The media sector was seen under pressure on Thursday, as bullish sentiment over the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate cut was dampened by both the ECB and the Bank Of England leaving rates on hold.Wednesday’s big market-mover, Reuters, was seen down 4.45%, after speculative buying came to a halt once rumours of a possible take-over… Continue reading Sharewatch
Sumner Redstone, chairman of Viacom, refused to rule out a bid for ITV at the Royal Television Society (RTS) dinner in London last night. According to Media Guardian, Mr Redstone has more than a passing interest in ITV. “We are impressed with the opportunity,” he said. “We would first have to do a lot of… Continue reading Viacom Eyes Prospect Of ITV Takeover
Guardian Media Group has announced a presenter and management shuffle as it streamlines its Real Radio and recently acquired Jazz FM brands.Real Radio Group managing director, Shaun Bowron, commented: “These internal moves will further strengthen our stations as we continue to develop the group in the coming year.”Terry Underhill, breakfast show host and programme director… Continue reading GMG Shakes Up Radio Brands
A new survey from Jupiter Research has revealed that a large proportion of European internet users are still reluctant to upgrade to broadband. The study found that only 26% of web users were interested in getting broadband connection. A quarter of those surveyed said they would never switch to a high-speed service while 29% said… Continue reading Public Apathy Over Broadband Persists, Says Jupiter
Ford is to become the first car manufacturer to fit digital radio systems in its vehicles.The company will be offering digital radios as a dealer-fitted accessory in the standard car radio dashboard enclosure. The radio system will include a mechanism to enable the user to identify the artist and name of the song they are… Continue reading Ford Shows Commitment To Digital Radio
The leading US cable and DSL providers have a total of 15.6 million high-speed internet subscribers according to new findings from the Leichtman Research Group. The major providers were responsible for 1.68 million new subscribers in the third quarter of 2002. This represented the highest recorded increase of the year and exceeded net additions for… Continue reading Over 15 Million US Broadband Subscribers, Says Leichtman
In a surprise development, News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch has today ruled out a move for Channel 5. Speaking after the BSkyB results press conference in London, he said that News Corp was “not interested” in acquiring the terrestrial network.The news will come as a shock to many commentators who feared that the liberalisation of… Continue reading Murdoch Denies Interest In Five
The unexpectedly poor Q3 radio trading in the UK appears to be continuing into October, although there is currently very little visibility beyond that, according to analysts at Merrill Lynch. In an update on the UK radio marketplace, the broker said that Q4 comparables should ease slightly and it hopes to see the market pick… Continue reading UK Radio Trading Remains Weak Into Q4
BSkyB saw a welcome return to profit in the first quarter of its financial year as it took advantage of the demise of its main pay-TV rival.The satellite broadcaster today announced pre-tax profits of £43 million for the three months to September. This compares with a deficit of £23 million in the same period last… Continue reading BSkyB Back In The Black Following Strong Subscriber Growth
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is to restructure in response to the changing needs of the industry.The move will see the DMA realign its internal and external operations, dividing its membership into different interest groups to represent industry sectors, supported by elected councils.The DMA has identified 3 key areas which it will concentrate on: protection,… Continue reading DMA Restructures In Response To Changing Industry
