The Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC) has published a letter outlining the issues which it is to consider in the light of the BSkyB takeover bid for Manchester United Football Club. The bid was made in early September (see Newsline), and was referred to the MMC by Peter Mandelson at the end of October (see… Continue reading MMC Outlines Issues Of Concern Over BSkyB Bid
Yesterday saw the launch of Blue, a new London based magazine aimed at the inhabitants in the west of the capital.The title is a rather scaled down version of Time Out, containing guides and listings to the area, as well as features on local places, fashions and general lifestyle items.The title is £1 where sold,… Continue reading Blue Joins The Ranks
The Advertising Standards Authority’s monthly bulletin upheld complaints against BSkyB this month, criticising a magazine advertisement claiming that its service was the widest choice of TV provided by any supplier. The ASA ruled that the broadcaster had failed to justify the claim that it offered the widest choice of television, and therefore asked Sky to… Continue reading ASA Clamps Down On Broadcaster’s Advertising
Daily Mail & General Trust today released its preliminary results for the year, showing a turnover of £1,417.8 million, an increase of 18% from last year. Pre-tax profit was £197.4 million for the year ended 27 September 1998.The group reported significant market share increases of its titles, the Daily Mail and the Mail On Sunday,… Continue reading DMGT Reports Increase In Market Share
Mike Soutar, managing director of EMAP Radio’s Kiss 100 London station, has been moved to the post of creative director for the company.Soutar will be responsible for creating new programme ideas across all the company’s stations, but he will not be in control of specific programming decisions. Whilst a replacement is being sought, EMAP Radio’s… Continue reading EMAP Radio Moves Kiss MD To Creative Role
The Bank of England has delivered a pre-Christmas boost to hard-pressed manufacturers and retailers by cutting interest rates by a half-point.The Bank’s nine-member Monetary Policy Committee voted for the third month in succession to reduce its base rate for lending, moving it from 6.75% to 6.25%. However, this falls below the 1% cut which a… Continue reading Bank Cuts Interest Rate By 0.5%
Face and Arena, says that the market was not open to a magazine which didn’t primarily focus on ‘babes’.The magazine’s last issue, which featured a speed garage covermounted CD, still only managed to sell 48,000 copies – well below the title’s target circulation of 80,000. “There is only so much money you can spend,” said… Continue reading Wagadon’s Deluxe Closes After Eight Months
The Mirror is claiming a victory over its main competitor, the Sun, in the November ABC sales figures which are officially released this Friday.The Mirror says its sales for November are up by 66,000 year on year, where the Sun‘s have fallen (but only by 0.9%). Mirror Group’s managing director, Roger Eastoe, claims that the… Continue reading Mirror Claims November Circulation Success
Channel 4 and ITN today revealed details of the new look Channel 4 News, set for launch next year. Starting from 4 January, the programme will have a new look, a new set and, for the first time, an extended Saturday edition. The new set will feature a video wall and there will be more… Continue reading Channel 4 News Revamp Details
Channel 5 was risking losing the right to two additional digital channels in its delay to begin broadcasting its main service on digital terrestrial television (DTT), until it announced this morning that its DTT launch is on-track for next week.Although the channel is carried by BSkyB’s digital satellite service, it is the only terrestrial channel… Continue reading Channel 5 Confirms DTT Launch
