Beleaguered cable operator Telewest has announced the resignation of its group managing director, Charles Burdick, after less than two years at the company’s helm.Burdick, who steps down with immediate effect, will stay on as a consultant to the company until the completion of its financial restructuring, but will then relinquish his directorship to pursue other… Continue reading Burdick Steps Down As Telewest Managing Director

Anglo-Dutch publishing group Reed Elsevier today posted increased pre-tax profits for 2003 but said it expects growth to slow in the coming year as a continued economic downturn takes its toll. Pre-tax profits were up 9%, from £927 million to £1.0 billion. Reed said its growth would have reached 10% if adjusted at full year… Continue reading Reed Elsevier Sees 2003 Profits Rise But Predicts Dip In 2004

The US market for set-top boxes with integrated PVRs (personal video recorders) will grow six-fold between now and 2008, according to new data from Park Associates. The standalone PVR market will be supplanted by set-top recorders provided by television service operators, along the lines of Sky+ in the UK and will reach 25 million US… Continue reading Integrated PVRs To Boom In The US As The UK Market Takes Off

The success of Freeview shows no signs of slowing and the fledgling free-to-air service looks set to overtake cable to become the second largest platform for multi-channel television by the end of this year.The digital terrestrial service, which is backed by the BBC and BSkyB, is expected to achieve penetration of 4 million households by… Continue reading Continued Growth To Push Freeview Past Cable Television

Media super-regulator Ofcom has cleared the British Heart Foundation’s latest anti-smoking television campaign of being distasteful, despite complaints from more than sixty viewers.The campaign, created by Euro RSCG London, aimed to shock people into quitting by depicting the blocked artery of a thirty year-old smoker and cigarettes dripping with the fatty substance that causes heart… Continue reading Ofcom Clears Hard Hitting Anti-Smoking Campaign

Britain’s annual rate of inflation increased slightly during January, but still remained well below the Bank of England’s 2.0% target, according the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics.The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s new measure of inflation, the Consumer Price Index, rose by 0.1% point to 1.4% last month on the back of bank… Continue reading UK Inflation Inches Up During January

Further signs of an improving advertising economy emerged yesterday as Omnicom Group, the world’s largest agency network, announced that its net income jumped by 10% to $221.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2003. The group, which owns BBDO Worldwide and TBWA, said that worldwide revenues were up by 18.3% to $2.5 billion. Revenue growth… Continue reading Omnicom Posts 18% Revenue Rise As Markets Improve

Business press advertising expenditure in the US rose by 1.1% during November, although page volumes were down by 3.7%, according to the latest data from American Business Media (ABM). In the year to date spend was up slightly by 0.6% and pages were down by 3.5%. “We are encouraged by the performance of the telecommunications… Continue reading US Business Press Advertising Nudges Up 1% In November

The global market for mobile phones continued to grow in the fourth quarter of 2003, with shipments reaching a record high of 167.8 million units, up 29.7% year on year, according to IDC. The fourth quarter closed a particularly strong year for the worldwide mobile phone market as handset sales topped half a billion units… Continue reading Global Mobile Shipments Jump 23% In 2003

The Association of Publishing Agencies has come together with the Advertising Agency Register to launch a consultancy service that allows users to match a client’s brief for a consumer magazine to a publishing agency’s expertise.The partnership will see the AAR provide a range of services to the Association of Publishing Agencies, from managing initial enquiries… Continue reading AAR Launches Consumer Magazine Consultancy Service