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WPP is expected to announce a fall in profits for the first half of 2003, when it issues interim results this week, but there is growing confidence that the advertising industry is emerging from recession. According to a report in The Observer, WPP’s chief executive Martin Sorrell does not foresee any recovery until late-2004 but… Continue reading WPP Puts Faith In The Future

Comcast, the US cable giant, has announced that it will not be bidding for the US entertainment assets of Vivendi Universal. Following a meeting on Wednesday, Comcast executives have decided not to make a formal offer. This represents a blow to Vivendi which is hoping to raise up to $14 billion from the sale of… Continue reading Comcast Not In The Running For VUE

The long-running price war between the Sun and Daily Mirror has pushed operating income down by 28% for the financial year at News International (NI), the Sun‘s parent company. In the release of its year-end financial results, NI’s owner, News Corporation, said that classified and display advertising revenue gains at the Sun and News Of… Continue reading News Corp UK Papers Feel Effects Of Sun’s Price War

Indebted advertising network, Interpublic Group (IPG), has remained in the red during the second quarter of the year, reporting losses of $13.5 million on revenues up by less than 1%. In the first quarter of the year, IPG reported a loss of $8.6 million (see Interpublic Not Out Of The Woods After Q1 Loss). Advertising… Continue reading Interpublic Losses Continue In Second Quarter

Barclay Knapp is stepping down as chief executive of NTL, just months after the UK cable group emerged from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy process (see NTL Emerges From Bankruptcy). Knapp, who joined NTL ten years ago, will step down from his current role at the close of business on Friday, but will stay at the… Continue reading Knapp Departs NTL As Q2 Results Show Some Growth

The acquisition of Bcom3 Group helped Publicis, the world’s fourth largest marketing and advertising group, to achieve strong growth in sales in the second quarter of 2003. Revenues were up by 60.7% to €965 million, taking into account the consolidation of former Bcom3 agencies purchased in September 2002. Organic sales, which exclude acquisitions and foreign… Continue reading Publicis Sees Revenues Rise In Q2

BSkyB has comfortably beaten market forecasts in its final quarter customer growth, adding 133,000 new subscribers and taking its customer base to 6.8 million, the group announced this morning. This is even higher than a revised and upgraded forecast from Lehman Brothers, which claimed that there would be 128,000 additions, ahead of the 100,000 market… Continue reading BSkyB Results Beat Market Expectations As Subs Hit 6.8m

BSkyB’s £1.02 billion deal to broadcast live Premiership football for a further three years could be investigated by the European Commission following concerns it breaches competition laws. The Premier League had structured the deal in accordance with the EC’s desire that the media rights be split into four separate packages to promote competition and encourage… Continue reading BSkyB’s Football Rights Deal Could Face Investigation

Analysts claim that the cable television company NTL is set to announce a major fund raising exercise that will net around $650 million and increase the possibility of a merger with UK rival Telewest. According to a report in The Observer, NTL is planning to ask shareholders to subscribe to new shares with the cash… Continue reading UK Cable Merger Still Viable

US radio advertising revenues continued to show growth during June, with combined national and local spend rising by 4% year on year, according to the latest figures from the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB). National expenditure jumped by 16% in the month, whilst local remained flat. Across the whole of the first half, national revenues are… Continue reading US Radio Revenue Strengthens With 4% Growth In June