Chrysalis is forming a joint venture with Rivals.com of the US to develop a European-based internet sports business. [29-Dec-1999]
Carlton Communications has sold its Solid State Logic audio mixing console business to management for £43m, and may now sell off its Technicolor video duplication and Quantel digital pixellation operations. [23-Dec-1999]
United News & Media has appointed advisers to help with the process of selling non-core businesses, in preparation for its £9bn merger with Carlton Communications. [23-Dec-1999]
Telewest has added WH Smith to the list of 15 retailers for its Active Digital interactive TV service. [22-Dec-1999]
Trinity Mirror has expressed interest in acquiring News Communications & Media, which could result in a three-way takeover battle with Johnston Press and Newsquest. [21-Dec-1999]
Britt Allcroft is to acquire a 50% stake in Sooty International, which could lead to the worldwide development of Sooty merchandise. [21-Dec-1999]
Telewest has taken 105,000 sq ft of space in the Export House office building in Woking. [20-Dec-1999]
Photobition has acquired B&S Visual Technologies, the Glasgow-based graphics company, for £2.9m. [20-Dec-1999]
Telewest and Flextech have agreed plans for a £9.6bn merger, enabling the combined group to develop a new range of TV and cable services. [18-Dec-1999]
BSkyB is acquiring a 5% stake in Sunderland FC for £6.5m, and will also become the football club's media agent for five years. [18-Dec-1999]
Daily Mail & General Trust is planning to increase its investment in new internet ventures, free daily newspapers and digital teletext. [17-Dec-1999]
Carlton Communications is forming a £63m joint venture with TF1 of France to help internet businesses expand across Europe, and other media groups may be invited to join the project. [17-Dec-1999]
Carphone Warehouse has acquired an undisclosed stake in the Switchdigital consortium that is bidding for the Greater London digital radio licence. [16-Dec-1999]
The BBC is linking up with Vodafone to develop a news service for mobile phones, as part of a BBC strategy to supply content onto digital platforms. [16-Dec-1999]
Chime Communications is to acquire Teamspirit, the financial media and advertising agency, for up to £5m. [16-Dec-1999]
Pearson is looking to sell its 50% stake in the AFX news wire joint venture with Agence France Press. [15-Dec-1999]
Dawson Holdings, the newspaper and magazine wholesaler, has acquired eight new businesses for £26m, including subsidiaries of Johnsons Group and BFG, in order to expand its customer base and geographic coverage. [15-Dec-1999]
NTL is considering plans for a stock market listing in London, following its acquisition of the Swiss cable company Cablecom. [14-Dec-1999]
Telewest is to launch an internet service provider in February, offering unmetered internet access for £10 a month. [14-Dec-1999]
Rutland Trust has received a number of offers for Castle Music, the owner of 60,000 music and video copyrights. [14-Dec-1999]
News Communications & Media, the regional newspaper publisher, has rejected a takeover approach by Gannett of the US. [11-Dec-1999]
Reed Elsevier is to spend up to £200m on the development of new internet-based services next year, and has also announced a restructuring programme to create three global divisions. [10-Dec-1999]
BSkyB has acquired a 10% stake in Gameplay.com for £10m, and further deals are expected to follow with BSkyB taking equity stakes in start-up companies in return for airtime on its channels. [10-Dec-1999]
NTL's Premium TV subsidiary has won a contract to manage the media interests of Newcastle United football club. [10-Dec-1999]
Informa has bought a portfolio of business magazines from Pearson for £13m, including titles such as New Media Markets and Mobile Communications. [09-Dec-1999]
Cordiant Communications has acquired Interactive Edge, the New York-based marketing company, for an initial £3.8m. [09-Dec-1999]
Northsound Radio is to sell its headquarters in Aberdeen's West End in a £2m deal, and alternative premises are being sought. [07-Dec-1999]
AC Nielsen has acquired MMS Market Movements, the direct mail monitoring company. [07-Dec-1999]
BSkyB has bought a 24% stake in Kirch PayTV, in a £1.5bn deal that gives it a first foothold in the German market. [07-Dec-1999]
Romeike, the media monitoring company, has been acquired by Sifo Group of Sweden for £110m. [07-Dec-1999]
Flextech is selling a 38% stake in TV Travel Shop to Barclays Private Equity in a £20m deal, and the proceeds will be used to move into the German holiday market. [07-Dec-1999]
Telewest is in merger discussions with Flextech, which would enable Telewest to add new content to its interactive cable TV business. [07-Dec-1999]
Carlton Communications and Granada are each investing £20m in a joint venture to create a UK version of the Ask Jeeves internet search engine. [06-Dec-1999]
Telewest is aiming to have 40 retailers and information providers on its interactive TV channel by the time it launches next year. [03-Dec-1999]
WPP has acquired Hiller Wust & Partners, the German public relations company, for undisclosed terms. [03-Dec-1999]
Sandwell Council has become the UK's first local authority to introduce lamp post advertising as a new source of income, and the scheme is being operated by Mediasign Marketing. [02-Dec-1999]
ITE has bought a 50% stake in Turkey's largest exhibition business for £6.5m, and is now looking to spend up to £40m on acquisitions in Asia. [02-Dec-1999]
Scottish Radio Holdings is to apply for digital radio frequencies in London, and aims to co-ordinate the launch of local digital radio in key metropolitan markets in the spring. [01-Dec-1999]
The National Film & Television School is in negotiations to sell Ealing Studios to Fragile Films for about £5m, and the complex will be transformed into a multi-media facility. [01-Dec-1999]
News Communications & Media has bought the Hampshire Chronicle and three other local newspapers from Jacob & Johnson for £16m. [01-Dec-1999]
Galaxy Media is to acquire Gaming Internet for £40m in order to transform itself into an internet-based gambling and games business, while its Mike Mansfield Television subsidiary will be sold off. [01-Dec-1999]
EMI has sold its 13% stake in the GWR radio group to institutional buyers for £81m, in order to focus on its music business. [30-Nov-1999]
ANT Marketing, the Sheffield-based telephone marketing firm, is to create 150 jobs by opening a new office in Queen Street. [29-Nov-1999]
Daily Mail & General Trust is to acquire Bristol United Press for £121m, in order to expand its regional newspaper business. [26-Nov-1999]
VTR is planning to focus its film and TV production business on its core editing strengths, following the sale of the Portman film rights division to PrimeEnt. [26-Nov-1999]
United News & Media and Carlton Communications have announced plans for a merger, in order to create the largest ITV broadcaster with six franchises and a market valuation of £8bn. [26-Nov-1999]
Origin Publishing is relocating its magazine publishing business to larger offices in Bristol. [25-Nov-1999]
Sportsworld Media is to acquire Australian Media Holdings for £22m, in order to expand its TV and sports sponsorship business in the Asia-Pacific region. [25-Nov-1999]
The ITC is to consider plans from City Television to set up a local TV station in Exeter next year, which could create up to 40 jobs. [24-Nov-1999]
Johnston Press is to acquire Tweeddale Press, the publisher of three weekly newspapers in the Borders. [24-Nov-1999]
Flextech is acquiring a 77% stake in ticketing agency Way Ahead for £7.2m. [24-Nov-1999]
EMI is planning to sell off its CD manufacturing and distribution operations, in response to changes being forced on the music industry by the internet. [24-Nov-1999]
Scottish Media is in discussions about a possible £225m takeover bid for Ginger Media. [24-Nov-1999]
