News Corporation and Liberty Media have abandoned plans to launch a joint bid for Hughes Electronics and it is becoming increasingly likely that the two organisations will compete to gain control of the technology provider. The main prize on offer is America’s largest satellite TV operator, DirecTV which has also attracted the attention of telecommunications… Continue reading Murdoch & Malone Pull Out Of Joint Bid For Hughes

Price cuts at the Daily Mirror cost parent company Trinity Mirror £21.8 million in 2002, driving down circulation revenues by 7.6%, according to the group’s financial results released this morning. These figures follow a tabloid price war between the Mirror and arch-rival, the Sun. The cover price cuts come alongside a broader revamp and repositioning… Continue reading Bailey Moves To Stop Mirror-Sun Price War As Costs Hit

Channel Five has been offered a deal by the Independent Television Commission that could see its licence fee reduced by more than £20 million per year. The ITC has offered the channel, controlled by pan-European broadcaster RTL, terms for a new ten year licence that could see it paying considerably less to the Government in… Continue reading Channel Five Offered £20m Annual Licence Fee Cut

Out of home advertising saw billings increase by 2.5% year on year during 2002 to reach £687 million, according to the latest report from outdoor buying company, Blade. The figures show that despite a flat performance during the first half of the year, the out of home market experienced a return to growth in the… Continue reading Out Of Home Billings Grew By 2.5% During 2002

A consensus of recent UK advertising forecasts compiled by MediaTelINSIGHT puts 2003 growth at 3.6%, rising to 3.9% for 2004. However, the 2003 predictions range from a conservative 1.0% from Merrill Lynch – produced very recently – to Universal McCann’s comparatively exuberant 5.9% posted in December (see Universal McCann Expert Upbeat On Ad Prospects). The… Continue reading INSIGHTanalysis: UK Advertising Growth Forecasts

US newspaper advertising expenditure grew by 4.4% to $12.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 2002, according to preliminary estimates from the Newspaper Association of America (NAA). This growth follows a turning point in Q3, when the industry posted the first positive figures in six consecutive quarters (see US Newspapers Emerge From Six Quarters Of… Continue reading US Newspaper Ad Recovery Continues In Q4 2002

Worldwide sales of wireless LAN equipment totalled $1.68 billion during 2002, according to a new study from Infonetics Research. The company admitted that the hardware sector has not grown as quickly as anticipated but is confident that new innovations will stimulate the market. It is estimated that consumers make up 50% of wireless LAN equipment… Continue reading Overdue Growth For WLAN Hardware Market

The US media corporation Clear Channel yesterday announced a return to profit with each of its major businesses reporting growth in the final three months of 2002. Revenues in the fourth quarter were up by 19% year on year to $2.21 billion with earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rising from $345 million… Continue reading Clear Channel Back In The Black In Q4

Omnicom, the world’s third largest advertising group, has challenged the gloomy picture being painted by many industry observers and announced a 9% rise in profits for the fourth quarter of 2002. The company said that twelve month earnings were up by 9.8% to $643 million, thanks in part to a strong performance in the US… Continue reading Omnicom Upbeat Following Positive Results

Carlton Screen Advertising, the UK’s leading cinema advertising contractor, has announced plans to introduce digital equipment to many of its screens. Cinema owners have seized on digital projection as a means of transmitting alternative content to film and experiments have already taken place to ascertain the viability of presenting live pop concerts, football matches and… Continue reading Digital Technology Opens Up New Era For Cinema