ITV has received a second bid from the investment consortium which approached the company last week, offering a cash alternative of 40p per share on top of the 86p in cash originally offered. The initial proposal was rejected by ITV last week, dashing the hopes of Apax Partners, Blackstone and Goldman Sachs, which had sought… Continue reading ITV Considers Second Bid With Added Cash Sweetener

ITV has rejected the second bid by Greg Dyke’s investment consortium, stating that the offer does not represent a good deal for current share holders. The revised bid was submitted to the ITV board last night, but met with unanimous rejection as the broadcaster’s management stated: “At over 7 times 2005 EBITDA, the board considered… Continue reading ITV Rejects Second Bid By Dyke Consortium

French entrepreneur and Havas chief executive, Vincent Bollore, has re-ignited speculation over his intentions toward British advertising group, Aegis. Speaking at a press conference the advertising boss, and chairman of Groupe Bollore, stated that “all options are open. We could strengthen our stake in Aegis,” hinting at an increase of his existing 25.5% share in… Continue reading Bollore Hints At Further Investment In Aegis

New research from GfK NOP has revealed a massive market for web-based television services in the UK, with one in three broadband users claiming to be interested in the technology. Almost one in three (32%) of UK broadband users state that they would be interested in a library of downloadable TV programming and films. This… Continue reading Research Shows Massive Market For Web TV

Sky has released preliminary usage figures for its broadband TV service, Sky By Broadband, unveiling impressive adoption figures for its first three months. More than 125,000 users have registered for the service, which enables subscribers to download films and sporting highlights direct to their PC. The system works in a similar way to the BBC’s… Continue reading Sky Sees Strong Uptake For Broadband TV Service

South Korea is coming to the end of its broadband reign, with new figures from Point Topic showing that Denmark and the Netherlands are very close to catching up in terms of broadband lines per 100 population. Despite showing negligible broadband growth in 2005, South Korea still has over 25% penetration of broadband by population.… Continue reading South Korea Predicted To Lose Broadband Crown

Reports this morning suggest BT’s head of media, Steve Huddleston, has been invited to become the first chief executive of TV marketing body Thinkbox, marking growing acceptance of BT as a player in the television industry.The move would conclude a lengthy search for a chief executive, which has been part of Thinkbox’s roadmap for several… Continue reading BT Media Boss Approached For Thinkbox CEO Post

Speaking at last week’s MRG Question Time, held in association with MediaTel Group, the panel welcomed the IPA’s TouchPoints Research, looking forward to seeing how the initiative will affect the advertising industry.The panel claimed that the IPA initiative will give a much needed consumer centric measurement system. Manfred Mareck, from Research Marketing Ltd, said the… Continue reading Media Researchers Give TouchPoints Warm Welcome

Channel 4 has secured the terrestrial rights to broadcast this year’s World Superbike championships, broadening its offering for sports fans.The coverage will include programming around the race meeting, presented live from the site of each race. Each programme will include background information on the riders and teams, technical analysis of the bikes and tracks, as… Continue reading C4 Wins Superbike Rights To Broaden Sports Offering

The BBC has embarked upon its largest marketing offensive since the “Perfect Day” campaign, seeking to highlight its real-life value, with the tagline “This is what we do.”The campaign highlights some of the Corporation’s achievements, including footage of warzone reporting by John Simpson, and a behind the scenes look at BBC One’s Planet Earth.Comprising four… Continue reading BBC Launches Marketing Drive To Convey Value