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

Research from NOP World shows that the UK’s internet retail sector hit new heights in the pre-Christmas period with 8.4 million adults choosing to shop online. This is equivalent to 43% of all regular web users in the country. The number of internet shoppers has been increasing steadily for the last few years but shot… Continue reading Online Shopping Attracts More Than 8 Million Britons

The take-up of broadband internet services in Europe is continuing apace, with a record 6.3 million customers signing up to services for the first time in 2002, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics (SA). The figures show a 55% increase in the number of users over 2001, with penetration now reaching 7.5% of… Continue reading European Broadband Subs Grow 55% In 2002, Finds Strategy Analytics

The contract publishing industry continues to boom with turnover expected to reach an estimated £313 million in 2002, according to the latest report from market research company, Mintel. The research shows that the industry is performing solidly in the current economic climate, with turnover increasing by 90% over the last five years. Commenting on the… Continue reading Contract Publishing Industry Continues To Boom

After much anticipation, third generation (3G) mobile phones are about to appear on the market. The networks are built, most of the technical problems have been resolved and handsets are in production. The new technology promises to revolutionise the way we use our mobiles, delivering live video calls, digital mapping and advanced location-based services. It… Continue reading INSIGHTanalysis: Advertisers Gear Up For 3G