More Industry News articles

The fortunes of Interpublic, the world’s second-largest advertising network, hit a new low yesterday as a prominent ratings agency issued a warning about the group’s debt. Interpublic endured a torrid 2002, punctuated by poor results, accounting revisions and ruminations on the state of the advertising economy. Just recently, IPG’s chief executive CEO John Dooner said… Continue reading Interpublic On The Brink Of Junk Status

The Barclay brothers have reportedly drawn up a plan to sell their national weekly newspaper, The Business. According to confidential documents obtained by the Financial Times, a possible management buy-out of The Business has been under consideration for some time. It is understood that lawyers acting for the Barclays have exchanged letters with City advisers… Continue reading Barclay Brothers Set To Sell The Business

Bidders are now lining up to make offers on Vivendi Universal’s entertainment assets, even though the group has so far maintained that they are not for sale. According to US press reports this week, Vivendi is being approached by at least for suitors for its US entertainment assets, which include Universal Pictures, USA Cable, Studios… Continue reading Bidders Move On Vivendi For Entertainment Assets, Say Reports

Premiere, the German pay-TV operator, said yesterday that takeover talks were proceeding smoothly and it expects to have a new owner confirmed by the end of March. Last month, a deal was brokered by which the private equity house Permira will take a 70% stake in Premiere, which was formerly part of the fallen Kirch… Continue reading Premiere Deal Nears Completion

Spain’s Auna Operadores de Telecomunicaciones SA has been forced to buy back a 6% holding in its liquidated digital terrestrial TV business, Quiero TV (see Forecasts), from Carlton Communications, according to a report from AFX News. The story is sourced from La Gaceta de los Negocios, which claims that Auna was obliged to return the… Continue reading Carlton Pockets €7.3m Quiero TV Reimbursement

The ASA has upheld complaints against a spoof leafleting campaign for the Twentieth Century Fox film, Super Troopers.The leaflets, which were left on car windscreens, resembled parking tickets and stated: “Penalty charge notice. Broken lizard’s Super Troopers. Warning you are summoned to appear on November 15 at a cinema near you.”Complainants objected that the leaflets… Continue reading ASA Raps Fox Over Guerrilla Marketing

The media sector was under pressure again on Tuesday with the FTSE experiencing its seventh straight session of losses, as the continuing threat of military action in Iraq and concerns over the economic slowdown in the US weighed in on market sentiment.On the corporate news-front, Cable and Wireless was seen in focus after the group… Continue reading Sharewatch

The Office Of Fair Trading (OFT) has launched a major ad campaign to encourage consumers to use their power in the market-place to get businesses to respond to their needs.The ‘It’s Your Call’ campaign, which will be fronted by BBC2’s Alvin Hall, has been created to emphasise the growing importance of consumers to the UK… Continue reading OFT Launches Ad Campaign To Promote Consumer Power

Graham Wallace, the man largely blamed for the recent travails of Cable & Wireless, is to step down following pressure from shareholders.Wallace has been at the telecoms group for five years and became chief executive in February 1999. He was in the forefront of attempts to establish C&W as a leading carrier of internet traffic… Continue reading Beleaguered C&W Chief To Exit The Fray

Emap has launched its first combined SMS and television campaign to promote the new Eminem film, 8 Mile.The promotion will run across Emap’s music channels: The Box, Kiss TV and Kerrang! TV, which will all participate in a special 8 Mile ‘winning weekend’.The channels will screen the films official trailer alongside hourly competitions to win… Continue reading Emap Combines SMS And TV To Promote 8 Mile