The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has decided not to refer to the Competition Commission the £2.3 billion merger between cable company Telewest Communications and pay-TV channel producer Flextech (see Telewest And Flextech Agree Terms Of £2.26bn Merger).The deal will create a combined media group valued at more than £12 billion. The companies describe… Continue reading Telewest And Flextech Merger Cleared By DTI
US-based internet search engine company, AltaVista (www.altavista.co.uk), has this morning unveiled a new internet access package which could profoundly shake up the existing tariff-based systems. Launching within the next three months, the new AltaVista deal will give UK customers unlimited access to the internet via unmetered telephone calls for just one registration fee and an… Continue reading AltaVista To Offer Unmetered Net Access
There has been an increase in the overall decline in national newspaper readership, according to the latest figures released by the National Readership Survey (NRS). A year-on-year analysis shows the whole sector falling 2.3% – or 1.6 million readers – for the six-month period ending January 2000.The largest falls during the period came from the… Continue reading National Newspaper NRS Round-Up – January 2000
BBC Radio 5 Live is “considering its position” with regard to rival sports station TalkSport’s recent claims that it will be broadcasting live coverage of Euro 2000. A spokesperson for Radio 5 said that it owns the rights to the competition and that Talksport’s coverage of the tournament will be limited to off screen broadcasts.Talksport… Continue reading TalkSport Is “Misleading Listeners”, Says BBC
Pearson climbed 112p as it prepares to announce its year-end financial results today. Stock closed at £23.03 on Friday.Wednesday’s quarterly FTSE International meeting is expected to be the most radical shake-up of the index to date, with hi-tech and internet stocks expected to make an entrance into the top 100. Cable & Wireless Communications and… Continue reading Sharewatch
Revenue Total terrestrial television revenue for January 2000 (including GMTV) came in at £223.0 million, according to agency estimates. The ITV Network’s revenue was up 12.8% on January 1999; Channel 4’s revenue was up 9.8% and Channel 5 saw its ad revenue grew annually by 24.3%. GMTV revenue, meanwhile, dropped back by 10.3% and total… Continue reading TV Market Round-Up – January 2000
BSkyB has signed an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur football club to design, develop and maintain the club’s website. The five-year deal, which starts at the end of the current season, will see the club’s online content revamped and enhanced.The site will continue to be located at www.spurs.co.uk but will also be accessible via a link… Continue reading BSkyB And Spurs Sign Net Deal
Increased fragmentation, one ITV, and a privatised Channel 4 will be part of the future shape of British television, according to the panel at MediaTel’s Media Question Time event.The members of the panel all believed that the future role of the BBC will take on increasing importance but they disagreed over what this role should… Continue reading Media Panel Divided About The Future Shape Of British TV
EMAP has this morning announced the acquisition of stakes in two internet-based companies for a combined sum of around £4 million. The company has acquired an 18% investment in US group, Alloutdoors.com, for $5.5 million and a 13.5% stake in Thematis in France for FFr6 million (£560,000).Alloutdoors.com is currently the largest online site for the… Continue reading EMAP Makes New Media Investments
BSkyB has announced its purchase of a 9.9% stake in Chelsea Village, the company which owns Chelsea Football Club. The deal, worth £40 million, will allow the broadcaster media and sponsorship rights for the club.BSkyB will act as exclusive media agent for the Chelsea Village Group for an initial period of five years. This excludes… Continue reading BSkyB Buys Stake In Chelsea
