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Global market research firm, Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS), has this morning confirmed that it plans to buy NFO Worldgroup for $425 million. The announcement comes after a preliminary statement from TNS last week, in which it confirmed that discussions with NFO’s owner, Interpublic Group, were underway (see Taylor Nelson Looks At NFO WorldGroup Acquisition). Based… Continue reading TNS Shares Jump On $425m NFO Worldgroup Acquisition

Omnicom and WPP are performing most strongly of the major global agencies, whilst Havas and Interpublic Group are weaker, according to the recent round of first quarter financial results. Data compiled by Lehman Brothers in the graph below show that Omnicom’s figures are considerably ahead for both organic growth and reported revenues, whilst Havas remains… Continue reading First Quarter Ad Agency Performance Comparisons

French advertising network, Havas, has posted first quarter financial results that show a significant slow-down in revenues in the UK and US. These regions comprise around two-thirds of Havas’ business. Total group revenues were €402 million, down by 19.8% on Q1 2002. Within this, Europe fell by 15.1% to €197 million, with Germany, Italy and… Continue reading Havas Revenues Show Weak UK And US, No Recovery Until 2004

The broadband market has defied the downturn in the rest of the telecoms and internet sector and ‘enjoyed striking growth’ across the globe in the last three years, according to The McKinsey Quarterly. This expansion is set to continue for the foreseeable future as consumers tap into the benefits of high-speed internet access. In its… Continue reading INSIGHTanalysis: Broadband To Be A Boon For Business

BSkyB added 150,000 subscribers to its digital satellite service in the third quarter of its financial year, beating the consensus expectations. Analysts had predicted that there would be between 137,000 (Merrill Lynch) and 153,000 (Morgan Stanley), with Lehman Brothers forecasting 145,000 (see Morgan Stanley Expects 153k New Sky Subs In Q3). The group now has… Continue reading BSkyB Adds 150k New Subs In Q3, Strong Financials

Bertelsmann, the Germany-based global media group, is selling its scientific publishing arm, BertelsmannSpringer, to UK venture capitalist groups, Cinven and Candover. The two groups will pay €1.05 billion (£700 million) for the BertelsmannSpringer division, which comprises 70 different publishing companies. This deal will given the two private equity firms one of Europe’s largest publishers of… Continue reading UK Equity Groups Take BertelsmannSpringer For €1.1bn

Cordiant Communications this morning said that it is still in negotiations to reach a plan that will secure its future, following the devastating news of a key account loss a couple of weeks ago. Drinks group, Allied Domecq, announced that it intends to terminate the contract with Cordiant as of October this year; the advertising… Continue reading Cordiant Looks For Survival Plan

ITV advertising revenues are expected to be flat in the first half of the year, according to predictions from Lehman Brothers analysts. These forecasts concur with the group’s trading updates, released at the respective AGMs in March (see Carlton Sees Challenging H1 For ITV Ad Revenues). Previewing Carlton and Granada’s H1 financial results, the broker… Continue reading ITV Ad Revenue To Drop 2% In 2003, Says Broker

Influential Labour peer, Lord Puttnam, has strengthened his opposition to the Government’s Communications Bill, with a warning that it will face defeat in the House Of Lords unless plans to relax the UK media ownership regulations are abandoned. In his toughest criticism yet of the proposed legislation, Puttnam is believed to have demanded that the… Continue reading Puttnam Threatens To Quash Communications Bill

Interpublic, the indebted advertising and marketing group, recorded a heavy loss in the first three months of the year as it sought to reorganise and retain business after disappointing results in 2002. The company posted a net loss of $8.6 million in Q1, higher than analysts had expected. This compares with a profit of $59.8… Continue reading Interpublic Not Out Of The Woods After Q1 Loss