US radio group, Clear Channel, is believed to have ruled out acquiring UK radio assets through hostile bids. The Financial Times reports that Roger Parry, the chief executive of Clear Channel International, claimed that the group would only be interested in buying a UK radio operator if it was confident it could combine it with… Continue reading Clear Channel Rules Out Hostile UK Radio Bids
ARCHIVE ▸ The Media Leader Staff
ITV partners, Carlton and Granada, are believed to be be planning to persuade the Government to allow them to take control of ITN, as they move closer to their £2.6bn merger (see Carlton/Granada Move Closer To £2.6bn Single ITV Company). The existing ownership regulations are due to be relaxed in the forthcoming Communications Bill, but… Continue reading Carlton And Granada Move To Take Control Of ITN
NTL, the UK’s leading cable operator has confounded city predictions and ruled out an imminent merger with its rival Telewest, according to a report in yesterday’s Sunday Telegraph. The two companies are currently undergoing restructuring in a bid to combat mounting debts and it had been assumed that they would join forces once financial stability… Continue reading NTL Plays Down Merger Talk
The Wireless Group (TWG) has acquired from Clear Channel, 38% of the London II digital radio multiplex licence, which reaches a potential audience of 10.8 million. The group has also taken Clear Channel’s 23% holding of the digital multiplex that covers Glasgow and Edinburgh, paying £898,000 in total for the combined stakes. TWG already owned… Continue reading Wireless Group Builds Digital Stakes
There are now green shoots of recovery in the US advertising market and new figures from CMR indicate that spending increased by 2.2% in the first nine months of 2002. The data shows that overall revenue for the year to 30 September totalled $84.4 billion, compared with $82.6 billion in the same period last year.… Continue reading US Adspend Up By $2 Billion Through Third Quarter
colspan=”5″>US Online Advertising Revenue Forecasts ($ billion)
The telecommunications industry is set to rebound from a difficult period, driven by developments in next-generation technologies, according to IDC‘s new Worldwide Telecom Black Book. The report says that despite recent troubles plaguing the telecoms industry (including bankruptcies, plummeting valuations, and deep cuts in capital expenditures), there is now some light at the end of… Continue reading Telecoms Industry To Rebound From Tough Times, Says IDC
The European cable industry is set to emerge from the ‘dark days’ of the previous two years, having learnt many valuable lessons, according to one of the conclusions of the European Cable Yearbook 2002 from Screen Digest. The book describes the recent pace of change in the cable sector as ‘relentless’, forcing many companies to… Continue reading European Cable Sector To Emerge From ‘Dark Days’, Says Screen Digest
Merger talks between Europe’s largest publisher, Axel Springer, and Switzerland’s largest publishing group, Ringier (see Axel Springer Stake Up For Sale), are understood to have collapsed. According to the Financial Times, the stumbling block was Michael Ringier’s reluctance to relinquish control of his family-owned business to the German rival. The stake in Axel Springer that… Continue reading Axel Springer/Ringier Merger Talks Break Down
NTL, the debt-laden UK cable operator, had a mixed message for investors when it issued its third quarter figures yesterday. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) totalled £182 million in the three months to September 30, up 44% on the same period last year. However revenues fell to £617 million from £627 million… Continue reading NTL Earnings Rise As Cost Cutting Continues