Smartlogik and UBC were the best performers in yesterday’s media market. The former saw shares jump 25% to finish at at 2˝p, while the latter saw stock climb 19.64% to close at 33˝p, an increase of 8p on the previous day.At the other end of the scale BSkyB was the worst performer in yesterday’s FTSE… Continue reading Sharewatch
Week on week analysis of the media market reveals that Pearson started the year on a positive note. The company, which increased the cover price of the Financial Times from 90p to £1 last week after announcing that profits at the FT Group for 2001 are expected to be down 40% on 2000, saw shares… Continue reading Sharewatch
Three characters in ITV1’s key ratings winner Coronation Street have been sacked from the show and tabloid speculation today suggests that a further eight could be cut in an attempt to revive ratings.A spokeswoman for Granada, which produces the soap, today confirmed that Matt Ramsden, Clare McGinn and Naomi Russell were leaving the soap and… Continue reading Cut Backs At Coronation Street
According to a report in the Observer yesterday, Anglo-Dutch publishing giant Reed Elsevier is considering a merger with its closest rival Amsterdam-based Wolters Kluwer.Following Reed’s acquisition of Harcourt last year, a merger with Wolters would produce one of the largest publishing groups in the world with an estimated market value, according to the Observer, of… Continue reading Reed Elsevier Considers Merger With Wolters
Outdoor group Maiden has acquired bill posting company Checkmain, which trades as Felgate Billposting, in exchange for 300,000 shares. The acquisition is expected to enhance earnings within the first year of ownership.Felgate, which began trading in 1985, is the largest bill posting company in the UK. It is said to post around 130,000 poster sites… Continue reading Maiden Acquires Bill Posting Company
Sky is claiming that over 50% of its digital subscribers have used its interactive services over the last year.According to the satellite operator more than 7 million people have pressed the red button on their digital handset and have used interactive services since January 2001. Sky also claims that 86% of Sky Sports subscribers have… Continue reading 50% Of Sky Digital Subscribers Go Interactive
The ITC has ruled that WHSmiths’ ads featuring a family of overweight Geordies portrayed “exaggerated and fictitious” stereotypes which were unlikely to cause widespread offence.A total of 129 complaints were received by the TV watchdog with regard to the ads, in which all characters are played by Nicholas Lyndhurst. They showed a thin, “snobbish”, well… Continue reading WHSmith Given Fat Chance By ITC
Multi-channel viewing has grown dramatically over the past five years achieving 20% of viewing share in 2001, according to data from BARB, twice the share it had in 1996. Over the same period of time, ITV’s share has decreased from 35% to 27% and BBC’s from 44% to 38%. UK Share Of Viewing Trends, 1996… Continue reading UK Viewing Trends Show Gains For Pay TV
The first figures from the new BARB system will not be available until 15 January, leaving the increasingly numbers-fixated TV industry without ratings data for the opening weeks of 2002. Overnight ratings for the first couple of days of the year were due for release yesterday, but were suspended before BARB admitted that further diagnostic… Continue reading BARB Data Suspended Until 15 January
Pearson is increasing the cover price of the Financial Times from 90p to £1 after announcing that profits at the FT Group for 2001 are expected to be down 40% on 2000.Circulation of the Financial Times has been healthy over the last two years in comparison to the national newspaper market as a whole (see… Continue reading Pearson Increases FT Cover Price
