Analysts at ABN Amro have reappraised their outlook of VNU, the Anglo-Dutch publishing group, after its stock has fallen more than 40% in the last twelve months. The broker says that VNU has substantially altered its business mix over recent months, moving away from the volatile advertising-dependent activities such as consumer publishing and toward the… Continue reading VNU Builds Defences, Says ABN

WPP has extended its offer for UK media buying group, Tempus, until 22 October, the group announced this morning. This is the second extension of the bid, the first closing yesterday. In the meantime, WPP decided to seek to back out of the deal by drawing on the material adverse change clause (see WPP Seeks… Continue reading WPP Extends Tempus Offer To Negotiate Withdrawal

German pay-TV group, Kirch Media, is in discussions with the BBC and ITV to sell the broadcasting rights to the 2002 and 2006 World Cup competitions. Kirch owns the global broadcasting rights to the next two World Cup tournaments and will sell on these on a regiona by region basis. It has already reached an… Continue reading Kirch In Talks With BBC And ITV Over 2002/2006 World Cup Rights

Recent news-flow suggests that the telecoms sector is set to experience a raft of job cuts, as companies seek to reduce debt and costs and boost revenues. NTL Cable company, NTL, has cut its workforce from 23,200 in October last year to 18,500 in October 2001. Further cuts are planned to take the headcount down… Continue reading Flurry Of Job Losses Set For Telecoms Sector

US retail sales dropped sharply last month, adding to fears that the economy there may be slipping into a full recession. According to figures from the Department of Commerce (DOC), retail sales were down by 2.4% month on month in September, much worse than had been expected. The DOC altered the way it calculates seasonal… Continue reading Full Recession Looms As US Retail Sales Fall 2.4% In September

According to the PPA, the latest long term figures from the Advertising Association forecast that for the period to 2013, consumer magazine advertising revenue will grow in real terms by between 28% and 50% rising to between £841m and £989m. The report ‘Long Term Advertising Expenditure Forecasts’ also predicts that, during the same period, business… Continue reading AA Forecasts Real Term Growth For UK Magazine Revenues

The global popularity of SMS – ‘text messaging’ via mobile phone – has generated 750 million messages per day by September 2001 says the GSM Association, representing mobile network operators worldwide. The Association has now upgraded its forecasts for 2001 from 200 to 250 billion total mobile messages globally, 1 billion per day by the… Continue reading 1 Billion Text Messages Per Day By End 2001, Says GSM Association

In its weekly assessment of the pan-European media sector for investors, ABN Amro has said that whilst stocks have recovered slightly, this is a result only of a broader improvement in the global markets and that the outlook for the media and advertising sector itself remains more or less unchanged. The broker says that the… Continue reading ABN Amro Warns On Short Term Improvements In Ailing Media Sector

As expected, radio and sport internet company TeamTalk has acquired an 80% stake in the Atlantic 252 radio station. The interest has been sold by pan-European broadcaster RTL, with the remaining 20% in Atlantic held by Irish state broadcaster RTE. The acquisition of the Atlantic stake, for £2 million, represents a considerable addition to Teamtalk’s… Continue reading TeamTalk Takes 80% Stake In Atlantic 252

BSkyB has reached an agreement with German media group, Kirch Pay-TV, not to exercise its rights to sell its minority stake in Kirch until 2003, according to a report in this morning’s Financial Times. BSkyB, owned ultimately by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, holds a 22% stake in Kirch. It has the right to sell this… Continue reading BSkyB To Hold Off Sale Of Kirch Stake, Say Reports