RTL has secured complete control of Five, after agreeing with United Business Media to acquire the outstanding 35.4% shareholding for £247.6 million. The transaction is expected to be finalised by the autumn, although it remains subject to regulatory approval from competition watchdogs. The announcement sees RTL command a 100% share holding, having built up its… Continue reading RTL Seizes Full Control Of Five

Delivering the first Ofcom Annual Lecture to the Westminster Media Forum yesterday, Ed Richards, Ofcom’s senior partner for strategy and market development, laid out his vision of the UK’s future media landscape, highlighting the fast development of digital technology and predicting a boom in on-demand services. “The UK is seeing more digital, more broadband and… Continue reading Ofcom Strategy Chief Predicts An On-Demand Future

Speaking as part of a panel session at the Ofcom Annual Lecture yesterday (Trends in TV, Radio and Telecoms), Sarah Simon, executive director of Morgan Stanley, accepted that the media industry would continue to grow. However, it will be a “bigger market spread across more companies; so lower margins and multiples of earnings will be… Continue reading Analyst Warns Media Growth Will Force Lower Margins

Channel 4’s head of sport, David Kerr, is to become the new director of broadcast with British Eurosport, charged with managing all programming, production and promotions for the rapidly expanding digital channel.The move will see Kerr take up his new position at the end of August, reporting to Francois Schmitt, the company’s deputy-managing director of… Continue reading Channel 4 Sports Boss Gets Transfer To Eurosport

New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the number of broadband connections in Britain now exceeds that of their dial-up counterparts, marking a sea change in the way consumers access the internet and paving the way for more rich-media content and bandwidth-intensive websites.Adoption of broadband connections has exceeded that of dial-up for… Continue reading Broadband Penetration Exceeds Dial-Up For First Time

Long-serving radio host Jono Coleman is to turn his back on commercial broadcasting, returning to BBC London 94.9 where he began his British broadcasting career in the early 90s.Coleman will present a daily magazine show on the station from 25 July, comprising interviews, topical discussion, listener interaction, humour and music, before taking over the breakfast… Continue reading Coleman Makes Return To Breakfast Radio

The latest IPA Bellwether survey has signalled a downward revision to current marketing budgets in Q2 – the first budget cut recorded for nearly two years. Published by NTC Research on behalf of the IPA, the Q2 Bellwether Report shows a trimming of marketing budgets, reflecting weaker than expected sales and profits as well as… Continue reading Q2 2005 Bellwether: Growing Concern Over Economy Leads To Budget Cuts

On-demand TV and broadband provider, HomeChoice, has appointed Tullo Marshall Warren (TMW) as its below the line marketing agency following a review of its business ahead of a new campaign due later this year.The new agency will work alongside brand specialists, Mother, in developing the personality of the HomeChoice brand, while TMW will be responsible… Continue reading HomeChoice Signs TMW Ahead Of Marketing Push

ITV saw its share price plummet this morning, following reports that a takeover bid for the company by Apax and Time Warner had been abandoned following concerns over the company’s pension deficit.A bid for control of ITV from private equity firm, Apax, and American media giant, Time Warner, has long been expected, following rumours earlier… Continue reading Pension Fears Call Halt To ITV Takeover Bid

Mobile video is proving a tough commodity to shift, according to American media analyst, In-Stat, which has published a new report, showing two thirds of mobile phone subscribers in the US are not ready for video services on their handsets, a number that is nearly unchanged from the previous year’s survey. The findings, published in… Continue reading Mobile Video Set For Slow Growth In US