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Lord Conrad Black was dealt a further blow yesterday when he was forced to step down as chairman of the Telegraph Group, after almost twenty years at the newspaper company’s helm. It emerged last night that Black, who took control of the Daily Telegraph in 1985, had been removed as both chairman and director of… Continue reading Crisis Deepens As Black Ousted From Telegraph Group

Any potential merger plans being drawn up between Channel 4 and Five could be derailed if the Government insists on state-owned Channel 4 being auctioned off to the highest bidder. A Government source, quoted by The Business, stated: “It’s difficult to conceive of a way in which you could privatise a public corporation without some… Continue reading Channel 4 Auction Could Scupper Five Merger

The continued growth of digital media will cause a fundamental shift in media planning by the end of the decade, according to Jerry Buhlmann, chief executive officer of Carat International. Buhlmann predicts that advertising is about to significantly change, with emerging technologies such as the internet, digital television and 3G mobile phones expected to account… Continue reading Digital Media Will Cause Major Planning Shift

Three former Carlton directors could be ousted from the ITV board by a group of shareholders angry over the directors’ decision to authorise a controversial £15 million payoff to Michael Green. It is understood that Sir Brian Pitman, the most senior former Carlton director, will visit shareholders this week to explain why the broadcaster approved… Continue reading Former Carlton Directors Could Be Ousted From ITV Board

Global media inflation is rising faster than economic growth, with Central & Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific currently being the driving regions. It is television, which for the last few years has seen significant deflation, that will bounce back to show the strongest inflation during 2004. According to figures from Initiative Media, even weak… Continue reading Media Inflation Outpaces Economic Growth, Finds Initiative

Pre-tax profits at global market research company, Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS), jumped by 33.8% to £65.3 million during 2003, as the integration of NFO progressed ahead of plan during the year. Excluding joint ventures and integration costs, pre-tax profits were up 13.3% to £32.4 million. Operating profit, including joint ventures, was up by 35.1% at… Continue reading TNS Sees Profits Jump In 2003 After NFO Acquisition

Britain’s cinema industry remains on track to deliver 200 million cinema-goers and £1 billion at the box office by 2008, according to a new report from Dodona Research. The optimistic outlook comes despite a decline of 8.5 million in admissions during 2003. Dodona says that this fall was due to the exceptional film line-up of… Continue reading UK Cinema On Track For £1bn Box Office By 2008

Hollinger International, the parent company of the Daily Telegraph, has confirmed that it is pressing ahead with the auction of its newspapers and will welcome any offer from the Barclay brothers. The announcement follows a final order from a US court that prevented Lord Conrad Black from selling his majority stake in Hollinger Inc to… Continue reading Hollinger Invites Barclays To Join Telegraph Auction

Merrill Lynch has upgraded its ad revenue forecast for ITV after the newly-merged TV giant said it has seen “positive signs” in the market. In ITV’s first financial results release yesterday (see ITV On Target To Save £100 Million From Merger), the company said it expects ITV1 advertising in the first quarter of 2004 to… Continue reading Merrill Lynch Upgrades ITV Ad Forecasts

French advertising giant Havas posted a larger than expected net loss during 2003 as the costs of its radical restructure mounted. The company, which includes UK agency MPG in its portfolio, posted net losses of €396 million, compared to a net profit of €23 million in 2002. Revenue for the year was down 17.2% at… Continue reading Havas Posts Larger Than Expected Loss As Restructuring Costs Mount