Revenues from mobile gaming are predicted to top â‚Ź500 million in Western Europe this year with the UK contributing â‚Ź75 million to this total. A study entitled How to make money on Mobile Services identifies four different forms that mobile gaming is likely to take. These are classic/arcade style games, betting/lotto games, TV voting and… Continue reading Europe’s Mobile Market Ripe For Gaming

More than £3.5 billion was spent on TV advertising during 2002, a decrease of 5.7% on the previous year, when adspend topped £3.7 billion. Figures from Thomson Intermedia show that FMCG brands were the most lucrative TV advertisers during 2002, investing more than £843 million in the medium throughout the course of the year. FMCG… Continue reading Over £3.5 Billion Spent On TV Advertising Last Year

Shares in Cable & Wireless rallied this morning following reports that the troubled telecoms group is being marked for takeover. According to the Financial Times, an approach was made last month by Pacific Century Cyberworks, a Hong Kong telephone company owned by Richard Li. The paper says that a £2.4 billion bid was tabled but… Continue reading C&W Subject Of Takeover Speculation

Emap Communications, Emap’s B2B division, has acquired AGOR SAS (AGOR), a market leading independent exhibition business serving the domestic French retail sector. It will pay £21.2 million for AGOR, which operates in the volume, gifts and clearance goods markets. Emap says that the French focus of the AGOR business will complement Emap Communications existing positions… Continue reading EMAP Acquires French Exhibitions Business

Channel Five has confirmed the appointment of Jane Lighting as its new chief executive, replacing Dawn Airey, who stepped down to join Sky Networks last year (see Airey Leaves Channel 5 Top Post For BSkyB). Lighting has over twenty years experience in the TV industry and is currently head of Telewest’s pay TV business, Flextech,… Continue reading Channel Five Names Lighting As New Chief Executive

Shares in BSkyB tumbled yesterday after a Banc Of America Securities analyst warned that the satellite broadcaster’s customers are increasingly downgrading their subscriptions to cheaper packages. The broker placed a Sell rating on Sky, claiming that 700,000 top-tier subscribers downgraded their TV packages last year following price increases. Analyst Sean Eddie questioned whether Sky would… Continue reading BSkyB Shares Hit By Broker Worries

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