Littlewoods is to expand its digital TV shopping channel from seven hours of live shows a day to about 12, in partnership with Granada. [23-Nov-1999]
GWR and Radio Investments are to acquire the remaining 50% of Minster Sound Radio, the York-based local radio operator, for up to £4.8m. [22-Nov-1999]
Reuters is acquiring an 84% stake in TowerGroup, the US-based supplier of research for the financial services sector, in a £12m deal. [20-Nov-1999]
Radio Victory, the Portsmouth-based local radio station, has been bought by the Local Radio Company in a £4m deal. [18-Nov-1999]
Scoot.com is in discussions with Vivendi of France to expand its telephone and internet directory business across Europe, at a cost of £200m. [18-Nov-1999]
Flextech has reached agreement to transmit all its channels over Telewest's new digital TV service. [18-Nov-1999]
Reed Elsevier is selling its 64% stake in REZSolutions, the developer of IT systems for hotels, to Pegasus of the US for £101m. [18-Nov-1999]
Money Channel is to sell a 5% stake in its personal finance TV station to Primark of the US for £3.1m. [17-Nov-1999]
Fletcher Research, the London-based internet analysis group, has been acquired by Forrester Research of the US for more than £10m. [16-Nov-1999]
Emap is to reorganise its media operations into four divisions - lifestyle, health, automotive, and music - and each division will aim to expand from magazines and radio into e-commerce and events. [16-Nov-1999]
Photobition is planning to expand its display graphics business in the US through a series of acquisitions, and has just relocated its four New York offices onto a single site. [15-Nov-1999]
Salford Council is to consider plans from film services company Web Lighting to set up a studio and production village on an old colliery site, to produce movies, TV and videos. [13-Nov-1999]
Capital Radio is planning to invest £5.5m in the development of an internet-based radio station, in order to build up a nationwide presence. [12-Nov-1999]
Tempus has acquired Added Value, the marketing agency that employs 250 people in seven offices around the world, for up to £35m. [11-Nov-1999]
Cordiant Communications is to acquire Healthworld, the US marketing group, for £113m. [10-Nov-1999]
ITE Group has acquired 50% stakes in two trade shows in Egypt and the Czech Republic for a total £7m. [09-Nov-1999]
Emap is selling 13 business magazines and seven exhibitions to Informa for £28m. [09-Nov-1999]
Sportal is planning to raise £30m to fund the development of its sports-based internet sites, and expects to float the business next year. [08-Nov-1999]
Granada Media Group has acquired Brecon-based BlackCat, an educational software company, for undisclosed terms, as part of a strategy to build up a leading educational and online business. [06-Nov-1999]
BSkyB is to donate three years of transponder capacity to a new digital TV channel called the Community Channel, which is being launched by the Media Trust charity next May. [06-Nov-1999]
Capital Radio has been awarded a digital radio licence for the Cardiff-Newport area of South Wales. [06-Nov-1999]
Johnston Press is to close its print works at the Derbyshire Times in Chesterfield with the loss of 20 jobs, and the work will be transferred to sites in Hartlepool and Sunderland. [06-Nov-1999]
Carlton Communications is considering plans to bid for one of the next generation of mobile phone licences, and is discussing potential alliances with phone manufacturers and retailers. [06-Nov-1999]
BBC Wales is considering plans to redevelop its current base in Llandaff, and it may decide to vacate the site and build a new Broadcasting House. [04-Nov-1999]
Granada Media Group is planning to form a TV production joint venture with Seven Network of Australia, in order to serve international markets. [04-Nov-1999]
EMI has bought a 51% stake in Hit & Run Music Publishing for £11m. [04-Nov-1999]
GWR is to focus on the expansion of its UK digital radio and internet operations, but is not looking to acquire any more businesses in continental Europe. [03-Nov-1999]
Techniques Marketing, the Newcastle-under-Lyme marketing company has gone into liquidation with the loss of 15 jobs. [02-Nov-1999]
IPK Broadcast Systems, the radio and TV consultancy, has been acquired by AZCAR of Canada, and has relocated its 30 staff to new offices in Reading. [30-Oct-1999]
Daily Mail & General Trust has acquired Riddell Exhibition Promotions, the Australian show organiser, for undisclosed terms. [29-Oct-1999]
Flextech is to launch five new home shopping channels on the Open interactive TV service, selling videos, concert tickets, music, travel and BBC merchandise. [29-Oct-1999]
Capital Radio is to launch a national digital radio station through the Digital One consortium in January. [28-Oct-1999]
Carlton Communications has bought a 20% stake in PeopleBank, the online recruitment company, in a £2.3m deal. [27-Oct-1999]
Taylor & Francis has acquired Martin Dunitz, the London-based publisher of medical books and journals, for £11m. [27-Oct-1999]
Clear Channel Communications of the US is looking to acquire radio and cinema assets in the UK, having registered an interest in both Ginger Media Group and Odeon Cinemas. [27-Oct-1999]
Metrodome is planning to acquire Home Entertainment, the video marketing company, for £1m. [26-Oct-1999]
Pearson is in discussions with Endemol Entertainment of the Netherlands to co-operate in TV production projects. [25-Oct-1999]
Regional Independent Media is buying the Nairn-based Writers News magazine as part of a strategy to build up a portfolio of specialist publications. [23-Oct-1999]
Dune FM, the Southport radio station, has received a £1.8m takeover bid from Forward Media. [22-Oct-1999]
Solent City Television has applied to the Independent Television Commission for a licence to broadcast across Southampton. [22-Oct-1999]
Antena, the Welsh TV production company, has taken over the former TV-AM studio in Castlebridge, Cardiff, having secured work for S4C Digital. [22-Oct-1999]
Telewest is creating 840 jobs with the launch of its digital service, which will include 150 TV and radio channels. [22-Oct-1999]
Trinity Mirror is to close the Live TV cable channel due to ongoing losses, and up to 270 jobs could be lost. [22-Oct-1999]
Independent Radio Group is to be acquired by the Wireless Group in a £21m deal. [22-Oct-1999]
SKD Media, the cartoon production company, is in discussions with Carrington Productions International about a reverse takeover. [22-Oct-1999]
BSkyB is in negotiations to buy a 25% stake in Premiere, the German digital pay-TV service, for £300m. [22-Oct-1999]
Golden Rose Communications is changing its name to Jazz FM in order to reflect the radio stations it runs in London and the north west. [21-Oct-1999]
Winchester Entertainment is linking up with Dorling Kindersley to produce children's TV programmes. [21-Oct-1999]
Taylor Nelson Sofres has bought Scan-Fact Marketing, the Norwegian supplier of market information. [21-Oct-1999]
WPP is to acquire BWR Public Relations of the US for undisclosed terms. [19-Oct-1999]
Capital Radio has sold its seven Latin restaurants to SFI for £9.5m, while its two Paris restaurants are being sold to Groupe Bertrand. [16-Oct-1999]
HMV Media is planning to open more than 32 new book and music stores around the world next year, including 14 in the UK. [16-Oct-1999]
Incepta is planning to expand its marketing and communications business by acquiring investor relations companies in the US. [13-Oct-1999]
Sanctuary Group has raised £11m in a share placing in order to fund the acquisition of a record company and invest in its internet-based music business. [09-Oct-1999]
WPP has acquired The Brand Union, the parent company of the advertising and branding business Lambie-Nairn. [09-Oct-1999]
