Experian, as Expected, Nabs PriceGrabber

As expected, privately held comparison-shopping site PriceGrabber.com has been bought by GUS Plc’s Experian division, reports InternetNews (via MarketingVox). The purchase price was $485 million plus expenses, according to the announcement, and was funded from GUS plc’s existing bank facilities.

PriceGrabber.com will operate under GUS’s Experian Interactive group, alongside sites such as Affiliate Fuel, ClassesUSA.COM, Experian Consumer Direct and LowerMyBills.com, which was itself acquired earlier this year by GUS for $330 million.

New ‘Boston Globe Media’ to Enhance Direct Mail Subsidiary

The publisher of The Boston Globe has announced the formation of a new group, Boston Globe Media, in order to maximize the potential and deep market coverage of New England properties owned by The New York Times Co. including The Boston Globe, B to B reports.

Walgreens RFID Display Tracking Irks Privacy Groups

The planned rollout of a radio-frequency ID system to track promotional displays in 5,000 Walgreens stores is raising objections from privacy groups that worry about future consumer tracking, AdAge reports.

The system, created by Goliath Solutions, uses RFID to track when, how long and where displays are placed in stores, allowing marketers to track results of promotions by store or demographic cluster. Manufacturers can also time local, regional or national advertising according to when displays are in place and send representatives to stores that haven’t put up displays.

U.S. TV Market to ‘Desire’ Spanish Telenovelas

Latin American serialized soaps, or telenovelas, will come to the U.S. next year thanks to a syndicated English-language franchise from Fox TV, reports Reuters (via Hollywood Reporter). This is the first time telenovelas will be remade in English specifically for the U.S. market; the goal is to Americanize them without destroying the integrity of the story, according to Bob Cook, president and COO of Twentieth, syndicator of the project and sibling of Fox Broadcasting.

Ad Space Available in Jacksonville Cruise Terminal

The Jacksonville Port Authority in Florida is selling advertising space in the Jaxport Cruise Terminal embarkation area, the Jacksonville Business Journal reports. Five porthole-shaped backlit displays are available for $500 per month, through Outdoor Advertising Services Inc. Additional space may be added later.

Approximately 140,000 passengers will pass through the cruise terminal next year.

Skipping Ads a Priority for DVR Owners

Consumers buy digital video recorders both to time-shift (record for later viewing) and to skip commercials, according to new research by WPP Group’s Mindshare, writes AdWeek (via MarketingVox). That finding seems to contradict broadcast networks’ recent assertions that consumers’ top reason was the ability to time-shift, whereas skipping commercials was not a top priority. The networks have also said that, while most viewers do skip ads, 58 percent of them pay attention to the ads while they fast forward, and 53 percent have gone back to watch an ad that interests them.

But, according to Mindshare, among the favorite DVR features of those who already own a DVR are time-shifting (about 90 percent) and the ability to skip commercials (nearly 80 percent).

Media Shops Help Design New Channel-Planning Tool

Carat, Initiative, Mediaedge:CIA, Mindshare, and PHD are charter subscribers of Compose, a new channel-planning software tool designed by Kantar Media Group and built by Pointlogic, MediaPost reports. Compose analyzes 28 different media channels against consumers’ perceptions of their value as they relate to trust, quality, information, and purchasing likelihood.

Fox Sports Reorganizes Ad Sales Team

Fox Sports has made some major advertising sales executive changes:
Neil Mulcahy has been promoted to executive vp, sports sales for Fox, longtime Fox Sports advertising executive, senior vp Jim Burnette, has been promoted to executive vp, sports strategy and marketing,
Steve McKiernan has been promoted to senior vp of sports sales, Mark Evans and Rick Kloiber have both been promoted to vp of sports sales, Susan Wachter has been promoted to executive vp of sales planning and administration, and Cliff Pozner to senior vp of revenue analysis.

MediaPost reports that the reorganization is a reflection of Fox’s growing lineup of sports properties such as the Bowl Championship Series and more NASCAR races.

Sat Radio Parades Stars as Holiday Sales Heat Up

Starting in March, Bob Dylan will host a weekly one-hour program on XM Satellite Radio, playing records and offering commentary on new music and other topics, The New York Times reports.

The news is the latest salvo in the rivalry between XM and Sirius as the two companies head into the holiday shopping season scrambling for new subscribers.

TNT Top Ad Supported Cable Net

According to Nielsen Media Research, TNT is the top ad-supported cable net year-to-date, averaging 2.58 million total viewers in prime time between Dec. 27, 2004, and Dec. 11, 2005, Mediaweek reports.