According to a report in the Observer yesterday, Anglo-Dutch publishing giant Reed Elsevier is considering a merger with its closest rival, Amsterdam-based Wolters Kluwer. Following Reed’s acquisition of Harcourt last year (see Reed Elsevier Completes Harcourt Acquisition), a merger with Wolters would produce one of the largest publishing groups in the world with an estimated… Continue reading Reed Elsevier Considers Merger With Wolters

Jupiter Media Metrix today released the final instalment of its weekly Holiday 2001 E-Commerce Series which revealed that, on average, 51.3 million users visited online shopping sites during the holiday period (w/e 25.11.01 – w/e 23.12.01). This was up 50% on the comparable period in 2000 and 95% on 1999. “With the holiday-buying season behind… Continue reading Online Holiday Shopping Up 50% On Last Year, Says Jupiter

The advertising market is expected to move once again into positive growth during the course of this year, according to a consensus of forecasts compiled by MediaTel Insight. It is generally recognised that the first half to three quarters of the year will see a continuation of the decline that hit 2001 so hard, but… Continue reading UK Advertising Forecasts 2001/2002 Round-Up

According to the latest data from the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), Q3 revenues for US outdoor spending were up 1% over a year ago, despite the weak advertising market and the events of 11th September. Net revenues for outdoor are 2.5% when compared to the same period last year, total revenues for 2001… Continue reading US Outdoor Expected To Show Gains For 2001

According to new research from the Yankee Group, local content such as news, weather, cinema and events information will play a key role in helping multichannel video operators retain digital subscribers. The report TV Portals: Opening the Door to Interactive Television also found that TV portals will help to bring together multiple iTV applications as… Continue reading TV Portals Will Reduce Digital Churn, Says Yankee Group

The Competition Commission has today raised concerns about the acquisition by Johnston Press of eight local newspaper titles published by Trinity Mirror across the East Midlands. The Commission has raised a number of issues in its letter to the two parties, including the question of whether there is sufficient competition in the publishing areas to… Continue reading Regulator Questions Johnston’s Latest Acquisition

The Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has said that if the slowdown in advertising in the country continues, the Government will introduce extraordinary measures to help the media sector. Berlusconi confirmed his intention whilst speaking to the annual meeting of the FIEG, the Italian Federation of newspaper publishers, according to a report from ABN Amro.… Continue reading Berlusconi Will Take Government Action If Italian Ad Revenue Decline Continues

As a difficult 2001 drew to a close a number of media analysts and forecasters made last minute adjustments to their advertising predictions for the year and for 2002. Below is a comparison of the most recent set of ad growth forecasts for 2001 and 2002, by country and region, taking into account revisions made… Continue reading Global Advertising Forecasts 2002 Round-Up

Multi-channel viewing has grown dramatically over the past five years acheiving 20% of veiwing share in 2001, according to data from BARB, twice the share it had in 1996. Over the same period of time, ITV’s share has decreased from 35% to 27% and BBC’s from 44% to 38%. UK Share Of Viewing Trends, 1996… Continue reading UK Viewing Trends Show Gains For Pay TV

” ‘How did you go bankrupt?’ Bill asked. ‘Two ways,’ Mike said. ‘Gradually and then suddenly.’ “ Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises, 1926. And so it was in 2001 that we inched towards recession month by month until the events of 11 September. Media giants who had previously boasted that their size and diversity… Continue reading 2001: The Year In Brief