Vivendi Universal, the indebted media giant, has confirmed that it is to sell its US entertainment assets in a bid to achieve financial stability. The French-based corporation posted losses of €23.3 billion in 2002 (see Vivendi Left Reeling By Staggering Losses), paying the penalty for the costly acquisition policy pursued by former chief executive, Jean… Continue reading Party Is Over For Vivendi

The number of UK households with internet access increased by 1.6 million to 11.4 million during 2002, according to a new report from the Office of National Statistics. The latest Expenditure and Food Survey found that the number of online homes remained constant at more than 11 million in the final three months of the… Continue reading Internet Usage Up 16% In 2002, Says ONS

Streaming media is set to show double-digit growth for both audio and video content through to 2005, according to new forecasts from AccuStream iMedia Research. Streaming media describes audio and video content which is transmitted via the internet in a ‘streaming’ or continuous fashion. The report says that video streams are on course to top… Continue reading Streaming Media Content To Show Double-Digit Growth

High Definition Television (HDTV) is now firmly established in the mindset of US consumers although questions remain over the extent to which viewers will be willing to pay for enhanced programming. This is the inference to be drawn from a new survey by Dove Consulting. The research found that 13% of US consumers now have… Continue reading HDTV Attracts Premium Viewers, Says Report

Cordiant Communications, the troubled UK advertising firm, said this morning that it has received “very preliminary approaches” from unidentified companies interested in buying it out. It emerged on Monday that Cordiant had lost the Allied Domecq account, one of the mainstays of its business (see Cordiant Shares Nose-Dive As Major Client Walks). The company’s share… Continue reading Potential Buyers Circle Crisis-Ridden Cordiant

Channel 4 achieved its largest ever share of terrestrial advertising revenue in 2002, as peak-time viewing rose to the highest level in its 20 year history. The channel’s latest annual report, released today, shows that it secured a 24.1% share of terrestrial advertising revenue last year, with its peak-time audience share climbing by 5% year… Continue reading Channel 4 Returns To Profit After Heavy Losses

Analysts at Lehman Brothers are expecting BSkyB to report an increase of 145,000 digital satellite subscribers in its third quarter financial results, which are due for release on 13 May. These additions would take Sky’s satellite customer base to 6.7 million, up 13.9% year on year and ahead of Lehman’s previous 12.5% growth forecast. The… Continue reading Lehman Analysts Expect 14% Subs Growth At BSkyB

Almost one in six online retailers in the US does not know its sales conversion rate and a further 43% are not aware of ‘shopping cart’ abandoned rates, according to a new study by the e-tailing group. The survey of over 200 senior executives found that online merchant businesses are often struggling with outdated legacy… Continue reading Online Retailers Need Better Conversion Measurement, Says Study

US business-to-business (B2B) print advertising spend rose by 2.4% year on year in February, representing the fourth consecutive month of growth, according to new figures from American Business Media (ABM). Although spend was up, advertising pages volumes dropped by 5.6% in the month. In the year-to-date, adspend was up 2.8% and pages were down 5.6%.… Continue reading US B2B Press Revenues Rise Again In February

The number of American homes with the capability to receive interactive television (iTV) commercials will hit a critical point within the next eighteen months that will drive a ‘huge increase’ in the number of advertisers using interactivity in their campaigns. This is the key finding from a new study on iTV advertising by BrightLine Partners.… Continue reading US iTV Ads 18 Months From Critical Mass, Finds Survey