French entrepreneur, Vincent Bollore has bought a further 2.9 million shares in media and communications company, Aegis, taking Group Bollore’s total interest in the business to 25.47%. According to a report in this mornings Times, Bollore also acquired an extra 0.35% in French advertising group, Havas. Since September Bollore has steadily been increasing his share… Continue reading Bollore Increases Aegis And Havas Stake

Peter Salmon will step down from his position as chief executive of the Television Corporation, taking up the role of chief creative officer of the company later in the year. Salmon, ex BBC director of Sport, joined TV Corp as group executive last summer, replacing Jeff Foulser who took up the role of director of… Continue reading Salmon To Step Down As TV Corp Chief Executive

Internet shopping in the UK rose by a almost 50% during the ten week run-up to Christmas 2005, with shoppers spending £5 billion online, compared with £3.33 billion during the same period in 2004. According to new figures from the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG), sales peaked during the week commencing 5 December, with… Continue reading UK Online Shopping Up By 50% Over Christmas

Worldwide sales of music via the internet and mobile phones generated sales of $1.1 billion in 2005, up from just $380 million in 2004, with the market looking set to continue significant growth in the coming year. According to new figures from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), digital music now accounts for… Continue reading Global Digital Music Sales Reach $1.1 Billion In 2005

Mobile phone handset manufactures will see their revenues fall in 2006, with a new study from iSuppli forecasting wholesale prices to drop by 9% in 2006. According to eMarketer the market may be over supplied, with 850 million handsets made in 2006, 40 million more than in 2005. Informa Telecoms & Media recently reported that… Continue reading Mobile Handset Providers To See Revenue Drop

Total advertising expenditure in the US is forecast to rise by 5.4% in 2006, generating $152.3 billion in measured media spend, according to the latest estimates from TNS Media Intelligence. TNS projects adspend to grow at a slower rate in the first half of the year, rising by 5%, versus the stronger 5.7% expected in… Continue reading TNS Forecasts US Adspend To Rise By 5.4% In 2006

Online searches are the most popular source for finding information on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), with a new survey by Yahoo! showing that 90% of respondents say they use the internet to learn about the technology. According to the US study, conducted by the National American Testing Organisation, 67% of the 302 home broadband… Continue reading VoIP Searches Prove Popular Online

UBC Media has announced that the first Channel 4 programme to be broadcast on its digital radio joint venture with Channel 4, Oneword, will premiere tomorrow, with the weekly Jon Snow Reports programme airing at 8am.The programme will feature a highly topical investigation into cannabis abuse in the light of its reclassification as a ‘type… Continue reading Oneword Debuts Tomorrow

Robert Lerwill, chief executive of Aegis has said that the media and communications company is not holding any talks with Vincent Bollore in regards to a possible merger with rival advertising group Havas.Lerwill added that he would be opposed to granting Bollore a seat on the Aegis board of directors if the French entrepreneur were… Continue reading Lerwill Denies Possible Havas Merger

Channel 4 enjoyed an impressive turnout last night, with the first in the new series of Desperate Housewives attracting an average adult audience of 3.6 million.The broadcaster saw Celebrity Big Brother boast healthy ratings, with an average of 4.2 million adult viewers tuning in to watch Faria Alam be the second housemate evicted from the… Continue reading Big Brother Eviction Attracts Strong Audience