UK commercial revenue growth for the third quarter has beaten analysts’ expectations by turning in a 3.2% year on year growth to £140 million, according to the latest figures released by the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) this morning. In September, analysts at Merrill Lynch forecast that Q3 would be down by 5.0%, following two quarters… Continue reading UK Radio Beats Revenue Forecasts In Third Quarter

A new survey has provided further evidence of the mobile phone phenomenon with findings showing that men now spend more time on the phone than women. The Guardian/ICM poll revealed that 72% of UK men now have mobile phones and on an average workday, they spend 66 minutes using a fixed-line phone or mobile. This… Continue reading Survey Reveals Sea Change In Mobile Habits

BSkyB saw a welcome return to profit in the first quarter of its financial year as it took advantage of the demise of its main pay-TV rival. The satellite broadcaster today announced pre-tax profits of £43 million for the three months to September. This compares with a deficit of £23 million in the same period… Continue reading BSkyB Back In The Black Following Strong Subscriber Growth

In a surprise development, News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch has today ruled out a move for Channel 5. Speaking after the BSkyB results press conference in London, he said that News Corp was “not interested” in acquiring the terrestrial network. The news will come as a shock to many commentators who feared that the liberalisation… Continue reading Murdoch Denies Interest In Five

Sumner Redstone, chairman of Viacom, refused to rule out a bid for ITV at the Royal Television Society (RTS) dinner in London last night. According to Media Guardian, Mr Redstone has more than a passing interest in ITV. “We are impressed with the opportunity,” he said. “We would first have to do a lot of… Continue reading Viacom Eyes Prospect Of ITV Takeover

A new survey from Jupiter Research has revealed that a large proportion of European internet users are still reluctant to upgrade to broadband. The study found that only 26% of web users were interested in getting broadband connection. A quarter of those surveyed said they would never switch to a high-speed service while 29% said… Continue reading Public Apathy Over Broadband Persists, Says Jupiter

The leading US cable and DSL providers have a total of 15.6 million high-speed internet subscribers according to new findings from the Leichtman Research Group. The major providers were responsible for 1.68 million new subscribers in the third quarter of 2002. This represented the highest recorded increase of the year and exceeded net additions for… Continue reading Over 15 Million US Broadband Subscribers, Says Leichtman

The unexpectedly poor Q3 radio trading in the UK appears to be continuing into October, although there is currently very little visibility beyond that, according to analysts at Merrill Lynch. In an update on the UK radio marketplace, the broker said that Q4 comparables should ease slightly and it hopes to see the market pick… Continue reading UK Radio Trading Remains Weak Into Q4

Bertelsmann, Germany’s largest media company, today announced third quarter losses of E384 million but has expressed confidence that business will pick up in the last few months of the year. Bertelsmann, whose interests include Channel 5 owner RTL, made an operating profit of E102 million but accounting write-downs meant that the company’s net debt had… Continue reading Bertelsmann Upbeat Despite Mounting Debts

Carlton and Granada are poised to take the plunge and propose a single ITV sales house to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), according to reports today. It is understood that the submission will arrive at the OFT at the end of the month. However, it is widely expected that any merger will be referred… Continue reading ITV Ready To Push For Single Sales House