Highbury House has agreed to buy Nexus Media for £40m in a deal which will create one of the largest independent magazine groups in the country. Highbury, which publishes trade and consumer titles, will raise £37.2m through an 11 for 20 rights issue at 60p a share to fund the deal.Shares in Highbury were suspended… Continue reading Highbury House Acquires Nexus
Interactive services are increasingly becoming the battleground on which broadcasters fight for digital subscribers. Cable group Telewest has announced a deal with a further 14 companies for its digital interactive service and rival group Open has completed a deal with online betting service, Blue Square.Telewest added a further 14 brands to its interactive service “Active… Continue reading Interactive Services Further Expansion
ITV took a 31.1% share of all UK television viewing during 1999, according to new figures released by the Independent Television Commission (ITC), beating BBC1’s 28.3% to remain nation’s most-watched channel. These figures represent a year on year decline in viewing share for ITV and BBC1 of 0.7% points and 1.2% points respectively.Channel 4’s annual… Continue reading ITV Takes Majority Viewing In 1999
BSkyB is set to announce plans to further its investment in online developments by up to £250 million. Yesterday it acquired a 5.4% stake in sports internet company Sportal and further investment plans are expected to be announced when the group releases its interim results next week.The broadcaster is the third media company in recent… Continue reading Sky Furthers Net Investments
EMAP announced today its further expansion in Australia with the purchase of New Woman magazine from Murdoch magazines. The group already publishes New Woman in the UK and this acquisition reflects its ongoing strategy to develop its leading brands internationally.The magazine will add to EMAP’s worldwide portfolio of women’s titles, which include Red, Elle and… Continue reading EMAP Expands In Australia
Shares in BSkyB reached a record high yesterday, jumping 130p to £14.39˝, as investors forecast a deal between the broadcaster and French group Vivendi. The group has also announced a commitment to spend up to £250 million on internet acquisitions.Cable & Wireless Communications slipped 14p to 945p as the group announced subscriber figures for its… Continue reading Sharewatch
Shares in BSkyB jumped 11% on Friday as French group Vivendi denied reports that it planned to sell it stake in the group (see Sharewatch). Prices closed at £13.09˝, making it the best performer on the FTSE 350.Pay-TV group Flextech climbed almost 10% to £14.25 as the terms of its merger with Telewest were confirmed… Continue reading Sharewatch
Monday MediaTel’s weekly industry focus, Media Track, is featured in Campaign Media Business.Thursday The latest radio audience listening figures are released by RAJAR. The data covers the period to December 1999. Some stations report quarterly, some every six months and some annually. A series of sector Round-Ups will be available on Newsline and in the… Continue reading The Week Ahead
UK cable company Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) is about to announce that it has signed up over 100,000 customers to its digital television service. The digital cable service is gradually being rolled out around the country, with the launch taking place last July in Manchester (see Cable & Wireless Communications Rolls Out Digital TV… Continue reading CWC Takes 100,000 Digital Subscribers
Online advertising group Real Media has announced that it has doubled the size of its sales team in order to accommodate the company’s growth. The expanded team, headed by Jonathan Bill, now comprises ten account managers with the added support of two new telesales executives.Bill said: “This expansion allows us to maintain and enhance the… Continue reading Real Media Doubles Sales Team
