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The Wireless Group has this morning reported like for like turnover up 12% to £29.4 million for the full year and up 22% for the first quarter of 2001. Q1 operating costs, before digital expenditure, are down by 12% like for like. However, loss for the financial year grew from £27.5 million last time to… Continue reading Wireless Group Grows Turnover And Reduces Costs

The euro-zone economy is set to grow by 1.4% this year and by 2.9% next year, the EU Commission said this week, adding to signs already noted from Germany and the European Central Bank that recovery has replaced the of weakness at the end 2001. The Euro area economy contracted in Q4 2001, but a… Continue reading Euro-Zone Economy Shows Gradual Recovery

United Business Media (UBM) and BT have this morning announced the immediate sale of their jointly-owned portal and internet service provider (ISP), LineOne, to Tiscali S.p.A, an Italian telecommunications company. Tiscali is paying €100 million (£63 million) for the LineOne business; €20 million in cash and the rest in around 5.4 million Tiscali shares. In… Continue reading UBM And BT Sell LineOne For £63m

Anne Robinson-hosted elimination quiz show, The Weakest Link, has been exported to the NBC television network in the US, where it is currently pulling in large audiences. According to an analysis of Nielsen Media Research viewing figures by Mediaweek.com, NBC achieve the highest primetime ratings in the Adults 18-49 and 25-54 categories; each grew by… Continue reading Weakest Link Proves Early Hit For NBC

Media communications group WPP has this morning posted first quarter organic revenue growth of 6% – including, for the first time, the Young & Rubicam network. This is lower than the 10% analysts at ABN Amro had expected and well below the 13.8% growth posted by rival network Omnicom yesterday (see Omnicom Shows Strong US… Continue reading WPP Q1 Results Disappoint Market And Brokers

Carlton Communications and Granada have today confirmed plans to change the structure of ITV, including a radical overhaul of the jointly-owned digital terrestrial broadcaster, ONdigital. Stuart Prebble will become chief executive of the Network, which will now operate three main businesses – ITV channels, ITV Digital and ITV.com. ITV Digital is the rebranded name for… Continue reading Granada And Carlton Bring ONdigital Under ITV Brand

Global advertising and communications group Omnicom has posted strong financial results, with a particularly good first quarter coming from the US. Across Europe the performance was more mixed. In Europe overall organic growth was 12.6%, with the lowest regional growth coming from the UK at 5%. Germany saw 10%, France 10% and the Netherlands 15%.… Continue reading Omnicom Shows Strong US Growth In Q1 Results

Press reports claim that Vivendi Universal has agreed to merge its loss-making Italian pay-television division, Telepiù, with Stream – a rival broadcaster owned by News Corporation and Telecom Italia. The Financial Times reports that the merged business will retain the Telepiù name and will be owned two thirds by Vivendi’s Canal Plus one third by… Continue reading Italy’s Telepi

Media group Vivendi Universal yesterday issued first quarter operating results in line with market expectations, which show that the group is ahead of schedule to meet cost savings of €200 million by the year end. Revenues grew by 10% to €5.9 million and EBITDA more than doubled to €900 million, pushed by a €293 million… Continue reading Vivendi ‘Defensive’ Against Ad Slowdown

A number of recent press reports suggest that the deadline for bids on the troubled EMAP USA business may be this week. So far, Hachette Filipacchi, Primedia and American Media have all been put in the frame as potential suitors of the business. EMAP confirmed that it has received a number of approaches for the… Continue reading EMAP USA Bids Expected Soon