last week after a US court scuppered the £260… Continue reading Barclays Seek Equity Partner For Hollinger Bid

The Financial Times posted a loss of £32 million during 2003, as advertising revenues slumped 15% and sales continued to fall. A cost-cutting programme across the business daily has failed to stem losses, which were £9 million higher than in 2002, according to the full-year results of its parent company Pearson released today. The company… Continue reading Losses Widen At FT And Outlook Remains ‘Uncertain’

Half of the world’s population – four billion people – will have mobile technology by 2015, and mobile data services will make up an increasingly large share of the mobile market, the industry’s leading player has predicted. Jorma Ollila, chairman and chief executive of Nokia, told the 3GSM World Congress last week that he expects… Continue reading Half Of The World’s Population Will Be Mobile, Says Nokia Chief

WPP chief executive, Sir Martin Sorrell, has indicated that an end to the worst advertising downturn in memory is in sight as the company posts a solid 18% increase in pre-tax profit to more than £473 million for 2003.The global advertising and marketing network, which owns J Walter Thompson, Ogilvy & Mather and Young &… Continue reading WPP Takes Bullish Stance As Pre-Tax Profits Rise