Turner Broadcasting is looking for up to 100,000 sq ft of space in London to house its CNN and Cartoon Network operations. [09-Oct-1999]
Kingston Communications is planning to become the first company to offer an interactive TV service via normal telephone lines, and it will be rolled out across its Hull and East Yorkshire network. [08-Oct-1999]
On Digital is to offer pre-paid subscriptions of its digital TV service through Sainsbury stores, and similar arrangements with other retailers will follow. [07-Oct-1999]
Asia 1 TV has launched a new TV station from a studio in Birmingham, targeted at more than 1m Punjabi speakers. [05-Oct-1999]
Telewest is creating 27 new jobs at its Brierley Hill customer service office, in order to cope with rising demand for its new digital services. [05-Oct-1999]
National Westminster Bank is to support a new film finance house called Media Capital Partners, which will lend about £500m a year to British film makers. [04-Oct-1999]
Money Channel has agreed a deal to broadcast its financial TV channel on the BSkyB network, and is building a new studio in Wapping. [04-Oct-1999]
P&O has sold the Earl's Court and Olympia exhibition halls in London to the owners of the Business Design Centre and the Candover buy-out fund for £183m. [02-Oct-1999]
Romeike, the publisher of the Hollis press directory, has put itself up for sale, and could fetch more than £100m. [02-Oct-1999]
Scottish Radio Holdings has bought Angus County Press, the Forfar-based publisher of local newspapers, for £4.2m. [01-Oct-1999]
Tarsus Group is acquiring Off-Price Specialist Centre, the US clothing exhibitions and magazine company, for an initial £4.8m. [01-Oct-1999]
Emap is planning to separate out its Emap Digital internet business as part of a strategy to increase investment in new media. [30-Sep-1999]
Channel 9 is to launch a local terrestrial TV station in Northern Ireland in October, and has created 23 jobs. [29-Sep-1999]
Carlton Communications has identified a number of non-core businesses which could be sold to their management teams or to outside bidders. [29-Sep-1999]
Eastern Counties is acquiring magazine publisher Market Link Publishing for £4.8m. [29-Sep-1999]
Incepta has acquired Image, the Singapore-based public relations company, for £3m. [28-Sep-1999]
Rapide Publishing, the Exeter-based magazine publisher, has ceased trading with the loss of 74 jobs, and a buyer is being sought for a number of magazine titles. [24-Sep-1999]
Chrysalis is launching an internet service that will allow listeners of its radio stations to buy the songs being played via a link to a CD retailer. [23-Sep-1999]
North Wiltshire District Council is considering plans from Corsham Studios to create a TV production studio at a former Ministry of Defence base in Hawthorn. [22-Sep-1999]
NTL is to launch the first commercial video-on-demand service early next year, providing access to about 350 films. [22-Sep-1999]
The BBC is to cut 50 editorial and production jobs at BBC World, in order to reduce costs at the loss-making international news channel. [21-Sep-1999]
Capital Radio has applied for a digital radio licence to operate up to six channels covering Cardiff and Newport. [17-Sep-1999]
DMS and Media Lane, the two Leeds-based advertising businesses, have agreed a £75m merger to create a combined media buying group called Brilliant Independent Media Specialists. [16-Sep-1999]
VNU has sold its 9.5% stake in Scoot.com, the directory company, for £20m. [16-Sep-1999]
Taylor & Francis is looking to spend over £100m on acquisitions in order to expand its academic publishing business in the UK and the US. [16-Sep-1999]
BBC Worldwide is seeking a partner to raise finance for its beeb.com commercial web site, which should help it to resist proposals to privatise a 49% stake in the business. [15-Sep-1999]
BSkyB is considering plans to form new media ventures with Kingston Communications, including interactive services such as video-on-demand. [14-Sep-1999]
Photobition has acquired Meteor, the Detroit-based graphics company, for £2.5m, and is now looking to build up a national network in the US. [14-Sep-1999]
The BBC is considering plans to relocate its news staff to a new centre on London's South Bank, as the recently-built White City complex is considered to be too small. [11-Sep-1999]
Aegis is considering plans to spend about $300m expanding its recently-acquired Market Facts research business around the world. [08-Sep-1999]
Carlton Communications is to acquire the remaining 50% of Hamdon Entertainment, the distributor of US TV dramas, for up to £19m, and will rename the business Carlton America. [07-Sep-1999]
Granada Media has acquired Letts Educational, the textbook publisher, from BPP Holdings for £28m. [06-Sep-1999]
Britt Allcroft is raising £11m in a share placing in order to fund the development of new children's characters. [04-Sep-1999]
Capital Radio and Emap Radio have jointly won the first London digital radio licence, while Scottish Radio has won a licence for Glasgow. [04-Sep-1999]
Scottish Media is in negotiations to increase its stake in GMTV, the breakfast TV company. [03-Sep-1999]
Carlton Communications is to rebrand its Westcountry and Central ITV franchises under the Carlton banner. [01-Sep-1999]
Television Corporation is to buy Mentorn, the independent production company, and is now seeking additional UK acquisitions. [01-Sep-1999]
WH Smith is to acquire Wayland, the publisher of books for school libraries, through its Hodder Headline subsidiary. [01-Sep-1999]
Granada is forming a joint venture with the New York Times to produce documentaries and current affairs programmes for the international market. [30-Aug-1999]
Rainey Kelly Campbell Rolfe, the advertising agency, has been acquired by Young & Rubicam of the US for undisclosed terms. [28-Aug-1999]
Q Group is to raise £1.4m in a share placing in order to fund the development of its publishing business, and the company is also considering plans for a management buy-out. [28-Aug-1999]
Flextech is in discussions to supply up to five branded TV channels to the Open home-shopping group. [27-Aug-1999]
United News & Media has acquired MP&A Editorial, the New York-based magazine publisher, for £1.4m, through its Miller Freeman PSN subsidiary. [27-Aug-1999]
Telewest Communications has acquired the remaining 50% of Cable London from Cable & Wireless Communications for £428m. [26-Aug-1999]
WPP has acquired Mediaquest Sarl, the French advertising agency, for undisclosed terms. [26-Aug-1999]
Guardian Media Group is to invest £30m in the launch of a new morning newspaper for Manchester next year. [24-Aug-1999]
BBC Worldwide is in discussions with a number of US publishers about forming a joint venture to export some of its magazine titles. [24-Aug-1999]
Daily Mail & General Trust has sold a 60% stake in the Soccernet football web site to Walt Disney's interactive division for undisclosed terms. [24-Aug-1999]
Taylor & Francis is to acquire the international journals business of Universitetsforlaget for up to £4.4m. [21-Aug-1999]
Channel 5 is considering plans to swap equity stakes in new media companies in return for free advertising airtime, and discussions are said to be taking place with the Sportal network of sports web sites. [19-Aug-1999]
Photo-Me International is planning to set up an internet music retailing business, and discussions are taking place with potential partners from the US. [18-Aug-1999]
Telewest Communications is to create 40 jobs in Gateshead in preparation for the launch of its new cable digital service, with vacancies in operations, cable installation, equipment servicing and customer services. [17-Aug-1999]
IPC Magazines is looking to spend up to £55m on acquisitions and internet ventures, and is investing £25m in a new business called IPC Electric that will consider internet opportunities. [17-Aug-1999]
