Strong sales of Sony’s PlayStation 2 console look set to boost revenues for Future Network, publisher of the Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine, according to analysts at Merrill Lynch. Experience from the original PlayStation console shows that Future sold around one magazine for every ten consoles sold; Sony has just announced that ten million PlayStation… Continue reading Strong PlayStation 2 Sales To Boost Future Network Revenues

Vivendi Universal has decided to take up its option and buy BT’s 26% stake in Cegetel, giving it 70% control of the French telecoms group. Jean-René Fourtou, Chairman and CEO of Vivendi, said yesterday that the company had sufficient funds to match Vodafone’s E4 billion bid for the shareholding. Under a binding agreement, Vivendi had… Continue reading Vivendi Swoops For Cegetel Stake

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

COI head of media, Jeremy Found, used his keynote speech at this year’s MRG Conference in Budapest to reassure delegates that media research has never been more important to the advertising industry. He argued passionately that media research deserved its place at the “top table” and insisted that it has never be harder to get… Continue reading Media Research Has Never Been So Important, Says COI