Glasgow-based Scottish Media Group (SMG) has turned down a £100 million offer for Virgin Radio from private equity group, 3i, according to industry reports. The take-over bid started in December, but to no avail after SMG rejected the offer of Lord Alli, the media heavyweight spearheading 3i’s bid. Reports indicate that 3i has threatened to… Continue reading SMG Rejects 3i Offer For Virgin

Commercial broadcaster, ITV, has announced the disposal of its prop hire business, Superhire Limited to Space Holdings Limited for a cash consideration of £8.2 million. The funds raised from the sale will be used to reduce ITV’s borrowings and represents a further stage in it’s disposal programme of non-core assets. ITV has now raised more… Continue reading ITV Sells Prop Hire Business

Multi-channel marketing is predicted to increase in importance over the coming years, with 83.4 million US consumers researching products online, then buying offline, according to US analysts eMarketer’s new ‘Consumer Selling Online’ report. The increasing empowerment of consumers via the internet has resulted in them having the ability to compare old products, find new ones,… Continue reading Advertisers Must Look To Multi-Channel Marketing

Worldwide mobile handset shipments are set to rise over the next four years, growing from 740 million by the end of 2005 to 810 million by 2009, according to market intelligence firm iSuppli. The company found that handset shipment growth peaked in Q4 2003, hitting 175.5 million. The first half of 2004 saw quarterly shipments… Continue reading Global Mobile Handsets To Reach 810 Million By 2009

Channel 4’s head of commercial marketing and research, Hugh Johnson, has announced that he will be leaving the channel in March, to pursue other work ventures.Johnson has worked for Channel 4 for 14 years, since joining in 1991, and has agreed with Andy Barnes, director of sales, to work for the Channel on a consultancy… Continue reading Hugh Johnson Leaves Channel 4

Telecommunications firm, British Telecomm has announced a continued rise in broadband take-up, with the company enjoying a record number of digital subscriber line (DSL) connections in the third quarter of 2004, according to a trading statement released today. BT said that it had connected a record 813,000 DSL customers in Q3, with broadband users by… Continue reading BT Connects Record Number Of DSL Customers

Internet portal, Wanadoo has seen its European broadband subscriptions rise to 4.37 million an increase of 1.92 million from the year before, making up 46% of its European customer base at the end of 2004, according to a trading statement released by the company’s parent, France Telecom (FT). France Telecom has revealed that 6.3 asymmetric… Continue reading France Telecom Sees Dramatic Broadband Growth

TV advertising revenue is growing at the fastest rate since 2000, enjoying a 14.5% increase compared to the same period in 2004, according to data released by media agency Starcom. The UK branch of the media services agency predicts healthy growth for Q1 of 2005, citing a 14% increase year on year, despite poor economic… Continue reading TV Ad Revenue At 5 Year High

Internet publishers predict traditional advertisers, such as pharmaceutical, automotive, travel and entertainment industries, will increase their online advertising expenditure by 20% in 2005, according to research company Advertising.com’s second annual survey of online publishers. Advertising.com has forecast that traditional advertisers will increase their online adspend in 2005 by a massive 70%, concentrating their online dollars… Continue reading Traditional Advertisers Forecast To Increase Online Adspend

ITV has confirmed that its flagship soap opera, Coronation Street, will receive a boost with the creation of dedicated interactive features in the near future.In a report by the Financial Times, Jane Marshall, controller of interactive television services at ITV, said: “The time is right for us now to look for the next level of… Continue reading Flagship Soap To Receive Interactive Boost