US cable giant, Liberty Media, has for the second time declined to increase its stake in UK cable operator, Telewest Communications, indicating that its European cable ambitions may be on the wane. According to a report on FT.com, Liberty passed up the chance to buy Microsoft’s 25% holding in Telewest, despite having first rights on… Continue reading Liberty Media Passes Up 25% Telewest Stake Opportunity
ARCHIVE ▸ The Media Leader Staff
Cable operator NTL has finally emerged from bankruptcy protection after restructuring its debt to satisfy creditors. The company will now be split into two parts, NTL Incorporated, featuring its UK and Ireland business, and NTL Europe. Lenders have agreed to swap $10.9 billion in debt for equity. NTL’s parent company initially applied for Chapter 11… Continue reading NTL Emerges From Bankruptcy
Global advertising revenue will grow by 3.0% in 2003, with a reasonably strong US being dragged down by poorer markets in Europe, according to an outlook for the year from Merrill Lynch. The broker says that the US will grow by 4.0%, as previously reported (see Merrill Lynch Sees ‘Cautious Optimism’ For 2003 US Ad… Continue reading Stronger US, Weaker Europe Finds Merrill’s Ad Outlook
Online ad revenues will increase by almost 50% during 2003, as a result of increased web usage, says the UK’s leading interactive media agency. It has been a difficult few years for the online advertising industry but internet consumption has continued to grow and i-level predicts that it will increase from 6% to account for… Continue reading Broadband To Provide A Boost To Net Revenues
More internet users than ever went online to browse and buy from shopping sites during the 2002 holiday season. That is the conclusion of a new report produced by market researchers at Retail Forward. A survey carried out in the week after Christmas revealed that 88% of US internet users shopped online and 75% actually… Continue reading Online Shopping Commonplace At Christmas, Says Report
The number of DSL subscribers in Japan increased from 1.52 million to 5.64 million during 2002, according to the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Post and Telecommunications. The increase reflected the low charges and expanded services available in the country and there were 500,000 new subscribers in December alone. In a study carried out… Continue reading DSL Subscriptions Surge In Japan
Steve Case, the beleaguered chairman of AOL Time Warner, has bowed to increasing pressure and announced his intention to step down in the spring. This development comes on the back of revelations that the world’s largest media company will be forced to take a charge of at least $10 billion as a result of writedowns… Continue reading AOL Chairman Quits Following Shareholder Unrest
A tough six months for digital set-top box manufacturer, Pace Mirco Technology, were revealed this morning, with turnover falling by 61% to £83.4 million for the interim period. Losses before tax and goodwill hit £15.9 million for the half year to 30 November 2002, down heavily on the £22.2 million profit of the same time… Continue reading Pace Falls Into The Red As Digital Box Sales Decline
Didier Bellens, the chief executive of RTL, has restated his commitment to Channel 5 and said that the broadcaster was capable of achieving a 10% share of the UK television audience. In an interview in this weekend’s Observer, Bellens denied rumours that RTL was prepared to sell its 65% share in the rebranded Five to… Continue reading RTL Remains Alive To Five
Trinity Mirror’s chief executive of newspapers, Joe Sinyor, has resigned as a director and will leave the company today, it was announced this morning. Sinyor’s departure was predicted in December, alongside reports that he and Trinity chairman, Sir Victor Blank, held disagreements on strategy for the group’s national newspapers (see Sinyor Rumoured To Be Departing… Continue reading Sinyor Leaves Trinity Mirror