Losses at the UK’s largest commercial radio group, GWR, have risen to £12.1 million for the six months ended 30 September 2002, in what chairman Ralph Bernard describes as a period of ‘volatile and difficult trading conditions’. Total loss for the same period in 2001 was £1.9 million. Turnover at the group remained flat year… Continue reading GWR Losses Deepen To £12m As Tough Market Conditions Bite

Tony Blair has promised to invest more than a £1 billion of Government money in broadband technology in a bid to stimulate internet usage in the UK. Speaking at the E-Summit in London, the prime minister said that £6 billion would be spent on IT in the next three years partly to ensure that schools,… Continue reading Blair Reiterates Commitment To Broadband

The number of internet users worldwide is predicted to reach 655 million by the end of this year, according to the United Nations. This is equivalent to one-tenth of the global population and represents a 30% increase on last year’s total of 500 million. The E-Commerce and Development Report from the United Nations Conference on… Continue reading World Internet Population Continues To Rise

The number of US mobile gamers is predicted to grow tenfold in the next five years according to a new in-depth study from IDC. Are We Having Fun Yet?: U.S. Wireless Gaming Forecast, 2002-2007 takes a long term view of the emerging market and concludes that handset providers, wireless carriers and game developers and publishers… Continue reading Mobile Gaming Set To Play Major Role, Says IDC

The mobile market in Western Europe is reaching saturation point and opportunities for subscriber growth are therefore limited. However, a new study from The Yankee Group claims that operators are modifying their strategies to ensure higher revenues and foresees a revival in 2003. The report, Western European Cellular Market Forecast 2002: Poised for Recovery states… Continue reading European Mobile Industry Given Fresh Boost

US radio group, Clear Channel, is believed to have ruled out acquiring UK radio assets through hostile bids. The Financial Times reports that Roger Parry, the chief executive of Clear Channel International, claimed that the group would only be interested in buying a UK radio operator if it was confident it could combine it with… Continue reading Clear Channel Rules Out Hostile UK Radio Bids

ITV partners, Carlton and Granada, are believed to be be planning to persuade the Government to allow them to take control of ITN, as they move closer to their £2.6bn merger (see Carlton/Granada Move Closer To £2.6bn Single ITV Company). The existing ownership regulations are due to be relaxed in the forthcoming Communications Bill, but… Continue reading Carlton And Granada Move To Take Control Of ITN

NTL, the UK’s leading cable operator has confounded city predictions and ruled out an imminent merger with its rival Telewest, according to a report in yesterday’s Sunday Telegraph. The two companies are currently undergoing restructuring in a bid to combat mounting debts and it had been assumed that they would join forces once financial stability… Continue reading NTL Plays Down Merger Talk

The Wireless Group (TWG) has acquired from Clear Channel, 38% of the London II digital radio multiplex licence, which reaches a potential audience of 10.8 million. The group has also taken Clear Channel’s 23% holding of the digital multiplex that covers Glasgow and Edinburgh, paying £898,000 in total for the combined stakes. TWG already owned… Continue reading Wireless Group Builds Digital Stakes

There are now green shoots of recovery in the US advertising market and new figures from CMR indicate that spending increased by 2.2% in the first nine months of 2002. The data shows that overall revenue for the year to 30 September totalled $84.4 billion, compared with $82.6 billion in the same period last year.… Continue reading US Adspend Up By $2 Billion Through Third Quarter