The Local Radio Company (TLRC) has rejected a takeover bid from rival radio group UKRD. Last week, Hallwood Financial made an offer of £1.8 million for TLRC, following which TLRC independent non-executive director John Perriss strongly recommended the company’s shareholders reject the £1.25 million offer from UKRD. Hallwood Financial already owns 28% of TLRC and… Continue reading Local Radio Company turns down UKRD takeover offer

Magna Global has released a new US forecast predicting that DVR subscriber households will hit 51.1 million (43% of US TV households) by the end of 2014, up from 29.8 million (27% of TV households) at the end of 2008. Over the 10 years between 2004 and 2014, Magna estimates that DVRs will contribute to… Continue reading US DVR subscriber households to hit 51.1m by end of 2014

A new report from media analyst Screen Digest predicts that online advertising will fall 5% in 2009. Screen Digest’s 2009 report, based on the US IAB’s recently released full year report for 2008, said that while internet advertising grew 10% in 2008, the fourth quarter was almost flat at +2.6%, a significant change from the… Continue reading US online advertising forecast to fall 5% in 2009

Twenty-six percent of European advertisers used behavioural targeting technology in 2008, a new survey has found. According to a new report by Forrester, the number of advertisers using the technology was up 10% on 2007. Marketers’ use of behavioural targeting has grown quicker than other targeting methods because of an increased awareness of the technology,… Continue reading 26% of European advertisers used behavioural targeting in 2008

A new study from the Digital Radio Development Bureau (DRDB) shows that 63% of drivers expect a new car to come with DAB radio (either with or without CD) as standard. The majority of 1,000 people surveyed for the study were mass market drivers owning cars priced between £7,000 and £15,000, with Ford and Vauxhall… Continue reading 63% of drivers expect a new car to come with DAB radio

Social networking among US broadband users has grown an impressive 93% since 2006, and has increased the amount of time people spend communicating online 18%, to 32% of total online time, according to a new report from Netpop Research. The report also reveals that at the same time as online communications has increased, the time… Continue reading Social networking increases among US broadband users

Virgin Media has begun the sale of its content division, issuing a sales memorandum for its Virgin Media TV business and sales house IDS, although it is excluding its 50% stake in UKTV. It is understood that the UKTV stake will be sold when there is a clearer picture of the future of joint owner… Continue reading Virgin Media begins sale of content division

The IPA’s latest Bellwether survey published today has found that the rate of decline of marketing spend slowed in Q1 2009, suggesting budget cuts may have reached their peak in Q4 2008. Businesses confidence has also picked up from the all-time low of Q4, with the percentage of companies believing their prospects have improved rising… Continue reading Q1 2009 Bellwether Report: Turning point for marketing budgets

Speaking at yesterday morning’s MediaTel Group seminar on the ‘Future of Media Research’, Jennie Beck, global director at Kantar Media, gave the audience an update on the new organisation.Beck explained that Kantar has put its media research operations into one company, Kantar Media, with the two teams at BMRB and TNS merging into one cohesive… Continue reading Kantar Media gives update on new organisation

At the end of March, GroupM predicted that UK advertising spending would fall 11.2% in 2009, with global spending forecast to fall 4.4% to $425 billion. Western Europe was predicted to dip 6.7% in 2009, with Germany proving the most resilient regional advertising market (see GroupM forecasts 11.2% fall in UK adspend in 2009). Carat… Continue reading INSIGHTanalysis: Media Healthcheck – March 2009