The prospect of a merger between ITV partners Carlton and Granada has been thrown into turmoil by reports that regulators have rejected the groups’ key proposals to save the deal. According to the Observer, the Competition Commission have thrown out two plans which would have enabled the companies to keep at least one advertising sales… Continue reading ITV Merger In Jeopardy As Remedies Are Rejected

Sly Bailey, chief executive of Trinity Mirror, has apparently ruled out the demerger of the company’s national and regional newspapers but is expected to announce shortly a thorough cost-cutting programme. According to a report in the Mail on Sunday, Bailey, who has carried out a strategic review, is planning to slash overheads and cut between… Continue reading Bailey Seeks To Cut Costs At Trinity Mirror

In a widely anticipated move, Cordiant Communications has agreed the sale of its City PR firm Financial Dynamics International in a deal worth £26 million. The transaction represents the final stage of Cordiant’s disposal programme intended to cut debt. The group has already concluded deals to sell its Australian assets (see Cordiant Completes Sale Of… Continue reading Cordiant Sells PR Subsidiary For £26 Million

The global CRM market is expected to total almost $18 billion by 2006, according to a new report by the Aberdeen Group. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a concept used to learn more about customers’ needs and behaviors in order to improve relationships with them. Aberdeen believes that various innovations are set to bring about… Continue reading CRM Spending To Grow 30% By 2006, Says Report

Ipsos-RSL last week issued Europe 2003, its fourth annual report on the lives of the continent’s elite residents. The survey of Europeans in the top 4% bracket is carried out for media planning purposes to ascertain the media consumption and lifestyle of more than 10 million affluent consumers. To qualify, respondents must be at least… Continue reading Media Habits Of Movers And Shakers Under Scrutiny

This week sees The Rural and Regional Broadband Conference organised by the The Access to Broadband Campaign (ABC) which seeks to find out how high-speed internet services can be made accessible and affordable for all members of British society. The UK government remains committed to the objective of making the UK the leading broadband market… Continue reading UK Conference To Debate Broadband Divide

The battle for control of Cordiant Communications has taken a bizarre new twist after it was revealed that a Syrian billionairess is the independent investor who recently purchased a 2% stake in the troubled advertising group (see Active Value And Unknown Investor Buy Cordiant Shares). Nahed Ojjeh is better known as a patron in the… Continue reading Endgame No Clearer As Chess Fan Makes Move On Cordiant

John Malone’s Liberty Media has agreed to pay $7.9 million for full control of the shopping channel QVC raising doubts about the company’s ability to make a competitive bid for the US entertainment assets of Vivendi Universal. Earlier this year Liberty, which already has a 42% stake in QVC, triggered a clause in its deal… Continue reading Liberty Buys Partner’s Stake In QVC

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has stepped up its fight against spam with the launch of a new set of guidelines designed to help consumers reduce the amount of unsolicited commercial emails they receive. The guidelines have been issued in response to the growing problem of spam, which now accounts for around 40% of global… Continue reading UK Authorities Take Measures To Can Spam

US online retail sales increased by 15% year on year in the second quarter of 2003, according to BizRate. Mediapost reports figures from the shopping comparison site which show that online retail expenditure rose from $10 billion in Q2 2002 to $11.6 billion in Q2 2003. Growth has therefore slowed since the same time last… Continue reading Online Retail Sales Grow In Q2