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Vivendi Universal has decided to take up its option and buy BT’s 26% stake in Cegetel, giving it 70% control of the French telecoms group. Jean-René Fourtou, Chairman and CEO of Vivendi, said yesterday that the company had sufficient funds to match Vodafone’s E4 billion bid for the shareholding. Under a binding agreement, Vivendi had… Continue reading Vivendi Swoops For Cegetel Stake

The Barclay brothers are out of the bidding for SMG’s Herald group of newspapers, according to press reports. It is understood that there are now only two suitors left in the running for the Scottish titles – US group Gannett, owner of Newsquest in the UK, and Independent News & Media, publisher of the Independent… Continue reading Barclay Brothers Said To Be Out Of Herald Bid

Guardian Media Group has announced that it is to move Jazz FM’s sales operation from Clear Channel Radio Sales (CCRS) to Chrysalis. CCRS was only acquired last month (see GMG Set To Consolidate Radio Ad Sales) but is to be sold on to Radio Investments Limited, in which GMG is a major shareholder. Chrysalis will… Continue reading Chrysalis To Represent All GMG Stations

A merger of the two leading pay-television operators in Spain has been given the go-ahead by the country’s Government, according to a report in the Financial Times. Via Digital will be joined with Canal Satellite Digital creating a group with an 80% market share of the pay-TV sector. Via Digital is owned by telecoms group… Continue reading Spanish Pay-TV Groups Given Merger Go-Ahead

COI head of media, Jeremy Found, used his keynote speech at this year’s MRG Conference in Budapest to reassure delegates that media research has never been more important to the advertising industry. He argued passionately that media research deserved its place at the “top table” and insisted that it has never be harder to get… Continue reading Media Research Has Never Been So Important, Says COI

Jean-Charles Decaux, who heads up Europe’s leading outdoor media company, has hinted at a move for rival group Maiden in a bid to increase his firm’s influence in the UK. JCDecaux has been hit by the general downturn in outdoor advertising and last month revealed that third quarter revenues were down 0.9% at E357 million… Continue reading Maiden Eyed By Outdoor Rival

The debt-laden cable companies, NTL and Telewest are moving closer to finalising restructuring deals that will ensure their survival in the current difficult market conditions. NTL admitted on Friday that it had not yet concluded its £7 billion debt-for-equity swap (see NTL Is Cleared For Reorganisation) but said that it expected to complete the refinancing… Continue reading NTL And Telewest Press Ahead With Refinancing Plans

The European Commission has announced that it has begun a detailed investigation into the acquisition of Italian pay-TV company Telepiù by News Corporation. Two months ago and following protracted negotiations, Rupert Murdoch’s organisation agreed a deal to buy Telepiù from the French media giant Vivendi for E920 million (see News Corp Completes Telepiu Transaction). News… Continue reading EC To Investigate Telepiu Takeover

Merrill Lynch expects that advertising at the FT Group of newspapers will fall by around 13% on underlying basis in the second half of the year. The decline will be driven largely by a 15% fall at the Financial Times, a 13% fall at Les Echos and a 5.5% decline at Recoletes, excluding Argentina. Circulation… Continue reading FT Group’s Ad Forecasts Are Optimistic, Says Merrill Lynch

City analysts do not share the optimism of senior executives at Carlton and Granada and have downgraded the ITV companies following the release of their full-year results this week. The media research team at Morgan Stanley marked down the stocks from “equal weight” to “underweight”, essentially a recommendation to sell shares in the two companies.… Continue reading Carlton And Granada Hit By Downgrade