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First half pre-tax profits at Johnston Press jumped by 25.2% to £50.6 million, boosted by the acquisition of Regional Independent Media (RIM) in March this year (see Johnston Press Acquires RIM Newspaper Business). In financial results released this morning the regional publisher reported that advertising revenues rose by 1.2% on a like for like basis… Continue reading Johnston Press Sees Positive First Half Figures

Falling CD sales have prompted the music industry to resume its attack on the internet. It is backed up by growing evidence that the rise in illegal downloading is impacting on artists and record companies. New data from PricewaterhouseCoopers reveals that CD shipments in the US fell by 7% in the first half of 2002.… Continue reading Fall In US Music Sales Blamed On Internet Downloaders

RAI, the Italian state broadcaster faces the prospect of privatisation in a new set of proposals revealed by the country’s communications minister, Maurizio Gasparri. Gasparri is planning to introduce a bill into the Italian parliament that will result in the step-by-step privatisation of RAI, which broadcasts across three TV and eight radio networks. Silvio Berlusconi’s… Continue reading Italian State Broadcaster Facing Privatisation

27.08.02 RTL, the pan-European television group owned by Bertelsmann, has quashed speculation linking it with a takeover move for either Carlton or Granada. It will instead concentrate on developing its Channel 5 subsidiary. According to a report in the Financial Times, Didier Bellens, RTL chief executive, is set to increase programme spending at the channel… Continue reading RTL Rules Out ITV Acquisitions

AT&T, the US telecoms company, has completed the sale of its 27.6% stake in Time Warner Entertainment. AOL Time Warner has paid $9 million for full control of TWE and will now take sole charge of the Warner Brothers film studios plus a number of cable channels including HBO amd Comedy Central. The payment will… Continue reading AOL Finalises Deal With AT&T

The indebted cable operator, Telewest Communications has announced the appointment of a new finance director to lead it through a period of financial restructuring. Mark Luiz moves from his current position as chief operating officer to succeed Charles Burdick, who was promoted to managing director earlier this month (see Telewest Chief Executive Removed In ‘Boardroom… Continue reading Luiz To Manage Telewest Finances

UK cable operator, Telewest Communications, today moved closer to what seems to be its inevitable financial restructure as the company’s bank group agreed to permit it to enter discussions with bondholders and other relevant parties. The discussions will see Telewest formulating a plan to restructure its balance sheet in order to relieve the group of… Continue reading Telewest Gains Bank’s Consent For Restructure

European online trade revenues are expected to multiply in the next few years and will account for more than a fifth of all business trade by 2006, according to a new study by Forrester Research. The Future Of Europe’s Online B2B Trade reported on thirteen different industries in fifteen European countries and predicts that electrical… Continue reading EU Online Trade To Exceed €2 Trillion In 2006, Says Forrester

Germany’s solitary pay-TV service Premiere World has been put up for auction and is believed to have attracted interest from twenty potential buyers. Premiere has 2.4 million subscribers but has been losing money since launch and contributed in no small way to the collapse of its parent company, Kirch Gruppe. Possible bidders are thought to… Continue reading Struggling Premiere Goes Under The Hammer

People who have watched or listened to streaming media online in the past week buy more compact discs than the average American, according to a new study by Arbitron and Edison Media Research. The report, Internet 9: The Media and Entertainment World of Online Consumers found that weekly “Streamies” bought twenty-one CDs in the last… Continue reading Streaming Media Encourages Music Sales, Says Report