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

Readership, distribution and advertising remain primary concerns for the future of newspapers across the globe, according to a new study from the World Association of Newspapers (WAN). The survey, carried out by the Innovation International Media Consulting Group, canvassed the opinions of forty newspaper association executives in 33 states. Although the world’s press differs politically… Continue reading Press Leaders Agree On Priorities, Says Survey

Satellite is now making significant inroads in the United States and new figures indicate that cable’s domination of the multichannel market could be soon be a thing of the past. The Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) reports that national ADS penetration reached 17.0% in May 2003, up from 15.1% at the same time last year.… Continue reading Satellite Making Its Mark In America

Aegis Group, the global communications network, is to withdraw funding from US internet marketing firm NewworldIQ and is set to write off millions of dollars in investment. NWIQ was acquired by eVerger, a joint venture between Aegis and Warburg Pincus, at the peak of the dotcom boom but business has proved lacklustre and the decision… Continue reading Aegis To Write Down Investment In Dotcom Marketers

Cordiant Communications has made clear that it aims to find an industry partner rather than undergo thorough restructuring that would enable it to continue as a standalone company. The troubled advertising group said in a statement yesterday that discussions with clients were at an ‘advanced stage’ and there was consensus over the need to find… Continue reading Cordiant Committed To Buyout Strategy

The media tycoon who had vowed to extricate Germany’s largest television broadcaster from the ashes of the Kirch empire has admitted defeat and withdrawn his offer. KirchMedia said today that it had abandoned plans to sell ProSiebenSat1 to the US investor Haim Saban. This comes less than three months after a €2 billion deal was… Continue reading Kirch TV Deal Hits The Rocks

Aside from a blip caused by war uncertainty in March this year, UK advertising has shown year on year growth in every single month since May 2002, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. Across the period, overall media spend rose by 3.8%, with television leading the way on 8.2% growth. Press remains the weakest… Continue reading INSIGHTanalysis: UK Media And Advertising Outlook

Fierce competition in the market for high-speed internet access means that UK consumers pay some of the lowest prices in Europe for residential broadband services, according to figures from communications regulator, Oftel. The latest international benchmarking survey shows that continued rivalry between service and network providers – such as BT, Freeserve, AOL and Telewest –… Continue reading UK Consumers Pay Less For Broadband

After slipping back by 2% in March (see US Radio Revenues Dip 2% In March After Strong Start To The Year), the US radio sector has returned to slight growth in April, up by 1% year on year. According to the latest data from the US Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), local and national revenues both… Continue reading US Radio Returns 1% Growth In April

With the notable exception of SMS, mobile data services have failed to take off in Europe and operators will have to show the utmost patience in the quest for reliable revenue streams. It is already acknowledged that prospects for 3G services remain bleak while the telecoms market remains in the doldrums (see 3G Burden Getting… Continue reading SMS Remains Dominant Mobile Data Application