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SMG, owner of cinema advertising business Pearl & Dean and Virgin Radio, has released a statement confirming that it has received a merger bid from UTV. The statement follows a report in the Times which said that UTV had made an approach. In the statement, the SMG board said that if the merger were to… Continue reading UTV Merger Bid For SMG

By 2010 just under 30 million households in the US, Europe and Japan will have acquired a standalone hi-def disc player or recorder, according to Screen Digest. Screen Digest expects that sales of stand-alone Blu-ray and HD DVD players and recorders will initially be rather slow. It anticipates sales of 430,000 stand-alone Blu-ray/HD DVD players… Continue reading Blu-ray And HD DVD To Battle For Market Dominance

Private equity firms are preparing a £10 million bid for NTL, as shareholders lodge a formal complaint against the company for rejecting a £9 million offer last year, according to a report in today’s Times. The cable giant has seen its share price fall 20% in the past four months, despite its recent £3.4 billion… Continue reading NTL Could Face $10 Billion Bid

WPP has acquired a 3.4% stake in WildTangent, an online games publisher that sells in-game advertising. WPP says that this initiative will enable clients of WPP companies to tap into WildTangent Game Network, an in-game advertising network that includes hundreds of online and downloadable games from WildTangent’s own studios, in addition to titles from publishers… Continue reading WPP Moves Into In-Game Advertising

Online ad spend will reach $15.7 billion in the US this year and $25.9 billion by 2011, according to a new study from JupiterResearch. Search is forecast to dominate internet ad spend over the coming years, with search spending for this year projected to total $6.5 billion, or 41.4% of total online ad spending. In… Continue reading Online Adspend To Reach $25.9 Billion By 2011

WPP has acquired 25% of the issued share capital of Visible Technologies, an internet marketing firm, and entered into an option to acquire a further 26%. Visible Technologies specialises in innovative products and services that help brands manage their reputation on the internet, as well as track, analyse and participate across consumer-generated media communities, such… Continue reading WPP Acquires Stake In Internet Marketing Firm

GMG Radio has reported a revenue increase for its Real Radio and Smooth brands for the three months to June 30, despite the current tough climate for commercial radio. Trading for both the Real Radio and Smooth brands was up 26% from April to June 2006, The increase in revenue comes after The Guardian Media… Continue reading GMG Radio Reports Revenue Increase

Tiscali, the Italian internet service provider, is set to offer triple play services in the UK, after the company merged its British operations with Homechoice owners, Video Networks. The third largest broadband operator in the UK will make television, broadband and telephone services available, following the sale of Homechoice to Tiscali for a reported £60… Continue reading Tiscali To Launch Triple Play Services After Buying Homechoice

Archant has announced a 19.4% drop in profit in the first half of 2006, attributing the decline to fundamental structural changes in its markets and cyclical economic forces. In the six months to July 1 the company’s profits stood at £10.2 million. The regional newspaper and magazine group also said that its revenue was down… Continue reading Archant Magazines Show Growth As Profits Fall

Total retail revenue in the UK communications sector reached £50 billion in 2005, a 5% increase compared to 2004, according to new figures revealed by Ofcom in its new Communications Market report. The biggest annual rise, of £2 billion, came from the telecoms sector, while television revenue grew by £500 million. Total radio funding (BBC… Continue reading UK Communications Retail Revenue Reaches £50 Billion In 2005