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A sharp fall in the market value of Future Network has led the company to issue a reassuring statement this morning. Future says that there has been no deterioration in its financial condition, the performance of its businesses or in the company’s expectation of its performance since the previous trading statement was posted on 8… Continue reading Future Reassures Investors Following Dramatic Shares Slump

The current ‘testing’ market conditions have seen revenue growth at global advertising and communications group Aegis come in at 8%, ‘significantly less than that achieved in the comparable period last year,’ according to a trading statement released this morning. Aegis said that first half net new business wins for its Carat media business are expected… Continue reading Aegis Tightens Belt As Downturn Impacts Revenue Growth

Kim Howells, the new minister for broadcasting, film and tourism, has questioned whether the original time scale for the analogue switch-off is achievable. According to an interview in the Financial Times this morning, Howells believes that there are too many people dependent on television for their entertainment to rush the decision. Also in the interview,… Continue reading Howells Questions Digital Switch Date

Troubled digital terrestrial TV operator, ONdigital (see Job Losses Expected As ITV Restructures), has strongly denied that it is about to phase out its free set top box give-away, after a report in this morning’s Financial Times claimed that this possibility is being ‘explored’ by the company’s joint owners, Carlton Communications and Granada. A spokesperson… Continue reading ONdigital Denies End Of Set-Top Box Give-Away

Telecommunications hardware developer, Pace Microtechnology, and interactive television and media company, OpenTV, are to jointly develop high-end digital cable technology worldwide, the two companies have announced. Pace will port OpenTV’s broadband offering onto its cable home gateway. OpenTV’s broadband portfolio includes its interactive TV Middleware, EN2, integrated with Device Mosaic?, a standards-based HTML browser specifically… Continue reading Pace And OpenTV To Develop High-End Digital Cable

Russian telecoms minister Leonid Reimnan has reiterated his wish for €39 billion to be invested in the Russian telecommunications industry by 2010, according to a report on Europemedia. At least half of this figure is expected to come from reinvestment by existing Russian telecoms companies and the rest from foreign and Russian investors, the report… Continue reading Russian Telecoms Minister Cals For €39 billion Investment

United Business Media (UBM) has acquired 50% of the Dutch national news agency’s news release distribution division, Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau Pers Support (ANPPS), for €6.5 million (£3.9 million) in cash, the company announced this morning. The investment continues UBM’s strategy to provide its PR Newswire service with a strong local identity in key markets. ANPPS… Continue reading UBM Acquires Dutch News Release Agency

According to the Jupiter MMXI May 2001 internet behaviour study, the number of Europeans visiting business and finance sites rose by 50% in some markets last month and the time spent on such sites has risen by around 60%. Online banking has proved very popular in Europe as has online share dealing and many other… Continue reading Europe Leads In Online Finance

Upfront advertising sales for US cable networks are looking ‘dismal’, as advertisers and their agencies demand that airtime costs per thousand are cut back by as much as 15-20%, according to a report on Mediaweek.com, The US trade journal reports that the cable companies’ sales executives are holding out for nothing more than a 10%… Continue reading US Cable Upfront Airtime Sales Look Weak

For market research firms, survey response rates are critical. If they dip too low, the industry will decry the quality and usefulness of the data altogether. This was a problem facing Nielsen Media Research’s TV ratings research in the US when, two years ago, response rates fell as low as 20%. According to a report… Continue reading $5 Incentive Boosts Nielsen US TV Response Rates