Mobile phone operator Vodafone has put back the launch of its 3G service by six months and will not now begin marketing its next-generation applications in the UK until the autumn of 2004. Back in 2000, Vodafone paid £5.9 billion to obtain a 3G license in the UK and was expected to have introduced a… Continue reading Vodafone Delays 3G Launch

BSkyB is launching a global search to find a new chief executive, amid fierce speculation that Rupert Murdoch intends to install his youngest son in the position. The satellite broadcaster’s nomination committee is understood to have called in head-hunters to draw up a list of potential candidates to replace Tony Ball, who announced on Tuesday… Continue reading BSkyB To Launch Global Search For New Chief Executive

Maiden Group, the UK outdoor advertising contractor, says it has seen first half revenue growth above company expectations, despite continued challenging economic and advertising conditions. Its first half results today showed a pre-tax loss of £1.9 million, down from the loss of £2.3 million in H1 2002, whilst group turnover rose by 6% to a… Continue reading Maiden Sees Better Visibility In Outdoor Sector

Capital Radio is expecting a 4% fall in like for like airtime advertising revenues for the year ending 30 October, despite a gradually improving environment. Meanwhile, rival radio company, GWR Group, says its Local Radio Group is trading strongly, whilst Classic FM revenues remain volatile. Capital’s airtime revenues were down by 6% in the quarter… Continue reading UK Radio Groups See Slight Improvement, But Revenues Down

The French media group Vivendi has announced a reduction in losses for the first six months of 2003 as it seeks to extricate itself from a severe debt crisis. The company said yesterday that net debt was down to €13.7 billion from more than €35 billion this time last year following the sale of a… Continue reading Vivendi On The Comeback Trail, Fourtou Targets Profit

The revival in the advertising economy is well and truly underway, with the US driving the upturn, and signs are that 2004 will be a good year for the industry. That was the essence of a speech by WPP supremo, Sir Martin Sorrell at a prominent gathering of media executives this week. The Lehman Media… Continue reading WPP To Prosper From Advertising Resurgence

The use of dial-up by European businesses is set to fall as they increasingly turn to high-speed, broadband platforms for their internet connection, according to a new report from IDC. IDC says that the number of business broadband connections in Western Europe Â- 2.8 million at the end of 2002 Â- will grow by 34%… Continue reading European Businesses Turn To Broadband

US technology publishing advertising page volumes declined by 12.4% during August, according to the latest trading figures from United Business Media (UBM). This is less weak than July’s figures, when page volumes dropped by 16.5% (see US Hi-Tech Publishing Ad Volumes Fall 17% In July). During August, UBM’s CMP Media division saw a drop of… Continue reading US Technology Publishing Ad Pages Drop 12% In August

Almost 1.7 billion person to person text messages were sent across the UK’s four GSM networks during August, according to the latest figures from the Mobile Data Association (MDA). The recent heatwave did little to prevent mobile phone users from turning to text and an average of 55 million SMS messages were sent each day… Continue reading Text Messaging Craze Hots Up During August

The UK display advertising market is expected to grow by just 1.0% this year, before heading into stronger growth over the next three years, according to the latest forecast from Merrill Lynch. The broker predicts that growth rates will rise to 3.5% next year and hit 4.5% for 2005 and 2006. The Advertising Association in… Continue reading UK Ad Revenue Forecasts From Merrill Lynch