Snapper Music is to undergo a £9m management buy-out, and is planning to set up a US office and develop its internet music business. [16-Aug-1999]
WPP is to acquire IntelliQuest, the US-based information provider, for up to £28m. [14-Aug-1999]
The BBC is linking up with Granada Media to form GB Productions in order to sell their comedy and drama formats in the US. [12-Aug-1999]
Cordiant Communications is seeking acquisitions in the US and continental Europe, and is particularly interested in direct marketing, data mining and corporate branding. [11-Aug-1999]
United News & Media has sold a number of UK and French publishing operations from its recently-acquired CMP division to VNU for £2.5m. [11-Aug-1999]
The Radio Authority has announced plans for a new FM commercial radio station in South Wales, and licence applications should be submitted by November. [06-Aug-1999]
Carlton Communications has acquired a 49% stake in Real Image Digital, the digital film processing business, for £14m. [06-Aug-1999]
United News & Media is acquiring Definitive Stock, the US online stock photography company, for £3.8m, and will combine the business with its Visual Communications subsidiary. [06-Aug-1999]
Telewest Communications is to expand its cable TV service with high-speed internet access next year, and this will be followed by video-on-demand. [06-Aug-1999]
Merlin Productions is seeking permission to set up a 24-hour TV station in Swansea, called West Wales Television. [05-Aug-1999]
Carlton Communications is to establish a cinema advertising business in the US, by opening an office in New York in October. [05-Aug-1999]
Pearson is planning to invest £120m in the internet side of its media business this year, but has dismissed rumours that it may sell Pearson Television. [03-Aug-1999]
Financial Dynamics, the public relations company, is being acquired by Lighthouse Holdings of the US for about £40m. [03-Aug-1999]
Taylor Nelson Sofres has has acquired NIPO, the Dutch market information group, for £13m. [03-Aug-1999]
Pearson has acquired Thomson Financial Securities Management from Thomson Corporation of Canada for £94m, in order to strengthen its position as a leading supplier of securities pricing. [31-Jul-1999]
Thomson Directories Group, the publisher of local directories, has been acquired by Apax Partners from 3i and Advent International for £220m. [31-Jul-1999]
Trinity has agreed terms for a £2bn merger with Mirror Group, but has been told by the government that it would have to sell the Belfast Telegraph if the deal is to proceed. [30-Jul-1999]
NTL is buying Cable & Wireless Communications' residential cable assets for £8.2bn, while Cable & Wireless is buying the remaining 47% of CWC in a £6.5bn deal. [27-Jul-1999]
Talk Radio is to acquire The Radio Partnership, which includes nine local music radio stations, for £42m. [26-Jul-1999]
Scoot has raised £18m through debentures in the US, in order to fund the development of its online directory database. [24-Jul-1999]
BBC Scotland has confirmed plans to relocate its Glasgow headquarters to a £50m development at Pacific Quay on the river Clyde, with the transfer of about 800 staff. [23-Jul-1999]
The Office of Fair Trading is to consider plans to relax the rules of ownership of independent TV companies, which could lead to consolidation among ITV companies. [23-Jul-1999]
Granada and Pearson have sold stakes in BSkyB to Vivendi of France for a total £825m, and Vivendi now owns almost 25% of the pay-TV group. [23-Jul-1999]
WPP has acquired the remaining 49% of the Austrian advertising agency Grill & Gull Thompson for undisclosed terms. [22-Jul-1999]
Emap is to launch the FHM men's magazine in the US next year, and expects circulation of 400,000 by September. [22-Jul-1999]
Intereurope Technology Services, the technical publishing company, is to undergo a £5.2m management buy-out. [22-Jul-1999]
Hat Trick Productions has agreed a multi-million pound deal with Warner Brothers to produce entertainment programmes for US TV. [22-Jul-1999]
Nomura International is acquiring a one-third stake in Worth Global Style Network, the information service for the fashion industry, for £15m. [21-Jul-1999]
EMI is acquiring a minority stake in Digital On-Demand, the online music company, for undisclosed terms. [21-Jul-1999]
Future Network has acquired Weka Consumer Medien, the German magazine publisher, for £8m. [21-Jul-1999]
Seven Group, the Leeds-based design and advertising agency, is to merge with local rival CWG. [19-Jul-1999]
Incepta is selling its 27% stake in the Lopex communications consultancy to Havas Advertising of France. [17-Jul-1999]
Scottish Media has acquired two magazine titles - Independent Electrical Retailer and Independent Community Pharmacist - from Newvault for £3m. [16-Jul-1999]
NTL is receiving a $1bn investment from France Telecom to support its planned £8bn bid for the residential cable activities of Cable & Wireless Communications. [16-Jul-1999]
Scottish Media is to relocate 16 senior staff from its Glasgow headquarters to a new office in London, in order to be closer to customers. [15-Jul-1999]
The Independent Television Commission (ITC) is considering an application from City Television of Wiltshire to set up TV stations in Bath and Bradford on Avon. [15-Jul-1999]
Electra Investment Trust has sold the publishing division of the Stationery Office to Meadowpoint, a vehicle created by Apax Partners, for £82m. [15-Jul-1999]
The BBC is planning to spend £100m on millennium-related programming. [15-Jul-1999]
Border Television is to apply for new regional commercial radio licences in the East Midlands and Yorkshire under the Century brand name. [13-Jul-1999]
Cable & Wireless Communications is creating 100 jobs at a new call centre in Waterlooville. [09-Jul-1999]
Emap has acquired Pleine Vie, the French magazine publisher, for undisclosed terms. [08-Jul-1999]
Reuters has set up a new division called Reuters Ventures, in order to invest in electronic commerce opportunities. [07-Jul-1999]
BSkyB is planning to recruit 600 staff for its Scottish call centres as well as 2,050 installation engineers, in order to keep up with demand for digital TV. [05-Jul-1999]
Carlton Communications is seeking a new office building in London of about 200,000 sq ft, having dropped plans to move to Unity Buildings in the West End. [03-Jul-1999]
Incepta has launched a £48m bid for Lopex, the communications consultancy. [03-Jul-1999]
Thomson Directories Group, the publisher of local directories, is set to be acquired by private equity group Apax Partners from 3i and Advent International for £250m. [03-Jul-1999]
BSkyB is to give away free set-top boxes in Toys R Us stores and supermarkets in order to boost digital TV subscriptions. [03-Jul-1999]
Emap has acquired Wagadon, the fashion magazine publisher that has an annual turnover of about £10m. [02-Jul-1999]
Pearson is selling Macmillan General Reference USA to IDG Books Worldwide for £52m, as part of a strategy to sell a number of reference, professional and business operations. [01-Jul-1999]
GWR has bought the Plymouth Sound radio station from The Local Radio Company for £5.3m. [01-Jul-1999]
BBC Scotland is considering plans to relocate its headquarters from Glasgow's Queen Margaret Drive to a purpose-built building across the Clyde. [30-Jun-1999]
Perth & Kinross Council is considering plans from the Scottish Film Studio Partnership to build a £255m film studio next to the Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire, including a film school, movie museum, golf course and five-star hotel. [30-Jun-1999]
Sports Internet has acquired Opta, the supplier of football statistics to newspapers, for £3.9m. [30-Jun-1999]
Adscene, the regional newspaper publisher, has undergone a £75m management buy-out with the backing of 3i, and Adscene's Midlands business will be sold on to Daily Mail & General Trust for £44m. [30-Jun-1999]
