Douglas McCabe was quoted in an article on the increase in sales for magazines dealing with current affairs which goes against the trend of decline in print circulation

Douglas McCabe was quoted in an article on Rebekah Brooks and her return to head News Corp’s British newspaper operations. Last week Ms Brooks made the biggest splash since she returned last September, with News Corp’s £220m acquisition of the owners of Talksport radio. The deal followed the group’s £114m purchase of digital advertising start-up, Unruly, last autumn, 10 days after Ms Brooks’ return. Douglas said “Rebekah Brooks is bringing strategic clarity to News UK, and the integration of Talksport and greater Premier League distribution is a clear illustration of that”.

Douglas McCabe was quoted in an article on the fall in newspaper display advertising and the discussions that are under way between media companies to explore ways they can set aside differences and work together to address the alarming drop in advertising revenue. Douglas Said "The implications are clear: while print advertising has been in a state of secular decline for over a decade the structural forces underpinning this decline have moved up several gears."

Douglas McCabe was quoted in an article on the creation of “24: The North’s National” newspaper. The family-owned publisher behind 24 said it would aim to take a northern slant on national news and would be available only in Cumbria, Northumberland and parts of southern Scotland and Lancashire, avoiding big cities where competition is fierce. Douglas said there was a market for northern news. But while CN Group had kept costs to a minimum, there was still a risk. Adding that “they are trying to recapture a market that has switched habits. People no longer go into a newsagent every morning and pick up a newspaper. You are asking people to switch back and that is very hard.”

Douglas McCabe was quoted in an article on Time Out, the magazine company founded in London in 1968, which has raised £90m ahead of a listing on London’s junior stock market. Time Out is also taking steps to boost its online advertising revenue - Liberum has forecast that Time Out’s digital revenues will increase from £11.7m in 2015 to £38.4m in 2018. Douglas warned that investors would need to take a “leap of faith” to bet that the company’s growth rate would increase so rapidly in the years ahead. He said Time Out’s editorial expertise could help it stand out from its many online rivals, but added that “the question is whether Time Out’s content is compelling enough to get to a big enough scale”.

Gill Hind was quoted in an article on the European Commission decision to allow broadcasters to air more ads during prime time TV shows. Gill said broadcasters would be unwise to “pump in 20 minutes of ads an hour” because it would annoy viewers and prove unattractive to advertisers whose slots would be diluted.

Claire Enders was quoted in an article on the BBC White Paper, where the government proposed that six members of the new BBC board, should be public appointees. The BBC’s director-general has opposed a plan for the government to appoint almost half its board, arguing that it would undermine the broadcaster’s independence. Claire said “the government no longer believes that [online streaming] is going to replace public service broadcasting. It does not subscribe to Thatcherite ideas about the absence of the need for a public intervention.”

Claire Enders was quoted in an article on Alan Rusbridger, the former editor-in-chief of The Guardian, and on the accumulated losses of its publishing since 2007. Claire said “Alan took the lead all the way along on its digital transition, and made predictions with blithe insouciance and naivety”, adding that, “his revenue forecasting record is abysmal".

Claire Enders was quoted in an article on Jeremy Darroch, Sky’s chief Executive, who will take Sky’s targeted advertising system tested in the UK to a wider European market. Claire has known Jeremy Darroch since he became Sky’s chief financial officer in 2004. Succeeding James Murdoch as CEO “ensured continuity of strategy”, since when, “every innovation he has introduced — apart from 3D — has made a positive impact on profits”. She added that he has also changed the Sky brand: “Its customer care approach is so thoughtful that Sky has overcome a lot of the original constraints on the brand that came from it being driven by sports rights.”

Toby Syfret was quoted in an article on the streaming battle between Netflix and Amazon. Toby said “Netflix has to move quickly along its tightrope to stay ahead of the growing chasing pack of other online subscription video on demand services”. Toby and Alex Fenton wrote in a recent note. “The question is whether it can get to the end and reach the promised land without falling on the way.”