ITV giants Carlton and Granada are bracing themselves for the long awaited verdict of Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, on their proposed merger. The two companies announced their intention to join forces last autumn (see Carlton And Granada Enter Advanced Merger Talks) and believe that the move will enable them to… Continue reading Carlton & Granada Await Merger Decision

The list of bidders for Trinity Mirror’s Irish newspapers has been reduced to four, with Independent News & Media sidelined, according to press reports today. Last month, IN&M made an offer for eight of the titles, which were put up for sale in July (see Trinity Mirror Review Sheds NI Titles, Retains Nationals). The publishing… Continue reading Suitors Line Up For Trinity’s Irish Titles

Practically half of all consumers of online paid content come from households headed by a person aged between 25 and 44. A new report concludes that buyers of paid content tend to be younger, more upscale and from smaller households than the overall internet audience. In the second of two studies focusing on US spending… Continue reading Young Affluent Households Drive Online Content Revenues

The upturn in US radio advertising has been less pronounced than expected forcing media companies and analysts to rein in forecasts but the outlook is for steady, if not spectacular growth, moving into 2004. Total revenues are up 3% in the year to date but local advertising continues to lag behind national advertising in most… Continue reading US Radio Advertising Remains Subdued

Mobile access to the internet has trebled in the last 12 months according to the latest figures from the Mobile Data Association (MDA). It is calculated that 884 million page impressions were made across the four major GSM network operators in August, a daily average to 28.5 million, compared to just 9 million per day… Continue reading Mobile Internet Access Trebles

BSkyB’s new deal with the Premier League could be in jeopardy after the European Commission said that it had serious reservations about the way that the football rights had been distributed. In August, the broadcaster agreed to pay £1.024 billion for all four packages of live Premiership rights available for three seasons from 2004-05 onwards… Continue reading EU Decries Sky’s Football ‘Monopoly’

Seven-in-ten advertising leaders reckon that the industry is recovering but only a small proportion foresee marked growth in the near future, according to a recent survey from the American Advertising Federation (AAF). The poll of prominent figures in the US advertising industry found that a clear majority thought that a revival was underway. However, only… Continue reading US Ad Chiefs Cautious On Recovery Prospects

The number of UK homes with access to the internet has increased by a million over the past year, according to new figures from the Office of National Statistics. The latest Expenditure and Food Survey shows that there were 12 million online households at the end of June, up from 11 million a year earlier.… Continue reading Twelve Million UK Households Now Online

Spending on online content in the US increased by 23% to $748 million in the first two quarters of 2003 as the market showed signs of maturing. Further growth is anticipated as broadband spreads its wings and a whole new raft of paid-for services become available. US consumers spent around $1.3 billion on online content… Continue reading Online Content Finding Its Audience

BSkyB has announced that it has hit its target of seven million pay-TV subscribers three months earlier than foreseen. On the fifth anniversary of the Sky Digital service (see BSkyB Set To Celebrate Seven Million Subscribers), Rupert Murdoch’s satellite broadcaster said that as of September 30 it has 7,015,000 subscribers in the UK and Ireland.… Continue reading BSkyB Reaches Subscriber Target Ahead Of Schedule