Shares in Independent News & Media rose as the company, which owns the Independent, announced that Dr Tony O’Reilly is to become full-time executive chairman of the group. Prices rose 41˝p at the news to close at 451˝p. The group also announced plans to float iTouch International, the mobile information service company in which it… Continue reading Sharewatch
Channel 5 has agreed to take stakes in internet companies in return for allowing them airtime to advertise their businesses. The deal, which has been expected for some time (see Channel 5 May Swap Airtime For New Media Equity), will allow C5 to give exposure to the growing number of dot.com advertisers while allowing them… Continue reading Channel 5 Exchanges Airtime For Internet Stakes
Magazine and internet publishing group Future Network has acquired four magazines and three websites from Dennis Publishing. The music and technology titles complement Future’s portfolio, which specialises in computing, music and other specialist titles.The magazine titles acquired are: Hi Fi Choice, Home Entertainment, Metal Hammer, and Classic Rock. The three former titles are well-established consumer… Continue reading Future Acquires Four New Titles From Dennis
The UK is to get its first sport radio station next week when Talk Radio becomes talkSPORT. The station, which suffered a 17% drop in its audience in the latest RAJAR figures (see National Radio Stations Shed Listeners During Summer), has been reinventing itself as a dedicated sports station since it was taken over by… Continue reading Talk To Launch UK’s First Sport Station
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is to hold a review of BSkyB’s position in the pay-TV market as a broadcaster and channel provider, it announced today. The competition watchdog is to assess whether Sky’s position is too dominant and whether undertakings made by Sky in 1996 to ensure fair competition between the satellite broadcaster… Continue reading OFT To Review BSkyB’s Position In Pay-TV Market
Open, the interactive television service, announced yesterday that it had achieved sales exceeding £1 million per week in the pre-Christmas period. The service, which is co-owned by BSkyB, BT, HSBC and Matsushita, said that at least 8 million visits have been made and over 127,000 orders processed since it was launched on SkyDigital last year… Continue reading Open’s Sales Top £1m A Week
Digital terrestrial broadcaster, ONdigital, has broken the half million mark in its latest subscriber figures released today. The group – 50:50 owned by Granada and Carlton Communications – said that it had signed up 552,000 customers by 31 December 1999.The takeup represents a 34% increase on the September 1999 subscriber base, which stood at 411,000.… Continue reading ONdigital Takes Half A Million Subscribers
Media groups were amongst the highest movers on the FTSE 100 yesterday as news of the world’s biggest corporate deal, between America Online and Time Warner, affected shares in the sector (see AOL And Time Warner Confirm Mega-Merger). Pearson, once rumoured to be interested in a deal with AOL (see Sharewatch), was the highest climber… Continue reading Sharewatch
A recently-launched online advertising rates and data service called Media Online has been forced to withdraw its product from the market after claims of copyright breach.EMAP Business Publications claimed that some of the data held in the Media Online system, which is produced by Media Online Rates and Data Limited, had been taken from its… Continue reading Media Online Withdraws Product Following EMAP Copyright Claim
Monday A TV Viewing Round-Up for November 1999 will be available on Newsline and in the Television features list later on today.MediaTel’s weekly industry focus, Media Track, is featured in Campaign Media Business.Tuesday Digital terrestrial broadcaster, ONdigital, is to release its latest set of subscriber figures. As of September last year, the service had 411,000… Continue reading The Week Ahead
