Jack Myers has brought down slightly his 2003 US advertising spend forecasts, from a previous estimate of $163.7 billion – or 3.3% growth – to $163.3 billion, representing 3.1% growth. New figures in the Jack Myers Report put 2004 expenditure up 5.0% at $171.9 billion; the previous forecast was for growth of 4.6%. The cuts… Continue reading Myers Trims 2003 US Ad Forecasts And Raises 2004

Total US magazine advertising revenue rose by 8.5% year on year in April, closing at $1.6 billion, according to the latest data from the Publishers Information Bureau (PIB). The number of advertising pages dropped by 2.3% in the month to 19,677. In the year-to-date, ad revenue closed at $5.3 billion, an increase of 9.8% on… Continue reading US Magazine Revenues Rise 8.5% In April

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 Advertising And Merger Outlook From Lehman Brothers

Interpublic, the indebted advertising and marketing group, recorded a heavy loss in the first three months of the year as it sought to reorganise and retain business after disappointing results in 2002. The company posted a net loss of $8.6 million in Q1, higher than analysts had expected. This compares with a profit of $59.8… Continue reading Interpublic Not Out Of The Woods After Q1 Loss

The broadband revolution is gathering pace in the United States with new figures showing that around 19 million homes had a high-speed internet connection by the end of March. According to Gartner Dataquest, approximately 18% of US households now have cable or DSL broadband access. The research company puts the growth rate at about 9%… Continue reading Broadband Goes Mainstream In The US

More than one in five internet users regularly download music from the web, according to a new study from Nielsen//NetRatings. The report found that 31 million internet users, some 22% of the active internet population aged 18 and over had downloaded music in the past 30 days. This is a potentially lucrative audience given that… Continue reading Music Downloading Proving Increasingly Popular

The organisation charged with promoting and marketing digital radio in the UK has been encouraged by yesterday’s RAJAR results which produced a strong showing from DAB networks. Listening figures for digital audio broadcasting stations were collated for the first time this quarter and the Digital Radio Development Bureau believes that the sector is poised to… Continue reading Digital Radio Joins The Battle Of The Airwaves

Revenues at German-based media giant Bertelsmann were hit by tough markets in the US and the weakness of the dollar, according to the group’s first quarter financial results. Overall revenues fell by 8.5% to €3.9 billion and the group slipped into an operating loss of €58 million, down from a profit of €20 million in… Continue reading Bertelsmann Tumbles Into Loss In First Quarter

Already uncertain conditions have been accentuated by the war in Iraq according to the UK’s largest newspaper publisher, Trinity Mirror. It says that group advertising revenues for the first four months of 2003 are marginally ahead of the same period last year. The national titles – which include the flagship Daily Mirror – saw a… Continue reading Trinity Mirror Ad Revenues Marginally Up, Conditions Uncertain

The widening “digital divide” between town and country is hindering the development of rural businesses in the UK, says a new study from The Countryside Agency. The fifth annual State of the Countryside report claims that while there are obvious benefits to life in the country, local companies are suffering because of limited access to… Continue reading Countryside Appeals For Broadband Injection