The UK television market is trading much more strongly than had been anticipated, according to early indications and forecasts from buying agencies and brokers. ITV is now expected to show year on year growth of 7.0% in August and 2.8% in September. This compares to forecasts from Merrill Lynch of 3.0% and 0.5% respectively. October… Continue reading UK TV Trading Looks Strong With ITV Showing H2 Pick-Up

During the last six years or so we have witnessed the very rapid and at times tumultuous birth of a whole new communications medium – the internet. Rapid because it has come to play a role in so many aspects of our personal and business lives in such a short time. Tumultuous because, from a… Continue reading Insight Analysis: Can There Really Be A Free Lunch At The ‘Cyber-Buffet’?

The proportion of European consumers using the internet to purchase goods and services is steadily increasing, despite an overall dip in optimism about the medium, according to a new report from Gfk Group‘s gfk-webgauge survey. European consumers are less optimistic about the development of e-commerce than they were only six months ago, according to a… Continue reading European E-Commerce Sector Grows, Despite New Media Pessimism

The hi-tech, business to business publishing ad market continued to show steep declines during July, with page volumes down by 28.2% year on year. According to the latest statistics from United Business Media’s CMP division, the market has decreased by 47.4% in the calendar year to July 2002 and by 54.3% compared to the same… Continue reading Hi-Tech Business Publishing Ads Remain Weak, Says CMP Media

Cordiant Communications chief executive, Michael Bungey, is expected to announce on Friday, along with the group’s financial results, that he will leave the company, according to further speculation in the broadsheet press. It has been rumoured for some time now that Bungey will step down from his role at the top of the global marketing… Continue reading Bungey Expected To Leave Cordiant Comms

Are we to experience a double-dip or a return to growth? This is one of the key questions that has been posed by market analysts over the last month. The spectre of a second economic dip was raised after recent worries over corporate profitability and a waning consumer confidence have rocked the markets, particularly in… Continue reading Insight Analysis: Media Healthcheck – August 2002

Telewest Communications, the UK cable operator, has extended its high-speed Blueyonder internet service to Devon and Cornwall, offering the south west of England broadband access to the web. Telewest’s broadband coverage now reaches a number of regions across the length of England and parts of Scotland. In many of Telewest’s coverage gaps, rival group NTL… Continue reading Telewest Brings Broadband Internet To South-West England

Vivendi Universal, the financially stricken international media group, has agreed the sale of its French consumer press division and its stake in the internet venture Vizzavi as it seeks to reduce mounting debts. The two deals, which will amount to almost £300 million in total, represent the first steps taken by chief executive Jean-René Fourtou… Continue reading Vivendi Offloads High Profile Assets

Global marketing and communications agency, WPP, has announced that its Red Cell network has bought leading French creative agency, Les Ouvriers du Paradis. The Paris-based agency will merge its operations with Red Cell’s existing French operation, Red Cell Paris and be renamed Les Ouvriers du Paradis/Red Cell. The acquisition continues WPP’s strategy of strengthening its… Continue reading WPP Buys French Creative Agency

Internet penetration in Great Britain hit the very significant 50% mark in June this year, according to the latest edition of the Internet User Profile Study from NOP World. Women are currently driving the uptake, says the study, which shows that the growth rate translates to 6,000 new users per day over the last twelve… Continue reading Half Of Britons Now Online, Says NOP