The Radio Authority today placed an ad in the FT for the first and only national commercial digital radio multiplex.The licence is granted for a period of twelve years and some of its capacity is reserved for broadcasting the three existing national commercial stations. Remaining capacity may accommodate a range of new national services, the… Continue reading Radio Authority Advertises National Digital Licence
Cable company NTL is believed to have made an offer of £550 million for General Cable. Although NTL declined to comment this morning, it has been in talks with General Cable for some time (subscribers see General Cable In Takeover Talks).Telewest was also in discussion with General Cable but it is reported that its offer… Continue reading NTL In General Cable Takeover Rumours
Channel 5 plans to offer its ‘spare’ digital frequencies to other broadcasters to use for their own programming. The channel says that it wishes to focus its investment and spending on the one Channel 5 service which will be simulcast on both analogue and digital terrestrial, as well as digital satellite.This means that the channel… Continue reading Channel 5 To Offer Surplus Digital Frequencies
The Independent Radio Group, which owns stations such as Scot FM , Mercury FM and 102.4 Wish FM , today announced financial results for 1997 which show a fall in losses from £3 million in 1996 to £2 million. There was also a 60% rise in turnover to £3.6m.Chairman John Bateson said: “IRG is in… Continue reading Independent Radio Shows Improved Results
ITV today announced a £170 million schedule for Spring and Summer which is dominated by World Cup and Formula One action. This will culminate on July 12 when live coverage of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone is followed by the final of the World Cup in Paris.ITV also announced its presentation team for the… Continue reading Sport Leads The Way For New ITV Schedule
Marketing information company Taylor Nelson AGB today announced that its operating profit for 1997 was £12 million, a 40% increase on 1996’s £8.6 million. The merger with French information group Sofres, which created the world’s fourth largest market research company (subscribers see Taylor Nelson Buys French Rival), has helped lift Taylor Nelson’s performance in the… Continue reading Taylor Nelson Operating Profits Up 40%
Flextech this morning announced final year financial results for 1997 which showed an increase of 54% in turnover to £100 million while losses on ordinary activities before taxation fell from £14.2m in 1996 to £6.2m.The Discovery Channel and its sister channel, Discovery Home And Leisure , for which Flextech handles distribution, ad sales and research,… Continue reading Losses Improve At Flextech
Revenue According to agency estimates, total terrestrial television revenue for February (including GMTV) came in at £176.35 million. Of this, ITV brought in £120.83 million (down 0.8% year on year), Channel 4 £41.12m (up 9.3%), Channel 5 £9.53m and GMTV £4.87m (down 9.8%).Among the ITV franchises there was very little change year on year, though… Continue reading TV Round-Up – February
Margaret Beckett, President of the Board of Trade, has appointed David Edmonds as director general of telecommunications watchdog Oftel. Edmonds was previously a director at NatWest Group.He replaces Don Cruickshank, who announced his resignation last year (subscribers see Cruickshank Steps Down From Oftel), and will take up the position on April 1.Commenting on the appointment,… Continue reading New Head Of Oftel Appointed
Chris Evans’ media group Ginger Media has teamed up with GWR Group to create Digital One, a digital consortium which will bid for the only national commercial digital radio licence advertised by the Radio Authority today (see earlier Radio Authority Advertises National Digital Licence story).Quentin Howard, head of GWR’s Digital Division, will become Digital One’s… Continue reading GWR And Ginger Create Digital Consortium
