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

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

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

Net losses at debt-laden cable operator, Telewest Communications, fell by 34% to £397 million during the third quarter of the year, the company announced in its interim financial results this morning. Whilst turnover rose by 4% to £1.0 billion and operating loss dropped by 25% to £187 million, the company’s debt has risen by 9%… Continue reading Telewest Reduces Losses Ahead Of Restructure

UK radio advertising revenues are set to grow at a slight higher rate than the overall advertising market between now and Q2 2004, according to the latest quarterly advertising forecasts from the Advertising Association (AA). The figures show an average quarterly growth of 4.6% between Q1 2002 and Q2 2004 for radio, whilst the overall… Continue reading UK Radio Advertising Forecasts From The AA

The mobile industry has been urged to concentrate on targeting young women and business orientated men in the battle to convince the public of the merits of GPRS and 3G services. According to analysts at Forrester Research, only 20% of European mobile users will adopt 2.5G and 3G applications in the next two years. This… Continue reading Next Generation Mobile Still A Turn-Off, Says Forrester

New research unveiled at the Easy TV Event, organised by the ITC in association with the Consumers Association and the Design Council, has recommended a more user-centred approach to the design of digital television. The Easy TV Event, which is part of an ongoing initiative to promote the need for easier to use digital television… Continue reading Digital TV Urged To Be More User Friendly