Ofcom opens up to telecom mergers as UK innovation risks falling behind February 9, 2022 Ofcom has revealed that it may be increasingly open-minded to mergers as the telecoms landscape continues to evolve and consumers look for better connectivity.
Spotify content chief calls Joe Rogan backlash a ‘real learning experience’ February 9, 2022 Spotify’s chief content officer Dawn Ostroff told advertisers at a New York conference today that the Joe Rogan backlash had been a “real learning experience” for the company. “We do feel that we have a responsibility to support creator expression, but also balance that creator expression with safety for our users and for our advertisers,” [...]
Amazon Prime Video pens long-term deal with Shepperton Studios cementing confidence in UK production February 9, 2022 The strength of UK production got another vote of confidence today with Prime Video announcing a landmark multimillion-pound long-term contract with Shepperton Studios for exclusive use of new facilities at the Surrey studios for future original TV series and movie productions. The new facilities will comprise nine sound stages, workshops and office accommodation, totalling approximately [...]
Amazon Prime fees could soon rise to over £90 for 15m Brits despite record UK sales of £23.6bn February 9, 2022 Amazon’s UK revenue jumped over 20 per cent last year. That won’t halt a rise of at least 17 per cent in the cost of Prime membership, if it follows the lead of Amazon US. Even though Amazon has just announced record sales of £23.6bn here in the UK, it’s unlikely that will stop a [...]
Meta’s threat to close down Facebook and Instagram in Europe backfires as EU leaders embrace shutdown: ‘Life would be very good without’ February 9, 2022 European leaders have responded to Meta's indirect warning to shut down its Facebook and Instagram operations across Europe if the social media giant is no longer able to process Europeans' data on US servers.
Thomson Reuters struggles to keep up with itself with profit down from 2020 February 8, 2022 Thomson Reuters missed fourth-quarter earnings forecasts today as the news and data provider boosted investments in what it said would help deliver stronger-than-expected revenue growth this year and next. The parent company of Reuters News said fourth-quarter operating profit fell 73 per cent year on year to $257m (£190m), and adjusted earnings per share, which [...]
2001 named best year for top hit albums February 8, 2022 New research has revealed that 2001 produced the highest number of albums appearing in the top 250, including hits like The Strokes’ ‘Is This It’, Jay-Z’s ‘The Blueprint’ and Bjork’s ‘Vespertine’. The study by Convertr.org analysed the top 250 albums on AlbumOfTheYear.org and found that the albums released that year averaged out a score of 87.9 out [...]
LadBible makes confident maiden update with annual growth hitting 80 per cent February 8, 2022 LadBible Group Media, the digital youth publisher, has issued its maiden trading update this morning, with revenue hitting at least £54m, ahead of expectations and representing annual growth of around 80 per cent. Managing brands including LADbible, SPORTbible and Tyla, direct revenue growth was driven by a significant increase in content marketing and direct display [...]
Ofcom boss bids to regulate Netflix following Jimmy Carr row February 7, 2022 Ofcom chief boss Dame Melanie Dawes has said there would be “real value” in the media and telecoms watchdog regulating Netflix. In an exclusive interview with Channel 4 News, Dawes discusses the controversy surrounding the screening of a Jimmy Carr special in which the comedian made a joke about the Holocaust. In response to whether Ofcom should [...]
KKR turns music catalogues from the likes of Stevie Nicks and The Weeknd into bonds February 7, 2022 Investment firm KKR is set to turn a catalogue of 65,000 songs – including hits from The Weeknd, Stevie Nicks, and Childish Gambino – into bonds as it looks to sell more than $732m (£542m) of asset-backed securities supported by publishing and sound recording royalties. Late last year, KKR – via its new Chord Music [...]