Arbitron have been trying to get its Portable People Meter (PPM) concept going in the US but have met resistance from the recalcitrant media industry. But in Iceland it has been taken on board with open arms. The tiny country boasts a disproportionately large number of tv and radio stations and presents an ideal test market for the technology. Iceland will be the first country in the world to have electronic audience measurement for both TV and radio. (more…)

Next year will see global online advertising expenditure overtake radio, according to a forecast from Publicis owned media agency ZenithOptimedia. By 2009, net advertising will be 9% of global advertising spend. (more…)

2006 saw newspapers and radio lose substantial market share to online in the US, according to data just released from Nielsen’s ad expenditure monitoring service.

Online advertising grew by 35% and outdoor by a healthy 8% in 2006, whilst network radio dropped by 2.5% and local newspapers 3.5% in a market where national newspapers are few and far between. The hot categories in 2006 were pharmaceuticals with 15% growth and mobile telephone services which rose by over 10%. Overall, US advertising expenditure climbed 4.6% to be worth $139 billion.