Global advertising growth is steady and in line with the global economy at 5.3% for 2006, and set to be 5% for 2007, according to GroupM’s latest media and marketing forecast report. Television has taken half of all global media investment growth, whilst the contribution of the Internet to global media growth will rise to… Continue reading GroupM Forecasts Steady Global Ad Growth

The global ad market is forecast to grow 5.4% in 2007, 5.8% in 2008 and 5.3% in 2009, staying ahead of the 5.1% rate it has grown at for the past ten years, with this growth looking sustainable in the longer term, according to ZenithOptimedia. Internet adspend will grow more than 28% in 2007, while… Continue reading Global Adspend Growth Fuelled By Online

Ad spending in the US will increase by 2.6% in 2007, according to Merrill Lynch’s annual bottom-up analysis. The forecast covers the major advertising categories, representing over 60% of US ad spending. Merrill Lynch maintains its top-down US advertising growth forecasts (excluding direct mail) at 4.5% in 2006, but is slightly raising its 2007 outlook… Continue reading Online Continues To Blossom As ML Raises 2007 Ad Forecast

Freeview is threatening Sky’s dominance in parts of the UK, according to a new spatial model of the TV landscape by Point Topic. According to the model, Sky’s market shares can be as high as 40% and as low as 27% depending on the options available in a given region. Tim Johnson, chief executive of… Continue reading Freeview Threatening Sky’s Dominance

In November, research from Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, revealed that nearly half of all individuals in the European Union used the internet at least once a week in 2006. Eurostat said that 52% of households had access to the internet during the first quarter of 2006, compared to 48% during the… Continue reading INSIGHTanalysis: Media Healthcheck – November 2006

Social networking behemoth YouTube has made a definitive step towards going mobile, after the company singed a deal with US telco Verizon.The deal will see some of the most highly rated YouTube videos available on Verizon handsets, where subscribers to the Verizon Wireless’ V Cast package, who pay around £7.50 a month or £1.50 a… Continue reading YouTube Takes A Step Towards Going Mobile

Frustration is brewing amongst NTL shareholders, who feel that the cable group should focus on integrating Telewest and Virgin Mobile rather than a bid to buy ITV, according to a report on mediaguardian.co.uk.The ITV board unanimously rejected a merger bid by NTL recently, claiming there was “little, if any, strategic logic for ITV to combine… Continue reading NTL Shareholders Want Company To Shed ITV Takeover Plans

ITV is preparing for the launch of ITV Local, the broadcaster’s local broadband service, after the appointment of a launch managing director and the acquisition of online business directory Scoot.ITV has appointed Mohammed Raja, who has worked at search and directories companies including Thomson Directories, 192.com, Ask Jeeves and UpMyStreet.com, as managing director, to spearhead… Continue reading ITV Gears Up To Launch Local Broadband Service

Northern Irish multimedia group UTV has apparently re-entered discussions with SMG about a possible merger, according to reports in the trade press. SMG, which owns cinema advertising business Pearl & Dean and Virgin Radio, confirmed in August that it had received a merger bid from UTV which would have given SMG shareholders 50% of the… Continue reading UTV Reopens Merger Talks With SMG

Clear Channel has denied that it is in talks with JDecaux or any other company about the sale of its outdoor arm Clear Channel Outdoor. In a statement, Clear Channel said: “Clear Channel Communications and Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings today confirmed that they are not in discussions with JCDecaux, or any other company, involving the… Continue reading Clear Channel Denies Outdoor Sale