Upfront advertising sales for US cable networks are looking ‘dismal’, as advertisers and their agencies demand that airtime costs per thousand are cut back by as much as 15-20%, according to a report on Mediaweek.com, The US trade journal reports that the cable companies’ sales executives are holding out for nothing more than a 10%… Continue reading US Cable Upfront Airtime Sales Look Weak

For market research firms, survey response rates are critical. If they dip too low, the industry will decry the quality and usefulness of the data altogether. This was a problem facing Nielsen Media Research’s TV ratings research in the US when, two years ago, response rates fell as low as 20%. According to a report… Continue reading $5 Incentive Boosts Nielsen US TV Response Rates

International media and market research firm, Arbitron, has bought US radio audience research bureau, RADAR, for $25 million from its parent company, Statistical Research Inc. RADAR (Radio’s All Dimensions Audience Research) is the US equivalent of the UK’s RAJAR survey. If offers the US a national radio ratings service that measures audiences to radio commercials… Continue reading Arbitron Acquires US Radio Survey, RADAR

Regional newspaper publisher, Johnston Press, has this morning announced the acquisition of eight free weekly papers and their related editions from Trinity Mirror, £16.1 million cash. The titles include the Peterborough Herald & Post, Northampton Herald & Post, Derby Trader and five other free newspapers which circulate in and around those areas. The titles will… Continue reading Johnston Acquires Free Weeklies From Trinity Mirror

Total ad spend in the US fell from $23.8 billion in Q1 2000 to $22.6 billion in Q1 2001. This fact is reflected in the finding of Competitive Media Reporting who report that spending amongst the top ten advertisers in the US dropped by almost 12% year on year in Q1 2001. Company  Q1 2001(Millions) … Continue reading US Corporate Adspend Decline Underlies Global Trend

Much has been written about the unfavourable year-on-year comparisons foisted upon the media industry in Q1 and Q2 2001. Despite this being somewhat self-inflicted (think sky-high TV prices resulting from the dot-com payload) it is worth noting that, on a larger scale, the media industry is in far better shape than it was in the… Continue reading Insight Analysis: Ignore The Comparisons And The Outlook Is Favourable

Further weakening in the European economy could have a major impact on the demand for IT products and services over the next three years, according to IDC. The worsening outlook for the Western European economy suggests that the tech slump currently impacting on the US market may spread to Europe. Globally, IDC forecast that IT… Continue reading Worsening European Economy Could Wipe $150 Billion from IT Market, Says IDC

According to the Wall Street Journal’s semi-annual forecasting survey, many economists now predict that the US economy will begin to show signs of recovery by the end of this year despite the current trend for corporate dolor. In Q1 2001, the economy managed only 1.2% growth, the panel of forecasters consulted by the WSJ predict… Continue reading There Is Light At The End Of The Economic Tunnel, Says WSJ

In a pre-emptive move, the Australian government has banned internet gambling, an enterprise which has proved lucrative elsewhere (see Forecasts) but one which had not yet taken off in Australia. The general proliferation of gambling in Australia so worried the government that it took the measures in order to avoid an ‘epidemic’ of at-home gambling.… Continue reading Australian Government Outlaws Online Gambling

A new report by eMarketer reveals that although the economic slowdown in the US has slowed technology spending, many businesses have begun to use some form of online trading as part of normal practice. The most common of these is purchasing online via a supplier’s website although other areas of online B2B trading are developing.… Continue reading B2B Trading Boosted By Technology Slump