Last week’s announcement that UBC Media would invest in digital music technology that allows listeners to buy music from radio stations via a handheld mobile device, received a positive boost today at the annual Radio Festival in Cambridge.In a session discussing radio’s future funding, the ability of radio stations to offer instant opportunity to purchase… Continue reading Mobile Purchasing Is Key To Digital Radio’s Future

BBC listeners could get their own iTunes-inspired personalised radio service, according to BBC director general Mark Thompson, who was speaking last night at the Cambridge Radio Festival.Thompson said the broadcaster, under the working title of MyBBCRadio, would utilise peer-to-peer and other new technologies to create a service that would “provide thousands, ultimately millions, of individual… Continue reading BBC Could Get iTunes-Inspired Radio Service

Thanks to a surge in advertising in the last quarter, Avanti Screenmedia has been able to exceed its budget for the period by 10%. David Williams, Avanti chief executive, said of the advertising performance: “We believe that this is partly as a result of increased market acceptance of our medium, following sustained ground work by… Continue reading Avanti Screenmedia Exceeds Budget

NTL Telewest has completed its £962.4m takeover of Virgin Mobile, and says it will provide consumers with their first opportunity to buy a ‘quadruple-play’ of TV, internet and fixed and mobile telephony services from a single operator. The two companies will continue to operate as separate organisations until early 2007, when they will start marketing… Continue reading NTL Completes Acquisition Of Virgin Mobile

Orange may win the auction to buy AOL UK, the internet business owned by Time Warner, the US Media conglomerate, according to reports in the Sunday Telegraph. The paper says that the bid from the France Telecom owned company is motivated by fear of its rival, BSkyB, getting hold of it. Carphone Warehouse’s offer of… Continue reading Orange And BSkyB In Battle Over AOL UK

DC Thomson is about to increase its stake in UBC, the UK’s largest independent radio production company, according to reports in the Financial Times. The report says that with 13% the publisher, based in Redhill in Surrey, would become the largest outside investor in UBC. In March this year DC Thomson purchased Aberdeen Journals (giving… Continue reading DC Thomson To Increase Stake In UBC

Paul Davidson, chairman and chief executive of Newsquest Media Group, officially becomes president of the Newspaper Society tomorrow, succeeding Sir Nicholas Hewitt Bt, chairman and managing director of the Barnsley Chronicle. Davidson has been chairman of Newsquest Media Group since August 2003, and chief executive since August 2001. He began his newspaper career with Thomson… Continue reading Paul Davidson Appointed President Of The Newspaper Society

US advertising is expected to grow by 5.6% this year, with a gain of 6% in overseas advertising. In addition, a total worldwide advertising growth of 5.8%, to $602.4 billion, is expected for 2006, according to new figures released by Universal McCann. This is a downward revision of Universal McCann’s previous figures (see McCann Expects… Continue reading US Adspend Expected To Grow 5.6% This Year

Advertisers have little to fear from PVR use, according to new research carried out by Sarah Pearson of Actual Consumer Behaviour (ACB) and Patrick Barwise of the London Business School. The study, funded by a consortium of Ofcom, Channel 4, Five and Initiative, was revealed yesterday at a meeting of the Media Research Group. The… Continue reading Research Suggests Advertisements Still Viewed Live By PVR Viewers

The Asia-Pacific region still claims by far the biggest share of all broadband lines, accounting for 40% of the world’s 229m broadband lines in Q1 2006, according to Point Topic’s World Broadband Statistics for Q1 2006. However, despite impressive growth rates in China, India and Vietnam, Asia-Pacific’s share is under threat from markets in Eastern… Continue reading Asia-Pacific Still Ahead In Broadband Boom