US radio advertising revenues fell by 2.0% year on year in March, reversing a stronger trend that had been established in January and February. National dollars rose by 4%, whilst local spend fell by 3%, according to the latest figures from the US Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB). The decline in local spending was attributed by… Continue reading US Radio Revenues Dip 2% In March After Strong Start To The Year

Almost one hundred million homes, equivalent to 10% of global TV households, will have access to digital television by the end of this year, according to a new report from Informa Media. The information provider says that by the close of 2003, the number of DTV households will have effectively tripled in the space of… Continue reading Digital TV Approaches 100 Million Homes

BSkyB added 150,000 subscribers to its digital satellite service in the third quarter of its financial year, beating the consensus expectations. Analysts had predicted that there would be between 137,000 (Merrill Lynch) and 153,000 (Morgan Stanley), with Lehman Brothers forecasting 145,000 (see Morgan Stanley Expects 153k New Sky Subs In Q3). The group now has… Continue reading BSkyB Adds 150k New Subs In Q3, Strong Financials

Bertelsmann, the Germany-based global media group, is selling its scientific publishing arm, BertelsmannSpringer, to UK venture capitalist groups, Cinven and Candover. The two groups will pay €1.05 billion (£700 million) for the BertelsmannSpringer division, which comprises 70 different publishing companies. This deal will given the two private equity firms one of Europe’s largest publishers of… Continue reading UK Equity Groups Take BertelsmannSpringer For €1.1bn

The broadband market has defied the downturn in the rest of the telecoms and internet sector and ‘enjoyed striking growth’ across the globe in the last three years, according to The McKinsey Quarterly. This expansion is set to continue for the foreseeable future as consumers tap into the benefits of high-speed internet access. In its… Continue reading INSIGHTanalysis: Broadband To Be A Boon For Business

The government today launched its ‘Get Started’ campaign in an attempt to encourage non-internet users to visit the web. According to a recent survey from the Office of National Statistics, some 38% of the UK population have never accessed the internet (see Internet Usage Up 16% In 2002, Says ONS). This has raised fears that… Continue reading UK Government Seeks To Bridge ‘Digital Divide’

BT faces a challenge to its hold on the UK residential telecoms market following news that two of the country’s leading supermarket groups are planning to launch services which will undercut the incumbent. According to weekend press reports, Talktalk, a joint venture from J Sainsbury and the mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse, will offer fixed… Continue reading BT Must Contend With New Fixed Services

Cordiant Communications this morning said that it is still in negotiations to reach a plan that will secure its future, following the devastating news of a key account loss a couple of weeks ago. Drinks group, Allied Domecq, announced that it intends to terminate the contract with Cordiant as of October this year; the advertising… Continue reading Cordiant Looks For Survival Plan

ITV advertising revenues are expected to be flat in the first half of the year, according to predictions from Lehman Brothers analysts. These forecasts concur with the group’s trading updates, released at the respective AGMs in March (see Carlton Sees Challenging H1 For ITV Ad Revenues). Previewing Carlton and Granada’s H1 financial results, the broker… Continue reading ITV Ad Revenue To Drop 2% In 2003, Says Broker

Influential Labour peer, Lord Puttnam, has strengthened his opposition to the Government’s Communications Bill, with a warning that it will face defeat in the House Of Lords unless plans to relax the UK media ownership regulations are abandoned. In his toughest criticism yet of the proposed legislation, Puttnam is believed to have demanded that the… Continue reading Puttnam Threatens To Quash Communications Bill