As expected, Stephen Carter, ex-managing director of cable company NTL, is to be named chief executive of the new communications super regulator Ofcom. Although Ofcom have refused to comment on the appointment, an official announcement from chairman Lord Currie is expected in the next few days. Commentators have suggested that the leadership battle was a… Continue reading Carter Set For Chief Executive Role at Ofcom

There has been a fresh development in the ongoing Kirch saga with reports stating that Haim Saban has re-entered the bidding for the indebted media group. This latest twist comes despite the fact that Henrich Bauer Verlag had agreed a deal to take control of KirchMedia (see Bauer Consortium Takes KirchMedia). However, the publishing giant… Continue reading Saban Back In The Running For Kirch

The administrators of ITV Digital have announced a dramatic U-turn on their decision to charge customers £39.99 for their set-top boxes, which they will now be allowed to keep as a gift. The climb down follows the unpopular move by ITV Digital’s liquidators, Grant Thonton, to collect over 1 million set-top boxes or ask the… Continue reading ITV Digital Subscribers To Keep Set-Top Boxes

Business-to-business adspend increased by 1.6% year-on-year and totalled $656,870.4 million in November, according to new figures from American Business Media (ABM). The rise followed a decline of 9% in October (see Decline Eases Slightly In US B2B Advertising) but advertising page volumes were down by 4%. The biggest surge occurred in the travel sector which… Continue reading B2B Sector Boosted By Advertising Upturn

Cinema admissions for 2002 were the highest in 30 years, reflecting a 13% year-on-year increase, according to the Cinema Advertising Association (CAA). Almost 176 million visits were made to the cinema, an average of 3.37 million weekly cinema admissions to see films such as Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets and the 20th instalment… Continue reading Cinema Admissions Up 13% In 2002, Says CAA

The UK consolidated its position as Europe’s leading e-commerce market in the run-up to Christmas 2002 with 60% of the online population accessing a retail site during December. Nielsen//NetRatings calculates that 12.8 million UK internet users visited an e-commerce site at some point last month, an increase of 3.7 million on the figure for December… Continue reading UK Acclaimed As European ‘Capital Of E-Commerce’

Total US radio ad revenue rose by 10% in November – the third month in a row that ad sales have shown double-digit growth. The latest figures from the US Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) show that November is also the ninth straight month of revenue increases for the medium. National spend continues to lead the… Continue reading US Radio Revenue Growth Surge Continues In November

The board of AOL Time Warner has elected Dick Parsons to both the post of chairman and chief executive, following the departure of Steve Case (see AOL Chairman Quits Following Shareholder Unrest). Analysts have suggested the decision reflects a shift in the balance of power within the company, as Case who headed up the America… Continue reading AOL Time Warner Puts Faith In Old Media

Almost half of marketers expect to increase their budgets this year, with just 19% predicting a reduction, according to a new survey from the US-based Patrick Marketing Group (PMG). The report has found a markedly different sentiment from marketing executive at the beginning of this year as compared with that of 2002 when the attitude… Continue reading Majority Of Marketers See Budget Increases And Action In 2003

2002 was a bumper year for cinema with box office revenue growing by 10% year on year, according to the latest figures from trade publication, Screen Finance. Research shows that box office takings topped £800 million last year, with 350 film releases, compared to a box office total of £727 million from 321 releases in… Continue reading UK Box Office Earnings Climbed 10% In 2002