QVC Network Inc yesterday bid $9.5bn (£6.16bn) for Paramount Communications Inc, competing with the $8.2bn bid announced by Viacom International.QVC, although much smaller than both Paramount and Viacom, has the support of its two major shareholders Liberty Media and Comcast.The new bid is likely to be bitterly fought by Paramount and Viacom, which issued a… Continue reading QVC Bids $9.5bn For Paramount
GMTV plans to concentrate on the middle ground in future, in the gap between C4’s Big Breakfast and BBC Breakfast News.Greg Dyke, chairman of GMTV, acknowledged yesterday that children no longer watch GMTV, preferring the Big Breakfast, except at weekends, when GMTV runs more cartoons. “We’ve lost the kids”. This follows reports that GMTV was… Continue reading GMTV Opts For Middle Ground
At the annual Emmy awards held in California on Sunday night, Prime Suspect 2, the Granada TV series, won the most outstanding mini-series category.Cable television equalled the broadcast networks in number of awards, gaining 16 prizes to equal NBC as top award winner.
Yesterday the Sunday Express launched a new section, making their total of sections now five. The new section has 40 pages, 25% given over to advertising. It has a more up-market feel than the rest of the Express, both in design and in content. It resembles the Guardian Weekend section.The editorial in yesterday’s edition contained… Continue reading Sunday Express Supplement – Review
Today the Financial Times launched a colour supplement about the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race.It is the first time for more than 20 years that the FT has brought out a colour magazine. It is the first in a series planned by the paper.The supplement is sponsored by BT, Whitbread, and Intrum Justitia. The… Continue reading FT Colour Supplement – Review
The latest survey from the IPA on Trends in Television Viewing for the second quarter 1993 shows that viewing levels are 2% lower than in the first half of 1992.The share of this viewing taken by ITV has fallen to below 40% for the first time. The ITV share of viewing to commercial channels has… Continue reading IPA TV Viewing Trends
Following Peter Brooke’s speech at the Royal Television Society’s conference in which he said that the BBC had made improvements in efficiency in the last few years, (Newsline 17/9) John Birt has called for the government to preserve the value of the licence fee and continue to link it to the retail prices index.Brooke also… Continue reading Broadcast Changes
Today the Financial Times launched a colour supplement about the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race.It is the first time for more than 20 years that the FT has brought out a colour magazine. It is the first in a series planned by the paper.The supplement is sponsored by BT, Whitbread, and Intrum Justitia. The… Continue reading FT Colour Supplement – Review
Viacom International’s bid for Paramount Communications, agreed last Sunday, seems likely to be the beginning of a take-over war. There may be a counter-bid from QVC, the home shopping group, or from Turner Broadcasting, the owner of the CNN television channel. (Newsline 13/9)Either counter-bidder would then sell off Paramount Publishing, whose assets include Simon &… Continue reading Paramount Publishing Up For Sale
