Advertising revenues at the Telegraph Group dropped by almost 12% in the second quarter as the downturn in the recruitment sector persisted. The group, which publishes the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph said that operating profits were down by £2.1 million to £76.2 million in the three months to June. The two titles saw… Continue reading Ad Revenues Plummet At The Telegraph

Publicis has acquired WPP’s 25% stake in ZenithOptimedia for $75 million, thus securing full control of the media buying agency. A deal had long been on the cards as Cordiant Communications, which is now owned by WPP, had a put option to sell its holding to Publicis in January 2004 (see Market Downturn Takes Toll… Continue reading WPP Sells Zenith Stake To Publicis

Global sales of camera phones are set to rise to more than 50 million by the end of 2003, according to a new study from analyst firm ARC Group. The report, Future Mobile Handsets 2003-2008 claims that existing mobile phone users will drive growth as they trade in their current handsets for new feature-rich models.… Continue reading Camera Phone Sales To Double In 2003

Despite their growing numbers, most people in the UK are still unfamiliar with the function of wireless hotspots, according to a recent survey. A poll carried out by Mori on behalf of Packard Bell found that just 29% of home PC users were aware that wi-fi hotspots were places where people can connect to the… Continue reading Brits Still Nonplussed By Wi-Fi

The availability of video on-demand (VOD) services on cable television platforms is rapidly increasing in the US, with around 40% of operators already offering some VOD content, according to new research from InStat/MDR. The report says that as of mid-2003, almost 4 million cable TV subscribers were regularly using the service to watch films, packaged… Continue reading Video On-Demand Gathering Pace, Says InStat

Hollinger International, the US-based publisher of the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph, has issued a profits warning. The costs of a special investigation into executive payments are being blamed for a prospective shortfall of 17%. In a US regulatory filing, Hollinger said that operational income for the full year would be in the $54… Continue reading Financial Probe Impacts On Hollinger Profits

The number of Britons using online banking services is set to hit 11.5 million by the end of the year, according to a new report from Datamonitor. The number of online bankers has almost doubled since the height of the dotcom boom in 2000 when they numbered 5.6 million. Moreover, traffic to online banking sites… Continue reading Britons Cash In On Online Banking

Because of a growing need to connect remote and mobile workers, medium-sized firms in the US have increased their outlay on telecom services and equipment and total spending is predicted to exceed $20 billion this year. A new report from In-Stat/MDR claims that mid-market companies, namely those with 100-999 employees, are looking to the future… Continue reading Medium-Sized Companies Raise Telecom Budgets

The second half of 2003 promises to be as difficult for ITV as the first, with the increase in audience numbers failing to halt a slide in revenues. The network also faces mounting competition from terrestrial and multichannel rivals and hopes are being pinned on the proposed merger of Carlton and Granada to deliver a… Continue reading INSIGHTanalysis: ITV Treads Water In Difficult Seas

WPP is expected to announce a fall in profits for the first half of 2003, when it issues interim results this week, but there is growing confidence that the advertising industry is emerging from recession. According to a report in The Observer, WPP’s chief executive Martin Sorrell does not foresee any recovery until late-2004 but… Continue reading WPP Puts Faith In The Future