A US federal court yesterday moved to block controversial new media ownership rules put forward by the Federal Commissions Commission (FCC). Under current rules, media firms are allowed to reach up to 35% of the national television audience through local TV station ownership. In June, the FCC’s commissioners voted 3-2 in favour of raising the… Continue reading Court Delays New FCC Ownership Rules
ARCHIVE ▸ The Media Leader Staff
Even in times of economic uncertainty, young people are enthusiastic shoppers and therefore remain a prime market for advertisers, judging from a new survey by Harris Interactive. The YouthPulse study analysed the income, spending and savings habits of young Americans in the 8-21 age range, the so-called Generation Y. It deduced that while the economic… Continue reading Generation Y Looks To Carry On Spending
The wireless industry continued its revival in the second quarter with worldwide shipments of mobile phones rising by 12% year on year to 114.9 million, according to new figures from Gartner Dataquest. The research firm said that sales were encouraging in all markets with total shipments up by 2% on the first quarter (see Record… Continue reading Mobile Phone Sales Climb Again
The Television Bureau of Advertising holds its annual autumn forecasting conference in New York today at a time when there are encouraging signs of growth in the spot TV market. Comparisons with 2002 were expected to be difficult because of the boost given to US TV revenues by the Winter Olympics and the political season.… Continue reading Advertisers Switching Back To Spot TV
Pan-European broadcaster RTL has reported a 40% increase in profits for the first six months of 2003 amid growing optimism about the state of the advertising economy. The Bertelsmann-owned group saw its share of audience and adspend rise in Germany, where the market appears to have bottomed out. There are also encouraging signs in other… Continue reading Positive First Half For RTL And Five
Vivendi Universal has entered exclusive negotiations with General Electric aimed at merging its entertainment assets with those of US television network NBC. Any deal would result in the creation of NBC Universal, the world’s sixth-largest media group, valued at more than $40 billion. The company will encompass the national, local and cable stations of NBC… Continue reading Vivendi-NBC Merger In The Offing
BT and Yahoo! have formally launched their new high-speed internet service, BT Yahoo! Broadband. The co-branded offering, which became available yesterday, is designed to be the UK’s most advanced broadband internet product, combining high-quality access with a range of content and services for £29.99 per month. BT announced the joint venture with Yahoo! back in… Continue reading BT & Yahoo! Launch New Broadband Product
The recording industry is yet to accommodate the concept of paid-for downloading but this will change, thereby sounding the death knell for physical music media, says a new study from Forrester Research. It is claimed that 20% of Americans engage in track downloading and half of these admit to buying fewer CDs. As a result,… Continue reading Legal Downloading To Drive Out CDs And DVDs
Europe’s largest broadcaster has suggested that the worst of the advertising recession is over and there is cautious enthusiasm about prospects for growth. RTL Group, which owns 45 television and radio stations across the continent, issued first half results on Wednesday which showed significant gains in earnings (see Positive First Half For RTL And Five).… Continue reading RTL Sees Signs Of Improving Ad Economy
David Palmer, the former group chief executive of the Financial Times, has emerged as a bidder for the Irish newspapers owned by Trinity Mirror. According to The Times, Palmer has joined forces with the private equity firm HgCapital and held talks with Trinity and its adviser UBS as recently as last week. The Irish titles,… Continue reading Palmer Casts Eye Over Trinity’s Irish Titles