The board of ITV has today confirmed that it has completed the 25% acquisition of Scottish Media Group’s stake in breakfast television franchise, GMTV. Further to the earlier announcement on 10 May 2004, ITV has increased its stake in the highest rated UK breakfast time programme to 75%, with The Walt Disney Company owning the… Continue reading ITV Completes Acquisition Of GMTV

Global market research group, Aegis, has this morning announced the acquisition of a 51% stake in one of Korea’s largest digital marketing company, Agency W, from its chief executive and sole owner, John Lyul Baik. Agency W will become part of Isobar, the group’s recently launched digital network and becomes the third acquisition for Isobar… Continue reading Aegis Acquires Korean Digital Marketing Group

Independent News & Media, the parent group behind The Independent, is reported to have offered rivals the chance to buy a minority stake in the newspaper in a bid to raise capital for a major marketing push. According to this morning’s The Times, Sir Anthony O’Reilly, executive chairman of publishing group Independent News & Media… Continue reading The Independent Invites Rivals To Buy A 30% Stake

Competition in the burgeoning children’s magazine market will hot up this month following the launch of a new monthly pre-school title from Egmont Magazines called My Disney Favourites.Designed for parents and children aged between two and five to read together, each edition of the new title will be dedicated to a different Disney character each… Continue reading Egmont Rolls-Out New Pre-School Magazine

Greg Dyke has joined Apax partners, the private equity group that specialises in media deals, in a move that has revived speculation linking the former BBC director general with ITV.Dyke, who quit the BBC in the wake of the damning Hutton report, has joined Apax’s media team as an advisor. It is understood that he… Continue reading Dyke Joins Apax Amid Rumours Of Potential ITV Bid

Virgin Radio chief executive, John Pearson, has announced his intention to step down next year in an attempt to re-address his work-life balance after more than a decade at the radio station.Pearson, who has spent the last four and a half years at the helm of Scottish Media Group’s radio division, will stay on in… Continue reading Virgin Radio Chief Executive Steps Down

For 16-24s, reading a national newspaper during the average week is more likely than visiting the pub, according to the latest research from the Newspaper Marketing Agency. The first detailed study of youth newspaper reading habits shows that 77% (5.6 million) of 16 to 24 year-olds read a national newspaper every week, compared with just… Continue reading 16-24s Prefer Newspapers To Pubs

Online advertising spend rocketed by 76% in the first half of this year to just under £267 million, according to the latest figures from the Interactive Advertising Bureau. The increase takes the medium’s share of overall UK adspend to an all time high of 3.2%, placing it well ahead of cinema and putting it on… Continue reading Internet Adspend Rockets By 76% In First Half

Internet product research is responsible for driving $180.7 billion of consumer spending offline, compared to $106.5 billion in direct online shopping, says a new report from Dieringer Research Group. The survey, which was conducted among 3000 US consumers, revealed that not only did web-based research spur online purchases, it actually fuels offline shopping more, with… Continue reading Online Research Spurs Offline Spending

The DVD market is about to enjoy its second boom, says a new report, as the DVD recorder is poised for take off as prices begin to fall. According to Informa Media, by 2010, 31% (334 million) of global television households will have a DVD recorder, growing from only 5 million at the end of… Continue reading Recorders Fuel Second DVD Boom