The Telegraph group yesterday announced a £118 million loss for 2003, after it was forced to write-off a £145 million loan initiated by Lord Black. According to the Times, the write-off for the newspaper group, which amounts to four years profits, results from a loan between the Telegraph and Hollinger International, the US based company… Continue reading Telegraph Forced To Write Off Black’s Loan Of £145 Million

The Barclay brothers have overcome another obstacle in their proposed purchase of the Telegraph titles after Government ministers said the deal would not be subject to a public interest examination. It is understood that the Department of Trade and Industry told Sir David and Frederick Barclay yesterday that the Secretary of State, Patricia Hewitt, would… Continue reading Barclays Get Go-Ahead For Telegraph Take-Over

British Telcom has announced that broadband availability is set to match that of analogue television after the telecoms giant scrapped exchange barrier plans. Following trials in rural areas, BT has said that from 6 September, those living more than 6 kilometres from an exchange will be able receive the high-speed internet connection. BT is also… Continue reading Broadband Reach Grows To A Further One Million UK Homes

Nine out of ten US video gamers, aged 13 to 44, have played games on-line as well using their console systems, says a new report. According to the Online Gaming: The Consumer Perspective For PC and Video Games survey from NPD Group, nearly 90% of respondents who play video games on a PC, Mac or… Continue reading Majority Of Gamers Play Online

Serious changes need to be made to local paid search if it is expected to generate the revenue growth craved by search engines, says a US industry analyst. According to Nate Elliot, Jupiter Research analyst, local search doesn’t look like it can provide the growth Google and Yahoo are looking for. However, they continue to… Continue reading Local Search Revenue May Disappoint Search Engines

US online consumer spending is set to grow three-fold from 2004, says a new report, with web sales predicted to account for 12% of all retail purchases by 2010. The report US eCommerce Overview: 2002 to 2010 by Forrester Research said, retail innovations and website improvements will boost this market from 4%, as new households… Continue reading Online Retail Sales To Triple By 2010

Channel 4 has secured iconic car manufacturer Mini as the exclusive broadcast sponsor its new off-the-wall comedy drama series, Greenwing, which is due to launch on the channel next month in a peak-time slot.The deal, which was negotiated by Sharon Moore at Channel 4 and Daliah Epstein from Vizeum, marks the first of its kind… Continue reading Channel 4 Secures Mini For New Drama Sponsorship

Sponsoring this year’s Olympic games in Athens has a far greater impact on American consumers than it does on those in Europe, according to the latest research from Dynamic Logic.The independent marketing effectiveness researcher found that one in four North American consumers claims to pay closer attention to adverts that mention or have some kind… Continue reading Olympic Sponsorship Has Less Impact On Europeans

Aegis has created the UK’s largest online buying point following the launch of a new digital media agency called Diffiniti to replace the ageing Carat Interactive brand. The new agency, which has been created in response to the growing role of new media in the marketing mix, will handle billings in excess of £34 million… Continue reading Aegis Forms UK’s Largest Online Media Buying Point

WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell is this week expected to unveil record figures at the group, providing further evidence that the prolonged advertising downturn is finally over. Analysts are expecting WPP’s half-year results to cheer embattled investors by revealing that underlying pre-tax profits at the world’s second largest advertising group have risen to £230… Continue reading Record Profits At WPP Spell End To Advertising Downturn