The US TV airtime upfront buying season has given a shot in the arm to the advertising industry by hitting record levels. Reports claim that the final tally could exceed $9 billion in committed spend. Last year, the upfront season fetched $8.1 billion – also a record figure. During upfront trading advertisers pre-book airtime slots… Continue reading US Upfronts Hit Record $9bn-Plus Autumn Sales

Digital Download Day 2, an event designed to publicise legal internet music downloads in the UK, can only be considered a partial success, according to figures released by Nielsen//NetRatings. The event, which took place on 18 April, was organised by OD2 and succeeded in attracting 523,000 visitors to the company’s website during the whole month.… Continue reading Uncertain Future For Digital Music Market

US online advertising revenue increased by more than 40% in the first three months of 2003, according to a poll carried out by the Online Publishers Association (OPA). The survey of 24 OPA members showed that, among these companies, ad revenue in the first quarter grew an average of 40.7% over Q1 2002. Moreover, total… Continue reading Online Advertising Revival Underway, Says Report

It has been another sobering week for mobile phone operators in the UK with analysts questioning the future of the UK’s first commercial third generation phone service and one of Europe’s leading players writing down the value of its 3G investments. In the heady days of 2000, the British government succeeded in raising £22.5 billion… Continue reading 3G Burden Getting Heavier

A new, but wholly familiar, figure has emerged as a bidder for the American entertainment assets of Vivendi Universal. Edgar Bronfman Junior, currently vice-chairman at Vivendi, has informed the board that he is convening a group of investors with a view to procuring the US-wing of the enterprise. The music company, film studios, theme parks… Continue reading Bronfman Joins Race For Vivendi’s Universal Assets

Profits at GWR Group increased by more than 11% in the year to March 31, according to financial results released this morning. Figures were in line with expectations (see GWR Sees Radio Revenues Down By 3.9% In Q4) and reflected the success of restructuring efforts over the past twelve months. The group’s total revenues were… Continue reading GWR Achieves Objectives In ‘Difficult’ Conditions

GWR Group is selling its stake in Vibe Radio Services to Scottish Radio Holdings after having its acquisition of Chrysalis-owned Galaxy 101 blocked by the Competition Commission (see Watchdog Blocks GWR-Backed Acquisition Of Galaxy 101). The move puts an end to GWR’s immediate plans to strengthen its position in Wales and the West, in a… Continue reading GWR Sells Vibe Following Competition Rebuttal

The number of broadband internet homes in the UK has reached two million, with new connections running at 35,000 every week, according to new figures from Oftel. The telecoms regulator says that many of the new subscriptions come from customers upgrading their narrowband services to broadband. “It took two years to reach one million connections,… Continue reading UK Broadband Reaches Two Million Homes

Wireless connectivity is increasingly being seen as a desirable commodity and is now present in more than 2 million US homes, according to new research from Parks Associates. The home networking market has been one of the main beneficiaries of the growth of mobile connectivity (see Wireless Home Networks Win Consumer Backing) and wi-fi solutions… Continue reading Wireless Is Preferred Solution For Home Networkers

In the week that Carlton Communications chairman, Michael Green, described ITV as a dysfunctional company that cannot compete effectively with its competitors (see Carlton Results Push Shares Up As Profits Return), a new report from Datamonitor claims that digital TV (DTV) – and particularly free-to-air – is undermining the businesses of existing broadcasters and channels.… Continue reading DTV Undermines Traditional Broadcasters’ Business, Says Datamonitor