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GCap Media has acquired a majority stake in the local social networking website welovelocal.com for £450,000. welovelocal.com helps people find businesses in their area by reading reviews and sharing their recommendations. GCap will combine welovelocal.com’s highly engaged online audience with its own network of local radio brands to enhance the broadband strategy announced by chief… Continue reading GCap Buys Majority Stake In Local Social Networking Site

AOL is to buy leading social networking website Bebo in an $850 million (£417 million) cash deal.Bebo, founded by Michael and Xochi Birch in 2005, claims to have 11.4 million unique users in the UK and a worldwide membership of more than 40 million.In a statement released this afternoon, AOL said that the deal would… Continue reading AOL To Buy Bebo For $850m

JCDecaux has reported worldwide revenues of more than €2 billion (£1.5 billion) for 2007, up 2.8% from 2006. The billboard giant’s organic revenues growth, excluding acquisitions and the impact of foreign exchange, was 8.8%. In a trading statement, JCDecaux said that its UK billboard business posted double digit growth in profit margin last year. However,… Continue reading JCDecaux Reports Worldwide Revenues Of €2bn

UTV, owner of talkSPORT, has reported a 2% increase in group revenues for 2007, to £115.6 million. Operating profit, including associate income and before exceptional charges was up 5% from £24.8 million in 2006, to £26 million. Radio operating profit was up 21% at £14.5 million for the year, while television operating profit was down… Continue reading UTV Group Revenues Increase 2%

AOL is to buy leading social networking website Bebo in an $850 million (£417 million) cash deal. Bebo, founded by Michael and Xochi Birch in 2005, claims to have 11.4 million unique users in the UK and a total membership of more than 40 million worldwide. AOL said that the deal would give it a… Continue reading AOL Buys Bebo For $850m

Clear Channel Outdoor UK has promoted group sales director, Rob Atkinson, to the position of UK managing director, with responsibility for driving the expansion of the company in Britain.Atkinson will report to regional president for the UK, Ireland and North Africa, Barry Sayer, and will be in charge of promoting greater synergy across all areas… Continue reading Clear Channel Outdoor Promotes Atkinson To UK MD

The European Commission has approved Google’s £1.55 billion takeover of online advertising network DoubleClick.Following an investigation which began last November, the commission found that the merger would be unlikely to have harmful effects on consumers.Third parties such as Microsoft had complained that the merger, which has already been approved in the US by the Federal… Continue reading Google Gets EU Approval For DoubleClick Takeover

Global net TV advertising revenues will reach US$123 billion in 2008, up 5.8% on 2007, according to a new report from Informa Telecoms & Media.From this 2008 total, net pay TV advertising will bring in US$18 billion, a figure which has doubled over the last five years. Pay TV will represent 15% of total TV… Continue reading Net TV Ad Revenues Forecast To Rise

Freeview has revealed that sales for 2007 hit an all-time high with 9.7 million Freeview branded products sold, up 64% year-on-year. The Gfk Q4 figures also show the success of Christmas sales with 3.8 million purchases, Freeview’s best quarterly figures to date. Freeview Playback, which now accounts for half of the total digital TV recorder… Continue reading Freeview Sales Hit All-Time High

French marketing services company Havas has reported a 39% year-on-year increase in operating profit to €168 million (£128 million) for 2007. Havas, which owns media agencies Euro RSCG, Media Planning Group and BLM, also posted a rise in net income of 81% to €83 million (£63.3 million). It recorded 9.8% organic growth in the Q4… Continue reading Havas Reports 39% Rise In Operating Profit