Indebted UK cable company, NTL, this week rejected a $2 billion bid from US company Liberty Media, preferring instead to restructure and refinance with its own bondholders (see NTL Is Close To Refinancing, Says Report). In exchange for the cash injection, Liberty would have received a 50% stake in NTL. However, NTL’s bondholders are thought… Continue reading NTL Rejects Liberty, But Merger With Telewest Could Still Make Sense
ARCHIVE ▸ The Media Leader Staff
Press reports this morning suggest that Pearson has entered into exclusive talks with a management team concerning the buy out of FT Business, the company’s magazines division. The team, led by ex-FT Group chief exec Stephen Hill, is thought to have made the highest bid following Pearson’s decision to sell (see Pearson Puts FT Business… Continue reading Pearson In Exclusive Talks Over FT Business
US newspapers are showing stronger advertising revenue performances than had been expected, sending signals of a possible ad recovery to the industry, according to a report in the Editor and Publisher. The article says that Merrill Lynch had expected a 7% year on year decline in revenue during February, but that figures were coming in… Continue reading US Newspaper Groups Show Stronger Than Expected Ad Revenues
In a report released yesterday, Aberdeen Group forecasts that worldwide information technology (IT) spending will reach $1.43 trillion by 2005. The report Worldwide IT Spending 2002-2005: Timing the Recovery forecasts that IT spending growth will be significantly lower than the double-digit rates observed in the late 1990s. “Total IT expenditures in 2001 were flat worldwide,… Continue reading IT Spending Will Reach $1.43 Trillion By 2005, Says Aberdeen Group
A quarter of all internet-connected British businesses are planning to adopt a broadband connection within the next 12 months, according to the latest wave of the Business Internet survey, published this month by NOP Business, the specialist business research division of NOP World. High speed drivers Recently announced price reductions in high-speed, broadband services are… Continue reading British Businesses Enticed By High-Speed Net Connections
US cable advertising revenues will increase from $4 billion to $4.5 billion in the 2002/03 season and to $5.5 billion in 2003/04, according to forecasts from Discovery Networks’ sales chief, Bill McGowan, as reported by Jack Myers Report today. McGowan also predicted that basic cable audience share would surpass that of the four leading broadcast… Continue reading US Cable Upfronts Look Stronger, Whilst Network TV Sales Remain Weak
Indebted UK cable company, NTL, this week rejected a $2 billion bid from US company Liberty Media, preferring instead to restructure and refinance with its own bondholders (see NTL Is Close To Refinancing, Says Report). Liberty Media already holds a 25% stake in Telewest Communications, the UK’s second largest cable operator and is known to… Continue reading NTL Merger With Telewest Could Still Make Sense
BSkyB has denied press rumours that it is interested in making further investment in Premiere World, the pay-TV business of Kirch. Sky already holds a 22% stake in the KirchPayTV operation (see Murdoch In ‘Make Or Break’ Talks Over Kirch), but has made it clear that it will not be seeking any further investment in… Continue reading BSkyB Denies Further Investment In KirchPayTV
European consumers’ inclination to buy goods and services has been significantly dampened in the first two months of 2002, after the introduction of the Euro was used by many retail and service companies as justification for a hike in prices. This is one of the key findings of a study by GfK, carried out on… Continue reading Euro Introduction Curtails Consumer Spending In Europe
Online retail sales in the UK fell for a second consecutive month, according to data from the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG), as reported by NUA Internet Surveys. Total online retail sales for February reached £397 million – down 4.4% on January, but showing a slowing rate of decline when compared to the 17%… Continue reading UK Online Sales Slow In February, But Growth Is Ten Times That Of US