Omnicom announced today that it has made an agreed offer of £143 million for GGT, a price which disappointed many in the City.Omnicom was able to buy the agency at such a knock-down price due to the fact that GGT’s share price had plummeted on last week’s news that it had lost Proctor & Gamble’s… Continue reading Omnicom Buys GGT For £143m
Wella will not be renewing its sponsorship deal with Channel 4’s Friends, it has emerged.Wella says that the previous £5m deal, which was the second biggest UK TV sponsorship after Cadbury’s £10m tie-up with Coronation Street, was very successful and achieved its aims. It is also rumoured however that the haircare company was unhappy with… Continue reading Wella Will Not Renew C4 Sponsorship
The European Commission has formally denied media reports that it intends to propose banning alcohol advertising in the EU.An EC spokesman commented: “There has never been any discussion or a proposal by the Commission aimed at prohibiting alcohol advertising and sponsorships. These reports are unfounded.”Meanwhile, the French government has acknowledged that it is seeking to… Continue reading Commission Denies Ban Extension
Well, it had to happen at some point. The Vicar Of Dibley is losing the plot in its penultimate episode and gives us the clear reasons why it can only stretch to four episodes. As usual the supporting cast kept it watchable, and just about funny, but the Vicar herself really does need some sort… Continue reading TV Viewing Summary W/E 18/01/98
Netscape Communications has reported a larger-than-expected loss for the fourth quarter of 1997 due to restructuring charges and strong competition.Losses hit $88.3 million compared to profits of $8.2m in the last quarter of 1996. Revenue however increased from $115.2m to $125.3m.Increased competition from Microsoft’s Internet Explorer hit the browser manufacturer particularly hard.http://home.netscape.com/
The EP Environment Committee adopted on 21 January a report on the Commission’s proposals on sales guarantees for consumer goods. This proposes extending all guarantees for major items to two years. If adopted by the full Parliament, this proposal for a directive could cover purchases for all new and used consumer goods.
Vernon Coaker MP has proposed a bill on product labelling in the UK House of Commons. The bill would ensure that labelling incorporates information relating to the “key facts about the production of goods or services” as well as more nutritional labelling in line with the recommendations contained in the Co-operative Society’s recent report “The… Continue reading UK: MP Proposes Product Labelling Law
Leeds-based ESP, the Ellaby Sheldrake Partnership, has now opened its doors for business and is poised to announce its first client.The company, which aims to offer a consultancy service with a slant towards buying and planning, is linked to media independent Media Lane with whom it shares a building.ESP is run by Michele Ellaby and… Continue reading Media Specialist Launches In Leeds
RevenueITV’s struggle to redress a significant decline in viewing figures has been well-documented and much-discussed over the previous year and new chief executive Richard Eyre unveiled plans to address the Network’s problems at the beginning of January. However the loss of viewers, as far as 1997 is concerned, has resulted in only the slightest increase… Continue reading TV Round-Up – 1997
The EC has announced that it will investigate the planned merger of CLT-UFA and Kirch of the German pay-TV provider Premiere and of the companies BetaDigital and BetaResearch. The aim of the intended merger is to develop Premiere into a joint digital pay-TV channel and marketing platform incorporating Kirch’s current digital television activities, with the… Continue reading EU: EC Monitors Merger Plans