Taylor Nelson Sofres has acquired two US market research companies - Market Development and QCR Associates - for undisclosed terms. [29-Jun-1999]
More Group is planning to acquire a 51% stake in Jolly Pubblicita, the Italian outdoor advertising company, in a $20m deal that includes an option to buy the remaining 49%. [28-Jun-1999]
Kingston Communications and the Hull Daily Mail have applied to the Independent Television Commission for a licence to set up interactive TV services in the Hull area. [25-Jun-1999]
CN Group, the Carlisle-based newspaper publisher, has acquired the Morecambe-based radio station The Bay and Belfast-based City Beat. [25-Jun-1999]
Newsquest, the regional newspaper group, has agreed to a £904m takeover bid from Gannett of the US. [25-Jun-1999]
Pearson has sold its stake in the Lazards investment banking group for £425m, as part of a deal that also sets up a strategic alliance between Pearson and Telefonica of Spain. [25-Jun-1999]
Highbury House Communications is planning to acquire Wyvern Crest, the database marketing company, for £3.7m. [24-Jun-1999]
Cable & Wireless Communications is to set up a call centre in Swansea with the creation of 1,200 jobs, in order to deal with the anticipated demand for digital TV. [23-Jun-1999]
Pearson has acquired E Source, the US supplier of energy information, for £11m. [22-Jun-1999]
Carlton Communications is buying two North American video duplicating companies for £12m - VTR Video of Canada and Grupo Video Visa of Mexico. [21-Jun-1999]
The BBC is considering plans to relocate its TV and radio news departments to London's South Bank, and a final decision is expected later this summer. [21-Jun-1999]
GWR is claiming to be the first radio operator to offer a subscription-free internet service. [21-Jun-1999]
Pearson has sold Macmillan Library Reference USA to Thomson Corporation of Canada for £53m. [19-Jun-1999]
United News & Media has acquired a number of US parenting publications for £3.9m, including Arizona Parent, Minnesota Parent and Northwest Parent Publishing. [18-Jun-1999]
Photobition, the media services supplier, is buying Custom Color Services of the US for £6.1m. [17-Jun-1999]
NTL is planning to set up a joint venture with Real Media of the US to sell interactive television advertising. [17-Jun-1999]
Capital Radio and Emap Radio have jointly won the local digital radio multiplex in Manchester, and will begin broadcasting by next May. [16-Jun-1999]
Tinderbox, the desktop editing and TV multimedia production company, has closed due to a lack of major projects. [16-Jun-1999]
Informa Group, the business conference and publishing company, has acquired Washington Policy Analysis of the US for up to £13m. [15-Jun-1999]
Sterling Publishing is acquiring Net Resource International for up to £7.5m, in order to offer international advertising on specialist industry web sites. [15-Jun-1999]
GWR and Radio Investments are to jointly acquire Stray FM, the Harrogate-based radio station, for about £3m. [15-Jun-1999]
Targetbase is planning to create at least 50 jobs in Middlesbrough over the next three years, having won a contract to provide market research to a Dutch firm. [14-Jun-1999]
Golden Rose is considering plans to launch a TV version of its Jazz FM music radio station. [12-Jun-1999]
More Group is acquiring Dauphin, the French billboard company, for £300m, as part of the ongoing consolidation in the world's outdoor advertising industry. [12-Jun-1999]
EMI has acquired a 50% stake in Musicmaker.com, the US company that enables internet users to compile their own CDs. [11-Jun-1999]
WPP is to acquire NoHo Digital, the new media agency, and the business will be merged with its OgilvyOne division. [10-Jun-1999]
Book Club Associates, a member of the Bertelsmann Media Group, is creating 60 jobs for German speakers in Swindon. [10-Jun-1999]
Granada is looking for acquisitions to expand its media and leisure business internationally, following a period of rapid growth in the UK. [10-Jun-1999]
NTL is to launch the UK's first digital cable TV service in September, and is also aiming to become a national telecoms operator by reducing its telephone tariffs. [10-Jun-1999]
Pathe is selling its pay-TV operations to Vivendi of France, which will involve the transfer of Pathe's 17% stake in BSkyB and 20% stake in CanalSatellite and raises the prospect of BSkyB renewing merger talks with Canal Plus. [08-Jun-1999]
Aspen Group, the media services company, has agreed to a £8.1m takeover offer made by Rea Brothers on behalf of a management team. [08-Jun-1999]
United News & Media is planning to acquire Two-Ten Communications, the supplier of press releases, from the Press Association for £17m. [08-Jun-1999]
Scottish Media is acquiring Pearl & Dean, the cinema advertising company, for £22m. [08-Jun-1999]
Granada is planning to invest £30m in its online business over the next three years, including a free internet access service, educational facilities, interactive entertainment and electronic commerce. [07-Jun-1999]
BSkyB has launched a free internet access service called Skynow, and it will be available through computers rather then digital TV. [05-Jun-1999]
Picture Applications has applied to the Independent Television Commission for licences to broadcast local TV channels in Ipswich, Cambridge, Luton, and Chelmsford. [04-Jun-1999]
Emap is considering plans to develop e-commerce sites linked to its magazine titles, including the possibility of selling cars direct to car magazine readers and the introduction of online professional training. [02-Jun-1999]
The BBC is launching a public service education channel on digital TV called BBC Knowledge, and it will have a budget of £10m a year. [01-Jun-1999]
Mice Group, the marketing support services agency, is to acquire Kadoke of Canada for £1.7m, in its first move into North America. [01-Jun-1999]
Allders is forming a joint venture with Loot to launch an auction-based catalogue that will enable people to bid for consumer products. [29-May-1999]
BBC Worldwide is planning to launch a free internet access service, and Scottish Telecom is expected to provide the network technology. [29-May-1999]
MATV of Leicester has launched the UK's first terrestrial Asian TV station. [28-May-1999]
Future Publishing is to raise about £165m in a flotation in order to reduce debt and develop its magazine operations in the US and Germany. [27-May-1999]
Carlton Communications is considering plans to link up with Granada to launch a new TV channel to show the most popular ITV programmes. [27-May-1999]
Southnews is considering plans to spend up to £100m on acquisitions in order to become one of the top three regional newspaper companies. [26-May-1999]
EMI is planning to offer a limited volume of digital music for sale over the internet, and an announcement is expected within two weeks. [26-May-1999]
Ulster Television is cutting its workforce by about 35, in order to reduce costs in response to increasing competition. [25-May-1999]
Pearson has sold Jossey-Bass, the US book publisher, to John Wiley & Sons for $82m. [25-May-1999]
On Digital is to offer free set-top boxes and subsidies on the cost of a digital TV set manufactured by Bush, in order to boost sales of digital TV subscriptions. [25-May-1999]
Wilmington has acquired 81% of Central Law Group, the provider of publications, training and conferences, for £25m. [21-May-1999]
The government has announced plans for the film industry to receive at least £150m of funding over the next three years, including some lottery money. [20-May-1999]
Johnston Press is to acquire Portsmouth & Sunderland Newspapers, the regional newspaper publisher, for £266m, having beaten off rival bids from Newsquest and News Communications & Media. [19-May-1999]
Scottish Radio Holdings is acquiring Visions Posters, the Birmingham-based outdoor advertising company, for £15m. [19-May-1999]
