Deutsche Bank has acquired a 40% stake in Axel Springer Verlag, Europe’s largest newspaper publisher, for E667.3 million. The stake was owned by Leo Kirch, the fallen head of the KirchGruppe media empire. The Springer shares were collateral for a loan which Deutsche Bank had extended to the Kirch group. The collateral was offered for… Continue reading Deutsche Bank Temporarily Takes 40% Axel Springer Stake

There will be 75 million online banking customers in Europe by the end of 2005, up from 23 million in 2000 and 49 million this year. This is according to a new report from Datamonitor, as quoted by eMarketer. The European eBanking Market Update report shows that the UK, Germany and the Nordic region currently… Continue reading European E-Banking To Reach 75m By 2005, Says Datamonitor

At a time when UK high street sales are sluggish, the internet is becoming an increasingly important marketplace and one of its major advantages would appear to be its flexibility. One third of all online sales are made between 6pm and 9am, according to new research from Barclaycard. “People with busy lives often don’t have… Continue reading Internet Luring Off Peak Shoppers, Says Report

Jack Myers has launched an uncompromising attack on Forrester Research following a series of what he sees as ‘almost perversely bullish’ forecasts for the US interactive television industry. Releasing Myers Report‘s own figures yesterday, Jack Myers berated Forrester’s principal television analyst and forecaster, Josh Bernoff, for his ‘incomprehensibly’ optimistic figures. As an example, Forrester has… Continue reading Myers Attacks ‘Incomprehensible’ Forrester iTV Forecasts

Online sales in the UK increased by more than 42% in 2001, according to an ecommerce survey of businesses carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The results show that, excluding the financial sector, £18.4 billion of sales were made over the internet last year. That is equivalent to 1% of total sales… Continue reading UK Online Sales Worth £18 Billion In 2001

Carlton and Granada could re-open merger talks within the next few weeks following speculation that Carlton chief executive, Gerry Murphy, is leaving the company. According to a report in today’s Guardian, Granada chairman, Charles Allen, is expected to push for the consolidation of the two ITV companies if Murphy leaves to take the top job… Continue reading Carlton And Granada Merger Talks Could Be Back On

The media and advertising industries should not fall foul of recession-fuelled pessimism when considering the long-term revenue prospects for the sector, says the Advertising Association (AA) in a new set of growth forecasts. In its new Long Term Advertising Expenditure Forecast report, the AA claims that it is confident that ad expenditure will recover from… Continue reading AA’s Long Term UK Ad Forecasts Warn Against Pessimism

More than one million UK households now have a high-speed broadband internet connection, according to new a report from communications regulator Oftel. The figures from telecoms operators show that the number of broadband connections has doubled over the last six months, with uptake rates now running higher than 20,000 per week. The Oftel figures concur… Continue reading UK Hits One Million Broadband Homes

The US radio sector is showing healthy advertising revenue figures, with the RAB this week reporting a 5% rise in August and claiming that Q4 should see double-digit growth (see US Radio Revenue Up 5% In August, Double-Digit Q4 Growth Anticipated). This follows an impressive 9% jump during July (see US Radio Revenue Shoots Up… Continue reading US Radio Benefits From Strong TV Market

ITV viewing figures are improving ‘significantly’ during the autumn season and are now tracking flat compared with last year, according to analysts at Merrill Lynch. In August, ITV1’s share of viewing was 23.7%, a year on year decline of 1.1% points, but a rise from July’s low of 22.4%. BBC1 remained virtually flat both year… Continue reading ITV Shows Autumn Pick-Up In Viewing And Revenue