Revenues at the FT Group, publisher of the Financial Times newspaper, declined by 8% in 2002, largely as a result of the weak advertising conditions. The poor economy also had a slightly negative effect on newsstand sales, parent group Pearson said this morning in its year-end financial results. The Financial Times newspaper itself saw underlying… Continue reading FT Ad Revenues Drop 24% In 2002, No 2003 Recovery Seen

Venture Capitalist group, Candover Partners, which held takeover talks with Trinity Mirror last year, is reported to be considering making a fresh bid for the newspaper group. Candover, in partnership with another private equity group, Apax, held talks with Trinity Mirror last year about a possible deal (see Trinity Mirror Rumoured To Have Received Take-Over… Continue reading Venture Capitalist Group Mulls Fresh Trinity Mirror Bid

There are some mixed messages coming from the media and advertising sector at present and it feels somewhat unclear whether we are heading into a period of gradual recovery, or whether conditions actually began to dip towards the end of last year as economies weakened. One indication of weakness is the decision by analysts at… Continue reading INSIGHTanalysis: Media Healthcheck – February 2003

US online retail sales exceeded $14 billion in the final quarter of 2002, according to a new report from the Department of Commerce. The study calculated that e-commerce sales surged by 28.2% year on year to $14.33 billion. This in turn was an increase of 29.3% on the Q3 figure of $11.06 billion (see US… Continue reading US Online Sales Hit New High In Q4

Cable’s dominant position in the US multichannel television market is under threat, as a growing number of subscribers are choosing to leave their operator and switch to a new access provider. This is the conclusion of recent analysis by technology researchers at The Yankee Group. in spite of the efforts being made to promote digital… Continue reading Cable Fights To Maintain Multichannel Pre-eminence

The tough advertising conditions in the US hi-tech market were largely responsible for a 24% decline in 2002 pre-tax profits at United Business Media (UBM), according to the group’s financial results released today. Overall group pre-tax profits, before goodwill and exceptionals, were down from 2001’s £95.9 million to £72.9 million last year. However, regionally, the… Continue reading UBM Profits Fall 24% In Tough US Ad Conditions

“Monthly Streamies”, namely those consumers who have tuned to internet broadcasts in the past thirty days should be seen as a core market for US digital device makers. That is the conclusion to be drawn from a new report by Arbitron and Edison Media Research. The study, entitled Internet and Multimedia 10: The Emerging Digital… Continue reading Streamies Express Desire For Digital

The UK has been placed in a fourth level tier of broadband penetration in an eMarketer comparison of worldwide nations’ development. The UK currently has a broadband internet penetration of just over 10%, according to figures from Strategy Analytics (see UK Broadband Net Penetration To Hit 40% By 2008, Says Strategy Analytics). Whilst this is… Continue reading UK In Fourth Tier Of eMarketer’s World Broadband Comparisons

Improvements in the ITV schedule are beginning to deliver results and after a period of consolidation this year, the network will see advertising growth of 3.5% in 2004, according to a new forecast from ABN AMRO. ITV’s share of the television market slipped below 54% in 2002 (see ITV Revenues Drop As Audiences Improve) and… Continue reading ITV To Bounce Back In 2004, Says ABN AMRO

The number of digital cable subscribers in the US is set to exceed 20 million in the first quarter of 2003, according to a study from the Leichtman Research Group. The report claims that digital cable is poised to take over from Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) as the most popular method of accessing multichannel TV.… Continue reading Digital Cable To Overtake DBS In The US