United News & Media is acquiring Strategic Marketing Corporation, the US market research company, for £11m. [19-May-1999]
Conde Nast has sold its 40% stake in magazine publisher Wagadon to its editorial director, prompting speculation that it could be sold on to a company such as Emap. [19-May-1999]
Taylor & Francis is acquiring Europa Publications, the publisher of reference works, from MPG for £12m. [18-May-1999]
Pearson is selling US medical publisher Appleton & Lange to McGraw Hill for $46m, and Master Data Center to Information Holdings for $33m. [18-May-1999]
Acxiom, the marketing services company, is planning to relocate 350 staff to Doxford International Technology Park in Sunderland, and a further 200 jobs will be created. [17-May-1999]
Kingston Communications has announced plans to launch an interactive TV service in Hull later this year, using its existing telephone lines. [17-May-1999]
Talk Radio is in negotiations to acquire The Bay music radio station for about £3.5m. [17-May-1999]
Capital Radio is considering plans to move into TV using its XFM pop music brand. [15-May-1999]
Axel Springer Verlag of Germany is seeking to spend up to £1bn on the acquisition of TV production and business publishing companies in the UK. [14-May-1999]
GWR is planning to invest up to £12m in digital radio services over the next six years, and is also in talks with a number of mobile phone companies about incorporating miniature digital radios into their products. [12-May-1999]
Future Publishing is considering plans for a flotation later this year in order to fund the expansion of its magazines business. [12-May-1999]
Pearson is to sell its US higher-education publications to John Wiley & Sons of the US for £35m, in order to win approval for its acquisition of Simon & Schuster's educational publishing division. [12-May-1999]
Capital Radio and Emap Radio have jointly won a licence to broadcast six commercial digital radio channels in Birmingham. [11-May-1999]
Sanctuary Group is acquiring ASV, the classical music record company, for £1.3m. [11-May-1999]
WPP Group is acquiring a 49% stake in Market Segment Group of the US for undisclosed terms. [11-May-1999]
Tarsus Group is to acquire Edit Expo, the French organiser of trade exhibitions, for about £5m. [11-May-1999]
Sports Internet is acquiring Planetfootball.com, the developer of web sites for football clubs, for £24m, in order to build up an online sports betting business. [08-May-1999]
Winchester Entertainment is to raise £3.4m in a share placing in order to fund the acquisition of larger premises and the development of new TV programmes for children. [07-May-1999]
Cable & Wireless Communications is to create 2,000 jobs as part of its digital TV plans, including 740 technical staff in Manchester and London and 1,200 call centre staff. [07-May-1999]
NTL is to acquire Cablelink, the Irish cable TV provider, for £438m. [07-May-1999]
Microsoft is set to acquire the 30% stake in Telewest Communications held by MediaOne, which is expected to speed up consolidation in the UK cable TV industry. [07-May-1999]
Kartupelis Associates and The Focus Group have merged to create one of the largest PR firms in the Mid-Anglia region. [06-May-1999]
Newsquest is planning a multi-million pound investment in a new full-colour, double-width press at its Lancashire print factory. [06-May-1999]
BSkyB is to give away digital TV set-top boxes in an attempt to remove all possible barriers for new customers, which could lead to a price war and a similar offer from rival company On Digital. [06-May-1999]
Aegis is to acquire Market Facts, the US market research company, for £185m. [01-May-1999]
United News & Media has announced a recommended £571m takeover offer for CMP Media, the US technology media company, and will combine it with its Miller Freeman division. [30-Apr-1999]
Scottish Radio Holdings has acquired Parkin Advertising, the Bristol-based outdoor advertising company, for £9m. [29-Apr-1999]
Ulster Television is launching a new digital channel called TV-YOU, which will show repeats of popular ITV programmes, movies and sports. [29-Apr-1999]
Smart Europe is seeking 70 new staff for its telemarketing call centre in Sandbach, and is also planning to open a second call centre in the north employing 30 people later this year. [28-Apr-1999]
Kolorcraft, the Wakefield-based producer of corporate communications material, has been sold to its management for £6m. [28-Apr-1999]
Henderson Publishing is to relocate from Woodbridge near Ipswich to Covent Garden in London, in order to expand its children's Funfax publishing business. [27-Apr-1999]
Incepta is acquiring the Public Policy Unit, a public affairs consultancy, for about £1.2m, and will merge the business with its Citigate Westminster consultancy. [27-Apr-1999]
On Digital is to create an additional 75 jobs at its digital TV call centre in Plymouth, and Plymouth is one of a number of potential locations for a new national customer inquiry centre, which could create 1,000 jobs over five years. [26-Apr-1999]
United News & Media's Express newspaper is to launch a free internet service in partnership with LineOne. [24-Apr-1999]
NTL has dropped plans to bid for Newcastle United, apparently due to government concerns about football clubs being owned by media companies. [22-Apr-1999]
WPP is to relocate its Ogilvy & Mather advertising business in the West End of London to Canary Wharf. [22-Apr-1999]
The Independent Television Commission (ITC) and Oftel are to study the way that cable TV companies sell joint TV and telephone packages, due to concerns that it may be anti-competitive to refuse to supply the packages separately. [21-Apr-1999]
BSkyB is planning to increase the amount that cable operators pay for its Sky One channel, and is also said to be considering renting out capacity on cable networks and selling its channels directly to customers. [19-Apr-1999]
Sportsworld Media is acquiring a 51% stake in Stuart Sawyer, the sports marketing company, for £1.3m. [17-Apr-1999]
Highland Council is expected to receive a planning application from Vincero Productions of Aberdeen for the construction of a £6m film studio and museum of the moving arts in Inverness, creating about 50 jobs. [15-Apr-1999]
Scoot is in discussions to acquire Diva Solutions, the internet software company, in order to help with the development of its online directories. [15-Apr-1999]
Emap has acquired Intohome, the organiser of a home furnishings exhibition, for undisclosed terms. [15-Apr-1999]
BSkyB, Pearson and United News & Media have held discussions with Warburg Pincus about acquiring the US venture capital group's 18% stake in Channel 5 for about £94m. [14-Apr-1999]
BSkyB is to develop a business TV service, and is in discussions with banks and retailers about providing tailored programming for customers and staff. [14-Apr-1999]
BSkyB's attempt to acquire Manchester United has been blocked by the government, as the Competition Commission said it would have given BSkyB an unfair advantage in sports rights negotiations. [10-Apr-1999]
Graphic Inline, the Leicester-based direct mail company, has been acquired by a management team for undisclosed terms. [09-Apr-1999]
On Digital has announced plans to increase sales of its digital pay-TV service by showing one-off programmes based on popular ITV shows and by offering a pre-paid subscription option. [09-Apr-1999]
The Stationery Office has split itself into four divisions - publishing, office supplies, document management and security printing - and some of the divisions are expected to be sold off while others will be floated. [09-Apr-1999]
Highbury House Communications has sold DPS Typecraft, the supplier of computer systems to the publishing sector, to Digital Technology International for up to £3.4m. [09-Apr-1999]
