WPP has reported a 5.8% year on year fall in like-for-like revenue for the first three months of the year. However, its UK operations increased revenue by 16% year on year in the first quarter, totalling £251.1 million. Global revenue rose by 36% to £2.12 billion compared with £1.6 billion in the first three months… Continue reading WPP reports first quarter 5.8% fall in revenue

Independent News & Media has seen two of its biggest shareholders offer £27 million of their own cash to secure refinancing for the ailing group. Sir Anthony O’Reilly and Denis O’Brien have put up the cash to help renegotiate a €200 million bond before a mid-May deadline. INM’s advisors hope to convince investors to roll… Continue reading Independent News & Media shareholders attempt to secure refinancing

The US market for online video is forecast to grow by 32% this year, rising from $531 million in 2008 to $699 million in 2009. According to the latest forecast from Magna, this growth will come as marketing budgets are being reduced across industries, leading advertisers looking to reach their consumers in a more targeted… Continue reading US market for online video forecast to grow 32% this year

Broadband information service Point Topic has increased its forecast for the number of fixed broadband lines in the world by the end of 2009 from 493 million to 496 million. The five-year forecast for the end of 2013 has gone up from 683 million to 695 million. Tim Johnson, chief analyst at Point Topic, said:… Continue reading Global broadband lines to reach 496m by end of 2009

UK companies are continuing to invest in search marketing as both paid and natural search continue to deliver, according to a report from Guava and Econsultancy. The third annual UK Search Engine Marketing Benchmark Report is based on a survey of more than 800 company and agency digital marketers. Search engine optimisation (SEO or natural… Continue reading UK companies continuing to invest in search marketing

A record number of US email marketers are planning to bridge the gap between online social networks and their email marketing campaigns this year, according to new research from Ball State University, the Email Marketer’s Club and ExactTarget. The research also found that the number of social email initiatives is expected to grow 367% this… Continue reading US social email campaigns to increase nearly 400% in 2009

Despite the credit crunch, the internet is continuing to prove the medium of choice for more European advertisers as they seek to maximise return on investment. According to a report from the European Interactive Advertising Association, 70% of advertisers claim that their allocated online ad spend is increasing in 2009. The survey was conducted online… Continue reading Online continuing to be the medium of choice for European advertisers

New research has found that UK internet users are spending less of their online time shopping and more time browsing online media. During March 2009, 8.6% of all UK internet visits went to online retail websites and 9.8% to social networking websites, according to research from online intelligence firm Hitwise. Robin Goad, Hitwise’s director of… Continue reading UK internet users spending less time shopping online

While audience fragmentation is continuing, viewing of video content – including via the television set – is growing, according to the second Accenture annual Global Broadcast Consumer Survey. The survey, of more than 13,000 consumers in 13 countries, found that consumption of video content has risen during the past year in virtually every age range… Continue reading Consumers increasingly watching video content on multiple platforms

Almost half (48%) of US adults have either a MySpace or Facebook page, with 16% of adults updating their page at least once a day. Meanwhile, just 5% of Americans are currently using Twitter, according to a poll from Harris Interactive. The Harris poll surveyed 2,220 US adults online nationwide between March 31 and April… Continue reading Almost half of Americans have a Facebook or MySpace account