TNS has accused Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP Group of making “misleading statements” in connection with the advertising giant’s attempted takeover of the company.It was revealed yesterday that TNS had rejected a third bid from WPP (see WPP Makes Fourth TNS Bid) which valued the company at around £1.1 billion.Following the rejection, WPP said that it… Continue reading TNS Hits Out At WPP

Google has been forced to hand over details of its YouTube user database, including web addresses, to Viacom after a US court ruling. Entertainment company Viacom is currently pursuing a $1bn (£505m) copyright lawsuit against Google and will be able to use the information provided by YouTube as evidence in the case. Viacom wants to… Continue reading Google Forced To Hand Over YouTube Data

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

Freeview is to re-brand its Freeview Playback digital TV recorders (DTRs) as Freeview+.The Freeview+ name will roll out across retail and packaging over the coming months, marking the start of Freeview’s increased marketing efforts to drive awareness and sales of its DTR equipment.Freeview+ boxes will offer a variety of integrated digital recording features including series… Continue reading Freeview Playback Rebranded As Freeview+

The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) Search Council has brought together Google, Microsoft and Yahoo! to collaborate on help and guidance aimed at increasing transparency around search engines’ sales practices and policies.The Search Help Centre has been created in response to industry feedback on previous initiatives, and features regularly updated information and solutions to search marketing… Continue reading IAB Launches Search Help Centre For Advertisers

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

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

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