Tempus, the media sales company, is considering plans to demerge its Outrider internet marketing division, and is also planning to build up a network of regional offices in the US. [09-Apr-1999]
Pearson is planning to link up with Dow Jones to launch a daily business newspaper in Russia. [07-Apr-1999]
Cable & Wireless Communications and Telewest are in discussions to merge their cable TV operations. [07-Apr-1999]
Cambridge Animation Systems, the producer of animation software for the film industry, has been bought by Nomura for undisclosed terms. [07-Apr-1999]
The BBC is cutting a further 30 jobs at the Pebble Mill studios in Birmingham, affecting staff involved in set design, management and administration. [07-Apr-1999]
Charles Walls Group, the Yorkshire-based advertising agency, has been acquired by its management team in a £0.5m deal. [06-Apr-1999]
Television Corporation is to set up an office in Leeds in order to produce documentary programmes. [06-Apr-1999]
The BBC has agreed a deal with Tomy of Japan in which it will design and market its own toys, as part of a strategy to increase the merchandising revenues from its TV programmes. [05-Apr-1999]
Scoot is to develop a digital TV version of its business directories for Cable & Wireless Communications. [02-Apr-1999]
Mirror Group has cut about one third of the staff at its three Live TV local stations in Edinburgh, Birmingham and Manchester, and its news programming is being reduced in order to focus on entertainment. [01-Apr-1999]
The Independent Television Commission has given Caledonia Television the go-ahead to launch a commercial TV channel for the Highlands, creating 15 jobs in Inverness. [31-Mar-1999]
Cardiff Bay Development Corporation has rejected plans from the Roger Black Partnership to set up a £12m Welsh National Media Centre at one of the waterfront sites in the bay. [31-Mar-1999]
News International is launching a free internet access service through The Sun newspaper, while The Mirror is to launch a similar service next month. [31-Mar-1999]
Scottish Media Group has acquired Baillie, the outdoor advertising company, for undisclosed terms. [30-Mar-1999]
Cable & Wireless Communications is considering plans to drop BSkyB's pay-per-view sports and film channels from its cable TV service in favour of the rival offering from Front Row. [27-Mar-1999]
Working Title Films has agreed a $600m deal to make five movies a year for Universal, the Hollywood studio. [26-Mar-1999]
Flextech is planning to invest £20m in interactive TV services this year, and it also aims to acquire new TV channels to add to the existing 14. [25-Mar-1999]
Independent Radio Group has rejected an approach by the Central Scotland Broadcasting group to acquire its Scottish radio stations for £8m. [24-Mar-1999]
Fitch, the design and branding services group, has agreed a £27m takeover offer from Lighthouse of the US. [24-Mar-1999]
Granada is acquiring an 18.6% stake in Scottish Media from Mirror Group for £110m, which could lead to a full takeover bid. [24-Mar-1999]
York & County Press has bought the York and Wetherby Advertiser, in order to increase its portfolio of local newspapers. [23-Mar-1999]
Scoot has formed an alliance with Energis in which customers of its online services directory will be linked directly to advertisers via Energis leased lines, and advertisers will pay Scoot a fee for each introduction. [23-Mar-1999]
Carlton Communications and Granada are said to be in discussions to acquire a stake in Video Networks, in preparation for the nationwide launch of its interactive TV services later this year. [22-Mar-1999]
NTL is to buy Australia's broadcasting transmission network for £250m, and is now seeking to bid for similar privatisations in other countries. [20-Mar-1999]
United News & Media's Miller Freeman division is acquiring Continuing Medical Education of the US for £68m. [20-Mar-1999]
S4C, the Welsh TV broadcaster, has launched a new commercial arm to bring together airtime sales, programme sales, co-production, multimedia, sponsorship and event management. [17-Mar-1999]
Telewest is planning to introduce video-on-demand to its cable TV service by the end of next year. [17-Mar-1999]
Dorling Kindersley, the multimedia publishing company, is to close its Russian operations and spend £1m setting up an internet bookshop. [17-Mar-1999]
Highbury House Communications is forming a joint venture with Internet Advertising to publish magazines on the internet. [16-Mar-1999]
Barbour Index, the information company, is to be acquired by Havas of France for £53m. [13-Mar-1999]
Mice Group, the marketing support services agency, is to raise £10m in a share issue to fund acquisitions in Europe, and it is also looking to set up businesses in Wales and Scotland. [12-Mar-1999]
Euromoney Publications is considering plans for a stock market listing in the US, which could result in Daily Mail & General Trust selling some of its 71% stake. [11-Mar-1999]
Carlton Communications has acquired Planet 24, the TV production company, for £15m. [11-Mar-1999]
Thomson Directories Group, the publisher of local directories, has been put up for sale by its venture capital owners, and is expected to be valued at more than £250m. [09-Mar-1999]
Scottish Radio Holdings has acquired Trainer for £27m, as part of a plan to set up an outdoor advertising division. [09-Mar-1999]
United News & Media is in discussions to sell the Daily Star newspaper to Ginger Media Group for about £20m. [08-Mar-1999]
Mirror Group has put its 18.6% stake in Scottish Media up for sale, and interest is expected from TV companies such as Carlton, Granada and United News & Media. [05-Mar-1999]
On Digital and S4C Digital Networks are forming a joint venture to offer pay-per-view films and sport on digital terrestrial TV. [04-Mar-1999]
Kingston Communications is setting up a new business called Kingston TLI, in order to offer TV production and satellite distribution services. [03-Mar-1999]
Informa is buying Daily Commercial News, the Australian newspaper, from APN News & Media for £3.9m. [03-Mar-1999]
Aegis is planning to build up a global media buying business by spending up to £100m on acquisitions in Asia, Latin America and the US. [02-Mar-1999]
S4C is launching a digital satellite TV service that will broadcast Welsh language programmes throughout the UK. [01-Mar-1999]
Pearson is linking up with Gruner & Jahr of Germany to invest £60m in the launch of a German business newspaper. [01-Mar-1999]
Golden Rose, the owner of the Jazz FM radio station, is getting a £3m investment from Clear Channel of the US which will involve the sale of a 34% stake. [26-Feb-1999]
Wilmslow Group is acquiring Media Content, the sports media advisory concern, in a £10m reverse takeover. [25-Feb-1999]
BSkyB is in discussions to merge with Canal Plus of France with a view to creating a dominant player in the European pay TV market. [24-Feb-1999]
The Independent Television Commission is planning to set up an extra 20 broadcasting masts in order to improve the transmission of digital terrestrial TV. [24-Feb-1999]
Pearson is selling the Extel name and financial research business to Primark of the US for £19m. [23-Feb-1999]
ITV has formed a pact with On Digital that will enable both companies to broadcast live football from the Uefa Champions League, in a four-year deal worth about £260m. [18-Feb-1999]
ITV has agreed a £4m deal with Guinness for the sponsorship of TV coverage for this year's Rugby World Cup. [17-Feb-1999]
Flextech is to run a six-month trial of Microsoft's WebTV interactive advertising system on its TV Travel Shop channel. [16-Feb-1999]
Telewest Communications is to recruit an additional 50 people for its expanding telesales call centre in Team Valley, Gateshead. [15-Feb-1999]
MTV is planning to launch three more music channels on digital TV this summer. [15-Feb-1999]
