After a slow start, digital interactive television (DiTV) is starting to realise its potential and many broadcasters now appreciate the unique opportunities offered by the medium. This is the tenor of Beyond the Red Button, a new report published this week by the IPA. The findings show that television companies are taking steps to introduce… Continue reading Interactive TV Here To Stay, Says IPA Report

Cordiant Communications has chosen Nigel Stapleton to be the company’s next chairman, replacing Charlie Scott who announced his intention to step down last September (see Cordiant Chairman Follows Bungey And Jumps Ship). Stapleton, who was formerly joint-chairman at Reed Elsevier, will take the helm on March 1. He is charged with the responsibility of reversing… Continue reading Cordiant Appoints New Chairman

Forever Broadcasting, the Newcastle-based independent radio company, today said that it has experienced encouraging trading for its first quarter to 31 December 2002, although no actual growth figures were given. The group pointed to yesterday’s RAJAR figures showing a 9% quarter on quarter and 30% year on year growth in listeners across its stations as… Continue reading Forever Broadcasting In Bid Talks, Trading Strong

Advertising revenues at the New York Times Company increased by 16.7% in December, when compared with the same month in 2001, it was announced yesterday. Growth was particularly pronounced at the flagship New York Times title where ad revenues were up by 21.6% year on year. This was largely the result of an upsurge in… Continue reading New York Times Ends 2002 On A High

Wednesday proved to be another black day for AOL Time Warner as it reported the largest annual loss in corporate history and announced the departure of vice-chairman Ted Turner. Declining revenues at America Online took their toll and management was forced to write down the value of the ISP by $45.5 billion in Q4. This… Continue reading AOL Time Warner Posts Record Loss, Turner To Quit

Radio revenues at GWR Group were flat in the final three months of 2002, despite a 14% increase at the group’s flagship Classic FM station, the company announced in a trading statement this morning. National airtime revenues were also flat, whilst local sales dropped by 4%. Like-for-like revenue figures for January 2003 are expected to… Continue reading GWR Group Sees Flat Revenues, Cautious On Outlook

In the short-term, a conflict with Iraq will have little sustained impact on the advertising economy, although a drawn-out ground war is a much more serious threat, says Jack Myers, writing in today’s Jack Myers Report. US adspend prospects for 2003 and 2004 remain bullish, he says, adding that most analysts are predicting growth for… Continue reading War May Not Hurt US Adspend In Short-Term, Claims Myers

The number of US households using a high-speed, broadband connection to the internet is set to rise by over 40% in 2003, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics (SA). SA says that the number of residential broadband subscribers will grow from the current 17.9 million homes to 25.3 million homes by the end… Continue reading Over Half Of US Homes To Have Broadband Internet By 2008

The Western European fixed-line voice telephony market is going through a transition period but should emerge relatively unscathed from the economic downturn, according to a new report from IDC. The market research firm cites consolidation in the service provider community and financial restructuring within the whole telecommunications sector as being responsible for the sea change… Continue reading Voice Telephony Market Has A Stable Future, Says IDC

ITV1’s share of viewing closed 2002 down by 2.6% points on the year before, whilst the multi-channel sector saw its share rise by 2.4% points, according to figures from BARB. ITV1’s average share of all TV viewing was 24.1% in 2002, down from 26.7% in 2001. Its primary rival, BBC1, saw its share fall by… Continue reading INSIGHTanalysis: ITV1 Share Further Eroded In 2002