Monday MediaTel’s weekly media focus and analysis, Media Track, is featured in Campaign Media Business.Patricia Hodgson takes over from Peter Rogers as chief executive of the Indpendent Television Commission (ITC) (see ITC Appoints New Chief Executive).Wednesday Independent News and Media releases its annual results for the year which has seen the company strengthen its portfolio… Continue reading The Week Ahead
Channel TV has confirmed that it would be interested in bidding for HTV if it becomes available as expected after the Granada/United merger at the end of this month (see Future Of ITV Laid Out As Granada Seals Deal). The merged company will have to divest itself of HTV if it is to keep the… Continue reading Channel TV Expresses Interest In HTV Purchase
The UK is leading Europe in internet penetration with 30.8% of the population connected to the web, but trails the US’s 49.8%, according to new statistics from NetValue. UK users log on for an average of 9.2 days per month, compared to 9.6 days for the 24.7% of Germans who are online and 11.3 for… Continue reading UK Leads Europe In Internet Penetration
Telewest appears to have emerged from the difficult times caused by its set-top box shortage earlier in the year (see Set-Top Box Shortage Puts Telewest Three Months Behind) and finished last week as the best performer amongst media shares. On Friday, shares ended up 19p at £1.91, a rise of over 11%, while week on… Continue reading Sharewatch
Granada Media’s director of online and interactive media, Julian Turner, is to join BBC Worldwide. He will move to the BBC’s commercial division to head its new e-commerce subsidiary, Beeb Ventures (see BBC Creates New Net Subsidiary, Ends “Free” Trials With WAP Platforms).Reporting to BBC Worldwide’s managing director, Drew Kaza, Turner will take up his… Continue reading Granada Media Loses Online Director To Beeb Venture
James Murdoch spoke out against the BBC during his Alternative MacTaggart speech at the Edinburgh TV Festival. Son of Rupert and CEO of Asia’s Star TV, he derided Greg Dyke’s insistence that the BBC was a “leading global player”.“Indeed, no one working in media outside of Britain regards the BBC as a competitor”, he said.… Continue reading James Murdoch Attacks BBC’s Global Ambitions
NTL’s autumn advertising campaign breaks today. Costing £20 million, it is designed to continue growth in brand and product awareness and drive sales of digital cable TV, telephony and internet services.The campaign will run across national terrestrial and national TV, national and regional press, regional radio, the internet and poster sites. With a burst of… Continue reading NTL Kicks Off £20m Autumn Advertising Drive
Germany’s KirchTV has announced the sale of its remaining 3.1% stake in BSkyB. The news that the operator of the Premiere World pay-tv platform in Germany and Austria has agreed to sell all of its remaining 58 million Sky shares sent prices in the satellite broadcaster plummeting.Kirch acquired a 4.3% stake in BSkyB earlier this… Continue reading Kirch Sells 3.1% Stake In BSkyB
Ecast Ventures, the new media arm of GWR Group, has announced that it has invested £1 million in Countyweb, a regional business directory and portal. The deal will forge a media partnership between the two, with GWR cross-promoting the group’s services on its radio stations, which include Classic FM.The investment will give Ecast Ventures a… Continue reading GWR Group Invests £1m In Countyweb
News that Kirch had sold its remaining 3% stake in BSkyB yesterday (see Kirch Sells 3.1% Stake In BSkyB) hit shares in the satellite broadcaster badly. They ended down 47p at £11.21, a fall of over 4%.There was better news for Telewest, whose shares have suffered recently thanks to issues including the set-top box shortage… Continue reading Sharewatch