Northstar Securities is buying Equator Films for £9m, in order to move its focus from property investment to the media sector. [13-Feb-1999]
Emap has acquired Automotive Group, the US publisher of auto-sport magazines, from General Media for £21m. [12-Feb-1999]
Britt Allcroft has agreed a deal with Destination Films of the US to make a £9m film based on Thomas the Tank Engine. [12-Feb-1999]
News Corporation is discussing the formation of an alliance with Canal Plus of France that could create a dominant force in European pay TV. [11-Feb-1999]
The BBC World Service is to invest £14m in the expansion of its internet services, which will enable it to broadcast local language services on its web site. [11-Feb-1999]
Channel 4 is to increase its programming budget by 13% to £375m this year, as it will no longer be required to transfer some of its advertising revenue to ITV. [11-Feb-1999]
Scottish Media is acquiring Primesight, the outdoor advertising agency, for £35m. [10-Feb-1999]
Storyboards Harpers, the supplier of presentation services to the advertising industry, has undergone a £5m management buyout. [09-Feb-1999]
WPP has acquired a 49% stake in International Presentations, and has an option to buy the remainder. [09-Feb-1999]
Newsquest is in discussions to buy the newspaper assets of Portsmouth & Sunderland Newspapers, while plans by Johnston Press to acquire the whole of P&S have been referred to the Monopolies & Mergers Commission. [06-Feb-1999]
Smart Europe is to create 70 jobs at its telephone marketing business in Sandbach, having won a number of new contracts from hi-tech firms. [05-Feb-1999]
Telewest Communications has fallen into line with other cable TV groups by selecting internet software for the autumn launch of its digital TV service, and 100,000 desk-top boxes have been ordered from Pace Micro Technology. [05-Feb-1999]
Photobition, the media services company, has abandoned its £80m takeover bid for Wace, but has announced the acquisition of Service Visual Communications for £11m. [05-Feb-1999]
Scottish Media and Guardian Media are planning to sell their combined 35% stake in GMTV, which could result in Carlton Communications and Granada taking full control of the breakfast TV station. [04-Feb-1999]
Reuters is to cut 100 jobs among its 2,100-strong UK and Ireland workforce, with technical support, sales and finance being hardest hit. [04-Feb-1999]
ICC Information has bought the duplicate microfiche library of Companies House for undisclosed terms. [04-Feb-1999]
Sports & Outdoor Media International has won a contract to advise the England & Wales Cricket Board on its commercial activities, and it plans to launch a sales and marketing programme to benefit from sponsorship opportunities. [03-Feb-1999]
Pearson Television is planning to acquire EVA Entertainment, the animation production company, for £2m. [01-Feb-1999]
Freepages, the directories company, is to sell a 25% stake in its Dutch venture to VNU for up to £7.8m, and also plans to form a joint venture with Flextech and change its name to Scoot. [30-Jan-1999]
GWR is acquiring Orchard Media, the owner of four radio stations in the West Country, for £26m. [29-Jan-1999]
The BBC is to cut 14 of the 33 jobs in its TV drama production unit at Pebble Mill in Birmingham, prompting concern over the future of the studios. [27-Jan-1999]
Scottish Media Group is to launch a new Sunday newspaper in Scotland within the next few weeks, but has not yet announced the name. [26-Jan-1999]
Chrysalis Group has acquired Global Music Group, the German music publisher, for £4.2m, as part of a strategy to create a worldwide independent publishing network. [26-Jan-1999]
Euromoney Publications is to acquire an 80% stake in Internet Securities, the US provider of financial information on emerging markets via the internet, for £26m. [26-Jan-1999]
Johnston Press is considering plans to make a hostile takeover bid for Portsmouth & Sunderland Newspapers, although it would need clearance from the Monopolies & Mergers Commission first. [23-Jan-1999]
Pearson is looking to sell a number of publications recently acquired from Simon & Schuster, including the Appleton Lange medical titles and the Jossey Bass education and health titles. [23-Jan-1999]
Carlton Communications is buying the ITC library of 300 movies and 5,000 hours of TV programming from Seagram for £94m. [20-Jan-1999]
United News & Media is to acquire Audit & Surveys Worldwide, the US market research company, for £26m, as part of a strategy to offer a global market research service to large companies. [20-Jan-1999]
IPC Magazines is to cease production of the Options women's magazine, and plans to replace it with a new unnamed fashion title. [20-Jan-1999]
NTL is launching an interactive internet service called TV-Internet for its cable TV subscribers, and it will use software supplied by NCI of the US. [20-Jan-1999]
WPP is acquiring a 20% stake in Brierley & Partners, the customer loyalty concern. [19-Jan-1999]
Candover Investments is planning an £800m bid for Mirror Group, which it would merge with its Regional Independent Newspapers subsidiary. [18-Jan-1999]
WH Smith has acquired Helicon, the educational publisher, for £5.6m, which could lead to Smith offering free access to an encyclopaedia on the internet. [16-Jan-1999]
Channel 4 has withdrawn from the bidding to provide a digital TV service for schools due to concerns over the commercial viability of the project. [16-Jan-1999]
Informa has acquired the Linkraven magazine publishing business for an initial £2.1m, which will provide it with a flagship aviation title and improved access to the US market. [15-Jan-1999]
United News & Media has acquired Verecom of the US, Fematec of Argentina, and Stammer of Italy, for £40m, in order to boost its Miller Freeman publishing activities. [15-Jan-1999]
IPC Magazines is to cut up to 200 jobs in a restructuring programme that will create five separate subsidiary companies - TV weeklies, women's weeklies, the SouthBank monthly titles, music & sport and country & leisure. [14-Jan-1999]
Pearson Television has bought a 10.9% stake in E-Pub, the US developer of internet versions of game shows, for £15m. [14-Jan-1999]
Pearson is in negotiations with Gruner & Jahr that could lead to the launch of a German version of the Financial Times newspaper. [14-Jan-1999]
Aura Books and Advanced Marketing, the book suppliers, are to relocate their operations to Bicester this summer, creating 100 new jobs. [12-Jan-1999]
Copyright Promotions Group, the sports and entertainment licensing agency, is to be acquired by ISMM of Switzerland for £20m. [12-Jan-1999]
Trinity International has pulled out of merger talks with Mirror Group that would have created the UK's largest newspaper group. [11-Jan-1999]
The number of job adverts in national newspapers fell by an average 6% year-on-year in November, the biggest fall since 1993, according to figures from NTC Research. [09-Jan-1999]
EMI is considering the acquisition of the independent record label London Records. [08-Jan-1999]
South Hams Radio and Regatta Radio have submitted applications to operate the new independent radio licence for the South Hams area of Devon. [07-Jan-1999]
Cox Communications of the US has sold a 12% stake in Telewest Communications to institutional investors for £450m. [07-Jan-1999]
Incepta is acquiring Alexander Demuth, the German communications consultancy, for £4.3m. [07-Jan-1999]
A number of unnamed Hollywood movie studios and European media groups have approached the government with proposals to transform the Millennium Dome into a film and TV production complex with theme park after 2000. [05-Jan-1999]
Mirror Group is linking up with Rangers Football Club to form Rangers Television, in order to provide match day TV at the stadium and to explore other opportunities. [05-Jan-1999]
BSkyB is planning to develop a tailor-made digital satellite TV service for pubs and clubs. [02-Jan-1999]