Digital terrestrial TV service, Freeview, is helping to convert more and more people from analogue to digital, with new figures showing that the service is now available in 1.6 million households. Research commissioned by the BBC and Dixons shows that Freeview has sold over 800,000 adapters since its launch in October, bringing the total number… Continue reading Freeview Hits 1.6m Box Sales

Ailing advertising group, Cordiant Communications, is to make another disposal of its non-core assets in an attempt to lighten the load of a £200 million debt burden, ahead of a likely sale of the group (see Cordiant Committed To Buyout Strategy). It is to sell its 77.3% stake in German advertising and marketing company, Scholz… Continue reading Cordiant Offloads Scholz As WPP Moves In

There could be a fresh twist in the ongoing ITV merger saga with stories emerging over the weekend indicating a takeover attempt for both Carlton Communications and Granada. According to a report in the Sunday Times, the US billionaire Haim Saban and the private equity group Apax Partners have a well-advanced plan to buy into… Continue reading US Investor Linked With ITV Acquisition

There is a broadly positive sentiment coming from companies in the media and advertising industry, with US groups remaining more bullish than the Europeans, according to Merrill Lynch‘s TMT Conference, held in London last week. European companies remain relatively upbeat, despite the fairly depressed conditions here. The broker says that declines in most areas appear… Continue reading Media Conference Finds Upbeat Sentiment

The UK Government has warned publishers that a significant number of magazines and websites will face tough competition as a result of electronic advances in the public sector. The current administration is committed to ensuring that all Government services are available online by 2005. This is likely to have ramifications in a range of areas,… Continue reading EGovernment Strategies Pose A Threat To Publishers

Global newspaper circulation witnessed its first decline in five years during 2002, down slightly by 0.4% on 2001, according to the World Press Trends report just published by the World Association Of Newspapers (WAN). The downturn in the global economy after a number of boom years has taken its toll on the newspaper industry, with… Continue reading Global Newspaper Sales Dip For First Time In Five Years

Carlton and Granada have reportedly proposed directly linking advertising rates with audience figures in an attempt to save their planned £2.7 billion merger. According to reports in The Times, the offer is part of a final round of trading between the ITV companies and the Competition Commission in a last ditch attempt to gain approval… Continue reading ITV May Link Advertising Rates To Audience Figures

Conditions in the first five months of this year have led Don Cruickshank, chairman of SMG, to be cautious about the remainder of the media group’s year, according to the company’s AGM today. Cruickshank told the meeting that a recovery which began in the second half of last year, began to stall in the early… Continue reading SMG Sees No Material Advertising Recovery Until 2004

While ITV powerhouses Carlton and Granada remain embroiled in a protracted struggle to save their merger plan (see ITV Merger ‘May Not Go Ahead’ Finds Morgan Stanley), the minority TV groups are going quietly and efficiently about their business. Ulster Television’s AGM took place today and shareholders have been be told that the group remains… Continue reading Ulster TV Outperforms ITV In First Quarter

Spanish language network television continued to outperform the US advertising market in the first quarter of the year, showing growth of 19.5% over Q1 2002, according to estimate figures from TNS Media Intelligence/CMR. The group reports that overall media spend rose by 4.9% to $28.5 billion in the quarter, with just two categories – network… Continue reading US Adspend Grows 5% In First Quarter, Says CMR