More Industry News articles

Each week, NewsLine brings you a round-up of the latest news from the City affecting the media industry.Pearson, publisher of the Financial Times, announced that it expects double digit profits at the title this year, thanks to new cost measures, integration actions and diversification (Full Story).The company added that it is trading in line with… Continue reading Media In The City

IPC Media’s TV weekly magazines sector, IPC TX, has gained a new managing director, after the departure of Philippa Brown.Fiona Dent will take over the role from 4 June, with Brown leaving the publisher to join OMG UK as CEO.Dent will also have responsibility for IPC Plus, the licensing and syndication business, and IPC Direct,… Continue reading IPC’s TV Listings Sector Gets New MD

The future of Iostar could be in doubt after Dawn Airey, former MD of Sky networks, quit last week. Airey left after just one week owing to concerns about the company’s financial arrangements and is understood to have shown doubts that Iostar will be able to live up to its original vision. The company, which… Continue reading Iostar Future Could Be In Doubt

The latest economic forecast from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) says that the UK economy will grow by 2.7%, boosted by buoyant business investment which will rise by 8.2%. The NIESR says that consumer price inflation rose to 3.1% in the year to March, prompting the first explanatory letter from the… Continue reading UK Economy Forecast To Grow 2.7%

By the end of 2011, 80% of active internet users (and Fortune 500 enterprises) will have a ‘second life’ online, according to Gartner, Inc. Steve Prentice, vice president and analyst at Gartner, said: “The collaborative and community-related aspects of these environments will dominate in the future, and significant transaction-based commercial opportunities will be limited to… Continue reading 80% Of Active Internet Users To Have Virtual Lives

Recent Strategy Analytics research forecasts that 90% of UK homes will be watching High Definition TV by 2020 as long as Ofcom allocates spectrum on the digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform for HDTV. Without HD on DTT, a mere 60% of homes would be watching HDTV by 2020. This report, HDTV and DTT: The Impact… Continue reading 90% Of UK Homes Could Be Watching HDTV By 2020

1Xtra has announced that Nesha is to leave the station on May 4, to be replaced by Max as host of its weekday lunchtime show.Max will begin presenting on May 7 having deputised in several slots this year. She was signed by the station in December 2006.Max said “I’m thrilled at the opportunity to be… Continue reading New Weekday DJ For 1Xtra

The BBC Trust has given the BBC approval to go ahead with the launch of a nationally available free-to-view satellite platform.Freesat, a joint venture with ITV, has an anticipated launch date of Spring 2008 and will offer up to 200 channels plus digital satellite interactivity and high definition capability.Mark Thompson, BBC director-general, said: “The BBC’s… Continue reading Freesat Gets BBC Trust Approval

Ofcom and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) will today hand reports to the Department of Trade and Industry giving their views on BSkyB’s purchase of a 17.9% stake in ITV.This comes two months after secretary of state Alastair Darling issued a special intervention notice. It is expected that Darling will take a month to… Continue reading Regulators To Hand Sky Share Reports To DTI Today

The Office of Fair Trading has told the government that BSkyB’s acquisition of an almost 18% stake in ITV means Britain’s biggest commercial broadcaster is no longer fully independent, and the deal raises significant competition concerns.The OFT has said that the case needs to be referred to the Competition Commission, after reporting to the Department… Continue reading Sky’s ITV Stake Raises Significant Competition Concerns