“Forecasting industry trends and revenues is far more challenging this year than at any other time in recent history. The margin of error cannot be determined through statistical analysis. The degree of uncertainty in the market is extraordinary, impacting so many different areas of media and advertising.” This is according to Jack Myers, chief economist… Continue reading Myers Prefers To Err On The Pessimistic Side In His Forecasting

The euro-zone economy is set to grow by 1.4% this year and by 2.9% next year, the EU Commission said this week, adding to signs already noted from Germany and the European Central Bank that recovery has replaced the of weakness at the end 2001. The Euro area economy contracted in Q4 2001, but a… Continue reading Euro-Zone Economy Shows Gradual Recovery

Women online in the USA and across Europe are behaving very differently according to new research from NetValue which looks at the growth rate of women online and what these women are doing on the internet. English mothers are the heaviest banner clickers, while mothers in France use mail most frequently. Spanish mothers spend the… Continue reading Mothers Online: A Report From NetValue

The number of US adults accessing the web increased by 8.5% in 2001, across the 85 metro markets surveyed by The Media Audit. The report says that 74.5 million out of a total adult population in these markets of 128.3 million ‘logged on during the past month.’ This represents an increase in internet penetration from… Continue reading Web Reaches A Broader US Audience

Carlton Communications and Granada have today confirmed plans to change the structure of ITV, including a radical overhaul of the jointly-owned digital terrestrial broadcaster, ONdigital. Stuart Prebble will become chief executive of the Network, which will now operate three main businesses – ITV channels, ITV Digital and ITV.com. ITV Digital is the rebranded name for… Continue reading Granada And Carlton Bring ONdigital Under ITV Brand

Global advertising and communications group Omnicom has posted strong financial results, with a particularly good first quarter coming from the US. Across Europe the performance was more mixed. In Europe overall organic growth was 12.6%, with the lowest regional growth coming from the UK at 5%. Germany saw 10%, France 10% and the Netherlands 15%.… Continue reading Omnicom Shows Strong US Growth In Q1 Results

Press reports claim that Vivendi Universal has agreed to merge its loss-making Italian pay-television division, Telepiù, with Stream – a rival broadcaster owned by News Corporation and Telecom Italia. The Financial Times reports that the merged business will retain the Telepiù name and will be owned two thirds by Vivendi’s Canal Plus one third by… Continue reading Italy’s Telepi

A number of recent press reports suggest that the deadline for bids on the troubled EMAP USA business may be this week. So far, Hachette Filipacchi, Primedia and American Media have all been put in the frame as potential suitors of the business. EMAP confirmed that it has received a number of approaches for the… Continue reading EMAP USA Bids Expected Soon

News and information group Reuters has this morning posted a strong set of financial results that show first quarter revenues rising 17% to £970 million. However, chief executive Peter Job warned that growth in the second quarter would be at a “slightly lower rate”. The group says that good performances at its Reuters Financial and… Continue reading Reuters Stock Falls On Slower Q2 Warning

Media group Vivendi Universal yesterday issued first quarter operating results in line with market expectations, which show that the group is ahead of schedule to meet cost savings of €200 million by the year end. Revenues grew by 10% to €5.9 million and EBITDA more than doubled to €900 million, pushed by a €293 million… Continue reading Vivendi ‘Defensive’ Against Ad Slowdown