Vivendi Universal chief Jean-René Fortou has reportedly backtracked on plans to break up, sell and float various tranches of the Canal Plus pay-TV broadcasting business. According to a report in today’s Financial Times, Fourtou has sent a letter to Vivendi employees indicating that Canal Plus is no longer for sale and that it will retain… Continue reading Vivendi Will Retain Canal Plus, Says Report
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The outdoor advertising industry experienced a positive end to 2002 with fourth quarter revenues rising by 15% year on year, according to the latest figures from the Outdoor Advertising Association. The data shows that bookings for the last quarter of 2002 totalled £187.8 million, taking revenue to levels experienced in 2000. Total outdoor revenue for… Continue reading Outdoor Revenue Rises 15% During Fourth Quarter
Buoyed by a growing economy, Russian adspend shot up by 51% in 2002, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper quotes figures from the Russian Advertising Agencies Association (RAAA) which show that $2.68 billion was spent on advertising in the country last year, up from $1.75 billion in 2001. Television revenues… Continue reading Russia Has Fastest Growing Ad Market
US online sales rose by 52% to $78 billion in 2002, bolstered by another record Q4, according to a year-end summary from Forrester Research. The research firm says that growth was driven by rises in new product categories, retailers’ improvements in digital marketing, web analytics and greater multi-channel marketing. The 52% growth beat Forrester’s own… Continue reading US Online Sales Rise 52% In 2002
The US is lagging behind other developed countries in terms of the penetration of fiber to the home connections, reports In-Stat/MDR. At present, less than 1% of broadband subscribers in the US use an FTTH connection. The technology is more prevalent in countries where there has been substantial investment in telecommunications. The likes of Korea,… Continue reading FTTH Has A Long Way To Go, Says In-Stat/MDR
Almost half of the firms interviewed in a survey for the Institute of Directors (IoD) believe the government should provide more funds to encourage greater take-up of broadband in the business community. Of the 150 IoD members that responded, 63% had broadband but only 10% said that their needs were being met. Over three-quarters of… Continue reading Companies Want Financial Backing For Broadband
Shares in Cable & Wireless rallied this morning following reports that the troubled telecoms group is being marked for takeover. According to the Financial Times, an approach was made last month by Pacific Century Cyberworks, a Hong Kong telephone company owned by Richard Li. The paper says that a £2.4 billion bid was tabled but… Continue reading C&W Subject Of Takeover Speculation
Emap Communications, Emap’s B2B division, has acquired AGOR SAS (AGOR), a market leading independent exhibition business serving the domestic French retail sector. It will pay £21.2 million for AGOR, which operates in the volume, gifts and clearance goods markets. Emap says that the French focus of the AGOR business will complement Emap Communications existing positions… Continue reading EMAP Acquires French Exhibitions Business
Channel Five has confirmed the appointment of Jane Lighting as its new chief executive, replacing Dawn Airey, who stepped down to join Sky Networks last year (see Airey Leaves Channel 5 Top Post For BSkyB). Lighting has over twenty years experience in the TV industry and is currently head of Telewest’s pay TV business, Flextech,… Continue reading Channel Five Names Lighting As New Chief Executive
Shares in BSkyB tumbled yesterday after a Banc Of America Securities analyst warned that the satellite broadcaster’s customers are increasingly downgrading their subscriptions to cheaper packages. The broker placed a Sell rating on Sky, claiming that 700,000 top-tier subscribers downgraded their TV packages last year following price increases. Analyst Sean Eddie questioned whether Sky would… Continue reading BSkyB Shares Hit By Broker Worries