More Industry News articles

According to a report in today’s Guardian, ITV chiefs Michael Green and Charles Allen are coming under increasing pressure to stand down if and when the merger of Carlton and Granada takes place. Under the terms of the deal, thrashed out in October (see Carlton And Granada Enter Advanced Merger Talks), it was agreed that… Continue reading Shareholders Round On Senior ITV Executives

It is reported that SBC Communications has entered negotiations to acquire DirecTV, a move which would ruin Rupert Murdoch’s ambition to take charge of a US satellite broadcaster. According to the New York Times, SBC may be willing to pay upwards of $10 billion for the business which is currently owned by General Motors. The… Continue reading SBC Expresses Interest In DirecTV

Revenues at Vivendi Universal increased by 6% to €61 billion during 2002 thanks in part to a strong performance by Cegetel, the group’s telecoms division. Excluding businesses that have been sold off, Vivendi’s full year revenue was up 11% to €28.1 billion. Cegetel which includes SFR, France’s second-largest mobile operator, saw sales rise by a… Continue reading Sales Boost For Vivendi After Difficult Year

Granada chairman, Charles Allen, has delivered a scathing attack on the BBC, arguing that the Corporation should lose 10% of its licence fee to fund public service programming on commercial channels. Despite the fact that ITV pulled in almost £1.7 billion in revenue last year, Allen told industry figures at the Royal Television Society last… Continue reading Granada Chairman Calls For Slice Of BBC Licence Fee

Lastminute.com fell back into the red in the first quarter as a seasonal lull in sales and one-off charges hit the balance sheet at the online retailer. Having reported its first quarterly profit in November (see City News), losses totalled £1.58 million before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation in the three months to December. However,… Continue reading No Alarms As Lastminute Slips Back Into The Red

Vivendi Universal chief Jean-René Fortou has reportedly backtracked on plans to break up, sell and float various tranches of the Canal Plus pay-TV broadcasting business. According to a report in today’s Financial Times, Fourtou has sent a letter to Vivendi employees indicating that Canal Plus is no longer for sale and that it will retain… Continue reading Vivendi Will Retain Canal Plus, Says Report

Cable & Wireless was the markets big story on Thursday as news of a take-over bid from Hong-Kong based telecoms group, Pacific Century Cyberworks (PCCW), had traders on the run (see Cable & Wireless Subject Of Takeover Speculation). However, some have already dismissed the offer as hot air, claiming PCCW has no intention of making… Continue reading Sharewatch: C&W Rises On Takeover Speculation

IPC’s flagship weekly women’s title, Woman’s Own, has teamed up with Turner Classic Movies in its first cross-media deal under parent company, AOL Time Warner.The deal will see Woman’s Own sponsor TCM’s Valentine season of films throughout February, which is designed to appeal to women aged between 25 and 45.As part of the agreement Woman’s… Continue reading Woman’s Own In Cross Media Deal With Turner

The IPA is set to publish a new set of guidelines on SMS marketing in response to the increasing popularity of mobile media in the advertising mix.The guidelines address the questions surrounding prior consent, opting-in, opting-out and self regulation, which are key issues in this emerging market.Nigel Gwilliam, IPA e-commerce and new media consultant, commented:… Continue reading IPA Publishes New Guidelines On Mobile Marketing

Students wishing to ease the pressure of mounting debts are being urged to use their heads as billboards to advertise brands such as FHM.Creative marketing agency, Cunning Stunts, which is best known for projecting Gail Porter’s bottom onto the Houses Of Parliament, is offering students a fee of £88 pounds a week to use their… Continue reading Students To Become Human Billboards