The Barclay brothers are out of the bidding for SMG’s Herald group of newspapers, according to press reports. It is understood that there are now only two suitors left in the running for the Scottish titles – US group Gannett, owner of Newsquest in the UK, and Independent News & Media, publisher of the Independent… Continue reading Barclay Brothers Said To Be Out Of Herald Bid

Guardian Media Group has announced that it is to move Jazz FM’s sales operation from Clear Channel Radio Sales (CCRS) to Chrysalis. CCRS was only acquired last month (see GMG Set To Consolidate Radio Ad Sales) but is to be sold on to Radio Investments Limited, in which GMG is a major shareholder. Chrysalis will… Continue reading Chrysalis To Represent All GMG Stations

A merger of the two leading pay-television operators in Spain has been given the go-ahead by the country’s Government, according to a report in the Financial Times. Via Digital will be joined with Canal Satellite Digital creating a group with an 80% market share of the pay-TV sector. Via Digital is owned by telecoms group… Continue reading Spanish Pay-TV Groups Given Merger Go-Ahead

The media and advertising markets remain fairly ‘challenging’ at present, with little good visibility beyond the end of the year in the UK. In the States, recent figures have been a bit more positive, with Q3 data and forecasts both indicating an upturn. US third quarter adspend rose by 3.8% overall, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus.… Continue reading Insight Analysis: Media Healthcheck – November 2002

After two years of decline, US online advertising will experience positive growth in 2003, says a study from eMarketer. However, analysts are warning that the recovery will be slow and protracted. According to the newly-released Interactive Marketing: Stats, Strategies and Trends report, online adspend is set to fall by 11.5% to $6.38 billion in 2002.… Continue reading Internet Advertising On The Rebound, Says eMarketer

On the final day of the MRG Conference in Budapest, John Stockley and Tim Farmer from Ipsos-RSL showed what existing industry surveys can tell us about emerging technologies. They explained that convergence can lead to PCs becoming TVs, radios or newsagents and questioned what implication this would have on media consumption. The benefits of using… Continue reading Ipsos Examines Unorthodox Radio Usage

US radio advertising revenue growth remains strong, with the combined total sales for October rising by 13%, according to the latest figures from the US Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB). National spend continues to lead the way with a 23% growth on October 2001, whilst local revenue rose by 10%. This is the second consecutive month… Continue reading US Radio Revenue Maintains Strong Growth, Up 13% In October

Jean-Charles Decaux, who heads up Europe’s leading outdoor media company, has hinted at a move for rival group Maiden in a bid to increase his firm’s influence in the UK. JCDecaux has been hit by the general downturn in outdoor advertising and last month revealed that third quarter revenues were down 0.9% at E357 million… Continue reading Maiden Eyed By Outdoor Rival

The debt-laden cable companies, NTL and Telewest are moving closer to finalising restructuring deals that will ensure their survival in the current difficult market conditions. NTL admitted on Friday that it had not yet concluded its £7 billion debt-for-equity swap (see NTL Is Cleared For Reorganisation) but said that it expected to complete the refinancing… Continue reading NTL And Telewest Press Ahead With Refinancing Plans

The European Commission has announced that it has begun a detailed investigation into the acquisition of Italian pay-TV company Telepiù by News Corporation. Two months ago and following protracted negotiations, Rupert Murdoch’s organisation agreed a deal to buy Telepiù from the French media giant Vivendi for E920 million (see News Corp Completes Telepiu Transaction). News… Continue reading EC To Investigate Telepiu Takeover