A new report by the Aberdeen Group and Van Dusseldorp & Partners forecasts that the difference in size between the North American and European Digital Content Distribution (DCD) markets is set to narrow in the next five years. A compound annual growth rate of 40% is predicted to increase the value of the European market… Continue reading European Digital Content Distribution Set To Grow

The Western European cable market is expected to reach almost 60 million homes by 2005, according to projections by Merrill Lynch. The potential for broadband pay-TV television services therefore far outstrips the market potential of the digital satellite and terrestrial platforms. Digital terrestrial pay-television (DTT) is expected to overtake analogue during 2003, reaching around 4.5… Continue reading Western European Cable To Reach 60m Homes By 2005

US publishing giant Hearst Corporation is backing a $1 billion (€1.17 billion) bid for the consumer magazine division of Dutch publisher VNU, according to the Wall Street Journal. The WSJ says that Hearst, publisher of Esquire and Cosmopolitan in the US, is backing a joint bid already on the table from Moscow’s Independent Media and… Continue reading Hearst Joins Bid For VNU Mags

Liberty Media is to buy six regional cable franchises in Germany from Deutsche Telekom, in a deal expected to be worth around €5.5 billion (£3.4 billion). Deutsche Telekom is disposing of six of its nine cable areas in order to finance the reduction of the group’s debt. The deal will give Liberty a strong foothold… Continue reading Insight Analysis: Deutsche Telekom Sells Cable Franchises To Liberty Media

Reports from Reuters suggest that US television network NBC is cutting its airtime prices in order to maintain its share of the advertising ‘pie’. The networks are currently in the midst of their ‘upfront’ advertising sales pitch (see US ‘Upfront’ Autumn TV Airtime Sales To Drop 14%, Says ABN), which often accounts for around three… Continue reading NBC Cuts Airtime Costs To Maintain Share

A definitive symbol of the economic downturn in the US is about to emerge as more than 1,000 companies are expected to issue negative earnings pre-announcements for the second quarter, according the Wall Street Journal. The first quarter record of 935 negative statements look set to be broken, according to the report, as companies realise… Continue reading Record Negative Earnings Announcements Expected In US

Rupert Murdoch is to remove some of the core assets from his digital group, Sky Global, in order to pave the way for a merger with US satellite operator DirecTV, according to a report in the Financial Times this morning. Murdoch is understood to be slimming down Sky Global’s assets in order to reduce the… Continue reading Murdoch Slims Sky Global To Seal DirecTV Deal

Goldman Sachs has downgraded its 2001 and 2002 earnings forecasts for Pearson, owner of the Financial Times, due to concerns about the retracting advertising advertising market, according to reports. The broker has reduced Pearson’s earnings per share (EPS) estimates for this year from 47.8p to 40.0p and for 2002 to 58.3 pence from 71.1p. Particularly… Continue reading Goldman Sachs Downgrades Pearson Figures

Media giants WPP and Gannett have both been making reassuring noises this week designed, no doubt, to allay investors’ fears in these difficult economic times. According to the Guardian, WPP chief executive Martin Sorrell met with analysts last week following the news that profit warnings from other US ad companies had started a run on… Continue reading WPP And Gannett Speak Out To Reassure Investors

April figures from Italy confirm that the advertising recession has now reached the only remaining European market to have been showing growth. An analysis by ABN Amro shows that growth in April was just 1.7%, compared to 6.0% in the first quarter. Techonology and telecommunications adspend halved in the month, mirroring the experiences of the… Continue reading Ad Recession Hits Previously Strong Italian Market