The acquisition of Galaxy Radio Wales by Vibe Radio Services has been referred to the Competition Commission for investigation. Competition minister, Melanie Johnson, said that she is concerned that the deal, already completed (see Chrysalis Takes GWR’s LNR And Sells Galaxy 101), might reduce competition for local radio advertising in the Bath and Bristol areas.… Continue reading GWR Questions Competition Referral Of Vibe’s Galaxy Acquisition

US cable giant, Liberty Media, has for the second time declined to increase its stake in UK cable operator, Telewest Communications, indicating that its European cable ambitions may be on the wane. According to a report on FT.com, Liberty passed up the chance to buy Microsoft’s 25% holding in Telewest, despite having first rights on… Continue reading Liberty Media Passes Up 25% Telewest Stake Opportunity

Cable operator NTL has finally emerged from bankruptcy protection after restructuring its debt to satisfy creditors. The company will now be split into two parts, NTL Incorporated, featuring its UK and Ireland business, and NTL Europe. Lenders have agreed to swap $10.9 billion in debt for equity. NTL’s parent company initially applied for Chapter 11… Continue reading NTL Emerges From Bankruptcy

Global advertising revenue will grow by 3.0% in 2003, with a reasonably strong US being dragged down by poorer markets in Europe, according to an outlook for the year from Merrill Lynch. The broker says that the US will grow by 4.0%, as previously reported (see Merrill Lynch Sees ‘Cautious Optimism’ For 2003 US Ad… Continue reading Stronger US, Weaker Europe Finds Merrill’s Ad Outlook

Online ad revenues will increase by almost 50% during 2003, as a result of increased web usage, says the UK’s leading interactive media agency. It has been a difficult few years for the online advertising industry but internet consumption has continued to grow and i-level predicts that it will increase from 6% to account for… Continue reading Broadband To Provide A Boost To Net Revenues

More internet users than ever went online to browse and buy from shopping sites during the 2002 holiday season. That is the conclusion of a new report produced by market researchers at Retail Forward. A survey carried out in the week after Christmas revealed that 88% of US internet users shopped online and 75% actually… Continue reading Online Shopping Commonplace At Christmas, Says Report

The number of DSL subscribers in Japan increased from 1.52 million to 5.64 million during 2002, according to the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Post and Telecommunications. The increase reflected the low charges and expanded services available in the country and there were 500,000 new subscribers in December alone. In a study carried out… Continue reading DSL Subscriptions Surge In Japan

The worldwide market for internet access devices will grow at an overall annual rate of 28.2% between 2001 and 2006, according to a new report from In-Stat/MDR. Internet access devices can be defined as personal computers, mobile phones, internet-enabled set-top boxes, internet appliances, smart appliances and white goods. Instat estimates that shipments will increase from… Continue reading Internet Access Device Market Set To Expand

US magazine advertising revenues rose by 4.8% across the whole of 2002, whilst page volumes declined by 3.2%, according to the latest data from the Publishers Information Bureau (PIB). It is the technology advertising sector which has seen revenues plummet most severely, down by 17.2% across the full year. The strongest category was drugs and… Continue reading US Magazine Revenue Grows 4.8% In 2002

UK television advertising revenue will grow by 4% this year, in a total market up by 4%-5%, according to new forecasts from media audit consultancy, Billetts. A pick-up in spend that began in Q4 2002 is expected to continue into this year and overall growth is forecast to be the same this year as last,… Continue reading UK TV Revenue To Grow 4% In 2003, Says Billetts