News that Chris Tarrant is to leave Capital Radio does not seem to have had an undue effect on the station’s stock with City fears calmed by the prospective arrival of Johnny Vaughan to present the 95.8 FM breakfast show (see Capital Confirms Tarrant Is To Leave Breakfast Show). Tarrant has been regarded as a… Continue reading Capital Holds Up Despite DJ Departure

Weak local markets and waning optimism regarding the extent of the recovery have induced Merrill Lynch to lower its advertising predictions for 2003 and 2004. Newspaper advertising has not bounced back as quickly as hoped and radio revenue forecasts have also been cut to reflect shifting demand. At the start of the year, Merrill analysts… Continue reading Top Broker Trims Advertising Forecasts, Blames Local Ads

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

Analogue switch-off, the impact of personal video recorders and the increasingly complex task of audience measurement are just some of the issues due for debate at this year’s European Television Symposium, which will take place in Prague next month. The two day event entitled ‘The Race To Analogue Switch Off’ will focus on the growth… Continue reading Television Conference To Tackle Analogue Switch-Off

This Wednesday marks the fifth anniversary of Sky Digital and BSkyB is expected to announce that it is has reached the landmark figure of seven million subscribers. The satellite broadcaster had earmarked the end of 2003 as the point at which the target should be achieved. However, 133,000 new subscribers were added in the three… Continue reading BSkyB Set To Celebrate Seven Million Subscribers

Capital Radio has confirmed that Chris Tarrant is to leave his job as presenter of the group’s flagship weekday breakfast show after seventeen years. Tarrant’s departure will come as little surprise to some in the industry as his current contract expires in December. He will be replaced by former Big Breakfast presenter, Johnnny Vaughan, who… Continue reading Capital Confirms Tarrant Is To Leave Breakfast Show

The outlook is improving for the majority of communications agencies which are now more optimistic about the business climate than they were three months ago, according to new research published today. The first Agency Barometer survey from the recently established Communications Agencies Federation shows that almost a third of agencies reported that communications budgets committed… Continue reading Outlook Improves For Communications Agencies

The number of children using the internet in the UK has increased by almost 60% over the last twelve months to almost 5 million, according to the latest research from Nielsen//NetRatings. The study shows that Britain has more under eighteens using the internet than any other European country, suggesting that brands wishing to target the… Continue reading Internet Usage Soars Amongst UK Under-18s

Camera phones outsold standard digital cameras for the first time in the opening half of 2003 and the holiday season should see a ramp-up in demand for these devices, according to Strategy Analytics. The research firm claims that global sales of mobile phones with embedded cameras climbed to 25 million units in the first six… Continue reading Camera Phones Outselling Digital Cameras

Multichannel television is now received in virtually half of all UK TV homes, according to the latest figures from the Independent Television Commission (ITC). The percentage of homes receiving any kind of multichannel TV – analogue or digital – rose from 48.6% to 49.8% quarter on quarter, in the three months to 30 June 2003.… Continue reading INSIGHTanalysis: Multichannel TV Reaches Half Of UK Homes