TNS has rejected a third bid from WPP Group valuing the market research company at almost £1.1 billion. The bid was made yesterday, the same day that the Takeover Panel gave the company a July 9 deadline to make a firm offer for TNS. TNS, which has already agreed a nil-premium merger with GfK, said… Continue reading TNS Rejects Fourth WPP Bid

Primetime and scheduled TV are losing their impact as consumers create their own entertainment lineups, according to a report from eMarketer. Digital video recorders (DVRs) and video-on-demand (VOD) allow viewers to create their own schedule while at the same time, the slowing economy drives advertisers to demand the greatest return on their advertising investments. VOD… Continue reading Scheduled TV Losing Impact

There are under three million people in the UK who are using mobile internet, according to new data from Point Topic. Point Topic asked 2000 people from across the UK if they had accessed the internet on a mobile device during May. It found that just 6% of the general adult population, equivalent to 2.9… Continue reading Under 3m People In UK Use Mobile Internet

US anti-trust regulators have begun an investigation into the search advertising partnership between Yahoo! and Google. The investigation will look at whether the $800 million (£403 million) a year deal restricts competition in the market. A report in the Washington Post said that Justice Department investigators behind the anti-trust probe will take evidence from Google,… Continue reading US Regulators Investigate Yahoo!/Google Deal

Digital-only radio station The Hits has appointed Steve Dunlop as its new programme manager.Dunlop replaces Jamie Wood who has moved to fellow Bauer Radio station Rock FM as deputy programme director.Dunlop joins The Hits from XFM Manchester where he was senior producer and station imaging producer prior to which he worked for GCap, Spectrum Strategy… Continue reading The Hits Gets New Programme Manager

eBay has been fined £30.6 million (€38.8 million) after luxury goods firm LVMH sued in a French court. LVMH, owner of luxury goods brands such as Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior, started the case after 90% of items from the brands found on eBay were found to be fake. The court ordered eBay to pay… Continue reading eBay Fined £30.6m Over Counterfeit Goods

The ability of newspapers to benefit from their online offerings is one of the big challenges facing the industry, and a select panel debated this and other topics at today’s MediaTel Group seminar on the ‘Future of National Newspapers’. Panellist Dominic Carter from News International said: “The reality is that we are learning all the… Continue reading ‘Future Of National Newspapers’ Seminar Examines Benefits Of Online

Despite recent pessimistic forecasts about circulation figures and the bad news emerging from Trinity Mirror yesterday, newspaper industry figures are still upbeat about the future. Panellists at MediaTel Group’s ‘Future of National Newspapers’ seminar, held today in London, concentrated on ways the industry can move forward and improve advertising revenue and circulation figures by focusing… Continue reading Not All Doom And Gloom For The Newspaper Industry

The success and future of freesheets was one of the topics debated at today’s MediaTel Group seminar on the ‘Future of National Newspapers’. Looking at whether a national newspaper could move to a free distribution model in the near future, panellist Lawson Muncaster, MD of City AM thought that it could happen. “The cost of… Continue reading Freesheets In Focus At ‘Future of National Newspapers’ Seminar

World adspend will grow 6.6% in 2008, according to a new forecast from ZenithOptimedia, up slightly from the 6.5% growth predicted in its March forecast. The credit crunch continues to worry investors, consumers and advertisers in Western markets, so Zenith has downgraded its forecasts for ad expenditure growth in 2008 from 3.7% to 3.5% for… Continue reading Developing Markets Propel World Ad Expenditure Growth