Almost 12 million households in Britain now have access to the internet, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics. Results from the Expenditure and Food Survey issued this week show that there were 11.7 million online homes by the end of March 2003. This represents an increase of 1.2 million year… Continue reading UK Internet Penetration Approaches 50%
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One of the main challenges facing the newspaper industry if it is to arrest the trend of declining sales is to reach out to young people, many of whom are showing ambivalence to the printed word. Attracting and Retaining Young Readers, a new report from the World Association of Newspapers seeks to address the issue… Continue reading Rethink As Newspapers Strive To Attract Young Readers
Wi-fi has a long way to go to establish itself in the public consciousness, according to a new report from Parks Associates which found that fewer than 3% of US internet subscribers have used hot spots. Public Hot Spots: Moving Beyond Road Warriors examines the current state and future development of the WLAN market. It… Continue reading US Consumers Still Cold On Hot Spots
Nahed Ojjeh, the Syrian-born chess promoter, has increased her stake in Cordiant Communications to more than 10%, it was revealed last night. The crisis-torn advertising group has told the stock exchange that Mrs Ojjeh, the widow of a Saudi billionaire, had “built a stake in the company during the period 10 June 2003 to 4… Continue reading Mystery As Chess Queen Raises Cordiant Stake
Liberal democrat peer, Lord McNally has narrowly failed to enforce changes to the Communications Bill which would have prevented Rupert Murdoch from buying a UK terrestrial TV channel, such as Channel Five. Despite support from across the political divide, the proposed amendment (see Lib Dems May Scupper Communications Bill Compromise) was defeated by 167 votes… Continue reading Lords Fail to Carry “Murdoch Amendment”
Merrill Lynch has revised down its forecasts for the US newspaper industry due to weakness in a number of advertising sectors. Only last week, the broker expressed confidence that revenue growth for 2003 would be 2.9% (see US Newspaper Spend To Grow 3% In 2003, Says Merrill Lynch) but disappointing May results have forced its… Continue reading Broker Lowers US Newspaper Growth Forecasts
The inability to initiate professional business plans has been the main reason for the lack of success of many European pay-TV channels, says a new report. Some 150 channels across Europe have been forced to close in the last six years, costing investors more than £2 billion. Wasted investment in the UK alone is in… Continue reading Poor Business Plans To Blame For Pay-TV Failures
ITV needs to brace itself for a 3.3% fall in advertising revenues this year, according to new analysis of the commercial television sector from Lehman Brothers. Earlier this year, ITV companies were told to anticipate flat revenues for the full year to September (see ITV Advertising And Merger Outlook From Lehman Brothers) but the situation… Continue reading ITV Advertising Forecasts From Lehman Brothers
Capital Radio boss, David Mansfield, has moved to rule out a potential takeover by American-owned Clear Channel following the relaxation of the media ownership regulations. Lowry Mays, chief executive of Clear Channel, has made no secret of his intention to acquire a major UK radio group once the Communications Bill comes into force (see NewsLine)… Continue reading Capital Radio Chief Moves To Quash Clear Channel Takeover
Greg Dyke, director general of the BBC, has warned that the relaxation of the media ownership regulations could lead to the market being flooded with radio stations that are simply in the business of ”selling products” for advertisers. Speaking at this yearÂ’s annual Radio Festival in Birmingham, Dyke criticised the GovernmentÂ’s plans to allow just… Continue reading Dyke Warns Against Regulatory Free For All