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Virgin Media is offering enhanced email services to its home broadband customers in partnership with Google.The new email service will see Virgin Media customers get over 7GB of storage and @virginmedia.com email addresses for the first time.Virgin Media’s new email service will be one of the largest deployments of Google Partner Edition Apps, which allow… Continue reading Virgin Media offers enhanced email services with Google

eBay is to separate online telephone service Skype from its main business in a stockmarket flotation. The online auction company has announced that it will launch a public offering of shares by the first half of 2010. John Donahoe, eBay’s president and CEO, said: “Skype is a great stand-alone business with strong fundamentals and accelerating… Continue reading eBay announces plan for 2010 initial public offering of Skype

Universal Music Group (UMG) is working with Google’s YouTube to launch a new music and video entertainment service featuring UMG’s premium video content.Called Vevo, the ad-supported service will launch later this year, with the technology infrastructure provided by YouTube.On YouTube, this content will be exclusively available through VEVO.com and a new VEVO channel through a… Continue reading Universal Music and YouTube to launch music video service Vevo

The Local Radio Company (TLRC) has rejected a £1.25 million takeover bid from radio group UKRD.Last week, Hallwood Financial made an offer of £1.8 million for TLRC, following which TLRC independent non-executive director John Perriss strongly recommended the company’s shareholders reject the bid from UKRD.UKRD owns stations including Pirate FM 102 in the West Country… Continue reading Local Radio Company turns down UKRD bid

The European Commission has begun legal proceedings against the UK over the behavioural advertising company Phorm.In a statement, the Commission said that the “proceeding addresses several problems with the UK’s implementation of EU ePrivacy and personal data protection rules, under which EU countries must ensure… the confidentiality of communications by prohibiting interception and surveillance without… Continue reading European Commission begins legal action on Phorm

UK ad spending will fall 8.7% this year, with global spend predicted to shrink by 6.9%, according to a new forecast from ZenithOptimedia.Zenith is currently forecasting 1.5% growth in global adspend in 2010, followed by 4.5% growth in 2011, although these forecasts will be revised when new information arises, it said.Adspend is forecast to fall… Continue reading UK adspend forecast to fall 8.7% in 2009

The Local Radio Company (TLRC) has rejected a takeover bid from rival radio group UKRD. Last week, Hallwood Financial made an offer of £1.8 million for TLRC, following which TLRC independent non-executive director John Perriss strongly recommended the company’s shareholders reject the £1.25 million offer from UKRD. Hallwood Financial already owns 28% of TLRC and… Continue reading Local Radio Company turns down UKRD takeover offer

Ray Snoddy, former media editor of the Times and the FT and current presenter of the BBC’s Newswatch will be writing weekly for MediaTel NewsLine from mid-May. Here’s a taster of what’s to come with Ray’s reflections on a conference session and interview with Martin Sorrell at MIPTV in Cannes last week, and on Zillion… Continue reading A Zillion reasons why Sorrell might be right

Virgin Media has begun the sale of its content division, issuing a sales memorandum for its Virgin Media TV business and sales house IDS, although it is excluding its 50% stake in UKTV. It is understood that the UKTV stake will be sold when there is a clearer picture of the future of joint owner… Continue reading Virgin Media begins sale of content division

The economic downturn could provide an opportunity for innovative research practices to come to the fore, according to the panel at the latest MediaTel Group seminar on the ‘Future of Media Research’.Speaking at this morning’s event, panellist Sheila Byfield, leader, business planning at Mindshare Worldwide, said: “At the danger of being shot, recessions are quite… Continue reading Economic downturn could see greater innovation in media research