A management buyout has seen KirchSport fall under the control of a group led by ex-Adidas boss, Robert Louis-Dreyfus. Kirch announced last month that its sports division, which holds the TV rights to the 2006 football World Cup, would be sold separately from the rest of the company (see Kirch Move Prompts World Cup Rights… Continue reading Former Adidas Chief Buys World Cup Rights

The news that Carlton and Granada, the UK’s two largest independent broadcasters, are in the advanced stage of merger negotiations (see Carlton And Granada Enter Advanced Merger Talks) has received a mixed reception from advertisers and concerns abound that a single ITV could prove anti-competitive. ITV companies have been hit hard by the advertising downturn… Continue reading ITV Merger Must Clear Regulatory Hurdles

Publishers have shown considerable faith in the internet and are beginning to reap the rewards of their web investments. That is the conclusion of a new study from the Newspaper Society which examined the online spending and strategies of trade, national and regional publishing groups. The report, written by consultancy Blue Rubicon on behalf of… Continue reading Newspapers Look To Harness Power Of The Net

The number of mobile phone subscribers in Western Europe is set to level off around the 300 million mark, according to a new study from telecoms consultancy Analysys. The report forecasts mobile subscriber growth of 6% for 2002, well down on the 17% growth achieved last year and the 53% growth in 2000. However, there… Continue reading European Mobile Market Reaching Saturation Point

The number of digital TV homes in the leading seven countries will double in the next six years, according to a new report from Informa Media Group. Digital Broadcasting Revolution – Fifth Edition claims that the top countries accounted for a total of 56 million digital homes at the end of 2001. This is set… Continue reading Digital TV Set For Take Off In Major Markets

Two of the UK’s leading newspaper groups have been priced out of the bidding for the publishing assets of SMG, according to a report in today’s Independent. The Daily Mail & General Trust and Guardian Media Group were seemingly unwilling to match SMG’s valuation of the titles which include The Herald and Sunday Herald. Eight… Continue reading Major Publishers Withdraw From SMG Auction

Friede Springer, the largest shareholder in the German publisher Axel Springer Verlag has consolidated her hold on the company by acquiring a 10.4% stake from Deutsche Bank. The bank yesterday took control of the 40% stake in Axel Springer previously owned by the indebted Kirch Media Group (see Deutsche Bank Temporarily Takes 40% Axel Springer… Continue reading Deutsche Bank Sells On 10% Stake In Axel Springer

The media industry can expect to see no let up in the advertising downturn with the situation likely to get worse before it gets better. That is the disheartening conclusion to be drawn from research by WestLB Panmure as reported by The Guardian. The investment bank cited the prospect of conflict in the Middle East… Continue reading New Forecast Warns Of Continuing Ad Slump

European broadband users are twice as likely to use illegal file-sharing services than dial-up users, according to a new report from Jupiter Media. The study found that 39% of broadband users across Europe use their high speed connection for swapping files, compared to only 18% of narrowband users. This is not surprising given the time… Continue reading Broadband Driving Up Online Music Downloads

Although there are only a small number of products on the market, advanced set-top boxes have the potential to significantly enhance our viewing and online experiences. A new report from Strategy Analytics claims that sales of these boxes, known as “thick clients” will reach 33.5 million by 2008. The report, entitled Set-Top Box Evolution: From… Continue reading Advanced Set-Top Boxes To Inspire Satellite Sector