Venture capitalists are believed to be circling around Carlton and Granada, assessing the prospect of making a bid for the ITV partners ahead of their planned £2.6bn merger. It is understood that the former head of Channel Five, David Elstein, has been discussing the possibility of a take-over bid with a consortium of VC firms.… Continue reading Venture Capitalists Eye Carlton And Granada

The RTL Group has today confirmed the appointment of Gerhard Zeiler as its new chief executive in succession to Didier Bellens (see RTL Chief Leaves For Pastures New). Zeiler takes up the post with immediate effect but will also continue as chief executive of German broadcaster RTL Television. He is thought to be close to… Continue reading Zeiler Takes The Helm At RTL

The number of top US companies launching online advertising campaigns rose by 6% year on year in 2002, according to figures from Nielsen//NetRatings. The survey shows that 286 of the Fortune 500 advertisers – the top 500 companies by revenue – used the internet for a marketing campaign during the course of the year. This… Continue reading Fortune 500 Companies Increase Online Advertising Spend

UK market research growth slowed in the second half of 2002 as ad hoc business declined, according to Merrill Lynch. Nevertheless, the broker is still expecting a 2.5% growth for the full year. Moving into 2003, growth is expected to remain positive – at around 2.5% again – despite increasing pressure on ad hoc business.… Continue reading UK Market Research Growth Slows, But Remains Positive

Marketing spend on new media campaigns is set to increase significantly during 2003, according to new research from communication management company, Jaywing. The survey, which polled 100 senior marketers from a range of industry sectors, found that 40% were planning to increase their budgets for direct marketing campaigns using email, SMS, digital TV and the… Continue reading Research Predicts Rise In New Media Spend During 2003

The newspaper industry was forced to take stock last year as belt tightening and consolidation acted as a brake on spending. Nonetheless, the market appears to have bottomed out and a new set of press forecasts identifies some reasons for optimism in 2003. Overview The events of September 11 undoubtedly accentuated the slowdown in the… Continue reading Newspaper Market To Stabilise In 2003, Says Billetts

Chrysalis Radio’s like for like airtime revenues rose by 18.6% in the five months to 31 January 2003, massively outperforming other major UK operators. In a statement released this morning ahead of the group’s AGM, Chrysalis said that trading remains ‘robust’ and in line with expectations. Excluding the acquisition of LBC and disposal of Galaxy… Continue reading Chrysalis Radio Revenues Surge 19% In Last Five Months

Cordiant Communications has confirmed that it has entered into negotiations to sell a number of Australian assets including the advertising agency George Patterson Bates. It was reported last week that Cordiant was discussing a £40 million deal with Pacific Equity Partners, a private equity firm with links to David Hearn, Cordiant’s new chief executive (see… Continue reading Cordiant Prepares To Sell Australian Assets

Worldwide advertising network, Grey Global Group, has reported that revenues for 2002 were essentially flat when compared to 2001, despite a 10.5% rise in the fourth quarter. This came principally from the company’s North American operations. The company said that full-year increases for its US operations were offset by poorer figures coming from the international… Continue reading Grey Global Shows Strong Q4, Flat Full Year 2002

There is a widely held perception that the world wide web will have a profound long-term effect on leisure time habits. This appears to be confirmed by the February 2003 Internet Report from the UCLA Center For Communication Policy which identifies a decline in offline shopping and TV viewing among online users. The study revealed… Continue reading Internet Responsible For Lifestyle Changes, Says Study