Shares in Reuters jumped 38p to £10.25˝p on rumours that bidders were lining up to make an offer for the information group. Thomson Financial and Bloomberg were seen as the most likely predators.Independent News and Media saw its prices soar by over 12% to an all-time high of £5.25p. Interest in the group, which owns… Continue reading Sharewatch
Interactive television services platform, Open, has signed a deal with the Asda supermarket chain to sell the store’s goods from this summer. Asda joins a number of other retailers on the service, which launched last October (see Interactive TV Launches In The UK), including Woolworth’s, WHSmith, Domino’s Pizza, Carphone Warehouse, Dixons and Manchester United.Initially Asda… Continue reading Open Signs Asda To Interactive Service
Shares in global advertising group WPP surged yesterday after the company announced investments in three new media ventures. Stock closed up 61p at an all-time high of 1,129p.Pay-TV group Flextech has performed very strongly in the last few days. Flextech is a shareholder in Scottish Media Group (up 31˝p at 1,130p) which is itself completing… Continue reading Sharewatch
Fifteen viewers complained to the Independent Television Commission (ITC) about an episode of Brookside which contained a scene of a couple having sex in a shower and another scene featuring a group of white racists.The episode, which was screened on a Saturday tea-time, also featured the word ‘shag’. Channel 4, which broadcasts the soap, notes… Continue reading Brookside Pulled Up For Sex And Racism
The Radio Authority (RA) has awarded the local digital multiplex licence for Liverpool to the sole applicant, EMAP Digital Radio. The licence, which covers Liverpool and the surrounding areas, will broadcast to a potential audience of 1.8 million adults (15+).EMAP Radio plans to broadcast eight programme services to the area drawn from its own station… Continue reading EMAP Wins Digital Radio Licence For Liverpool
The ITV Network’s commercial director, John Hardie, has tweaked his peaktime (7:00-10:30pm) audience share targets for 2000 to take into account the rapid growth in multichannel television viewing. In a presentation to advertisers the Network said its new target is to achieve a 1% increase in real terms in ITV’s average peaktime audience share.Originally Hardie… Continue reading ITV Adjusts Peaktime Target For 2000
Month On MonthAccording to the latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), released today, all but four of the national newspapers showed falling circulations in the last two months of 1999, with the overall sector dropping just under 890,000 copy sales (3.2%) between November and December.Only the Financial Times, Sunday Business, Sunday Express… Continue reading National Newspaper ABC Round-Up – December 1999
Greg Dyke, the incoming director general of the BBC, is facing pressure to sell his shares in media and hospitality group Granada, following criticisms that the holding represents a conflict of interest.According to press reports today, Dyke has been given until April to relinquish the stake in Granada, which is expected to fetch around £6… Continue reading Dyke’s Granada Holdings May Cause Conflict Of Interest
Month On MonthAccording to the latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), released today, all but four of the national newspapers showed falling circulations in the last two months of 1999, with the overall sector dropping just under 890,000 copy sales (3.2%) between November and December.Only the Financial Times, Sunday Business, Sunday Express… Continue reading National Newspaper ABC Round-Up – December 1999
Shares in satellite broadcaster BSkyB surged on Friday to close up 145p (12.9%) at 1,266p. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is currently investigating the company’s position as a broadcaster and channel provider in the pay-TV market (see OFT To Review BSkyB’s Position In Pay-TV Market). Sky is hoping that the OFT’s review will lead… Continue reading Sharewatch
