David Elstein’s potential bid for ITV has been boosted by reports he has received tentative backing from US entertainment giant Hallmark. According to reports, Elstein has set up camp in Hallmark’s London offices to thrash out an alternative management plan for ITV, as Carlton and Granada remain on the cusp of a merger decision from… Continue reading Elstein’s ITV Bid Boosted By Hallmark Link

Independent News & Media is investigating ways in which it can satisfy the competition authorities should the company be successful in acquiring the Irish titles of Trinity Mirror. According to The Guardian, executives at INM are talking to a number of leading business figures in Northern Ireland about making a joint bid for the newspapers,… Continue reading O’Reilly To Compromise In Bid For Trinity Titles

The emergence of the internet has had a profound effect on the consumption of other media over the last five years, with its powerful combination of speed, wealth of material and a facility for customisation, proving very attractive to users. Forrester Research has been tracking the effect of technology on consumers’ lives since 1998 and… Continue reading Internet Brings Huge Changes In Traditional Media Consumption

New research from Parks Associates suggests that the death of the compact disc may have been exaggerated as only a small proportion of digital music enthusiasts have MP3 players. A recent study from Forrester Research found that one in five Americans engage in music downloading and half of these admitted to buying fewer CDs (see… Continue reading Digital Music Revolution Yet To Take Hold, Says Report

Total US magazine advertising revenues rose by 8.9% year on year in August, closing at $1.2 billion, according to the latest figures from the Publishers Information Bureau (PIB). However, the number of advertising pages was down 2.9% at 14,295. In the year to date, advertising revenue closed at $10.9 billion, an increase of 9.6% while… Continue reading US Magazine Revenues Maintain Growth In August

Doug Flynn, chief executive of media buying group, Aegis, claims the outcome of the investigation into the proposed £4 billion merger of Carlton and Granada is irrelevant because the creation of a single ITV is a near certainty. According to reports in today’s press, Flynn expects Trade and Industry Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, to approve the… Continue reading Aegis Chief Claims ITV Merger Remedies Are Irrelevant

Advertising revenues at Independent News & Media (INM), the group which owns the Independent newspaper, rose by 6.8% during the first half of the year, buoyed by a strong performance in its southern hemisphere operations. INM has businesses in five primary markets – Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK. Turnover across these… Continue reading INM Boosted By Strong Southern Hemisphere Figures

Global advertising network Publicis Groupe has posted an 18% rise in first half net profits, as revenues were pushed up by 59% following the acquisition of Bcom3 Group in September last year (see Publicis Confirms BCom3 Merger Details). Publicis describes the first half figures as ‘excellent’ and is looking to build on this performance in… Continue reading Publicis Bullish As Profits Jump 18% In First Half

Andrew Flanagan, chief executive of SMG, said that he remains cautious about advertising conditions moving into the second half of the year, despite there being some signs of gradual improvement beginning in the autumn. Announcing SMG’s first half financial results today, Flanagan said that the early part of the summer months remained weak in advertising… Continue reading SMG Remains Cautious On Advertising Upturn

The internet actually impacts more spending offline than online, according to a survey from The Dieringer Research Group. The American Interactive Consumer Survey found that in the previous twelve months, consumers spent a total of $93.1 billion on direct online purchases. However, spending on goods and services purchased offline on the basis of online research… Continue reading Internet-Influenced Offline Spending 50% Higher Than Online Spending