Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar dies aged 98 July 7, 2021 Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar passed away in hospital after battling a prolonged illness, his doctor confirmed earlier today. One of India’s most iconic actors with a career spanning over 50 years and starring in nearly 60 films – nicknamed the tragedy king because he would often take on films with a tragic storyline – Kumar [...]
Evening Standard falls to £17m loss as lockdown hits commuting July 7, 2021 The Evening Standard plunged to a £17.2m loss last year as repeated lockdowns and work-from-home orders hit the freesheet’s commuting readership. Revenue for the year dropped by almost a third to £44m in the year to the end of September as lower reader numbers were compounded by a slump in advertising spend. The pre-tax loss [...]
Dutch investigative journalist Peter R de Vries fighting for his life after assassination attempt July 7, 2021 The well-known Dutch crime journalist Peter R de Vries was rushed to the hospital last night after being shot in Amsterdam minutes after he left a TV studio. According to Dutch media, Five shots were fired at with close range, while police confirmed later that evening they had arrested three people in connection with the [...]
PR giant Teneo names Ursula Burns as new chair amid misconduct scandal July 6, 2021 Teneo has named Ursula Burns as its new chair as the PR giant looks to restore its reputation in the wake of a misconduct scandal surrounding one of its founders. The company, which describes itself as a global CEO advisory firm, today announced the appointment of Burns with immediate effect. It comes a week after [...]
Gary Lineker still BBC’s top paid star despite pay cuts July 6, 2021 Gary Lineker is still the BBC’s highest-paid star despite taking a pay cut last year as the corporation looks to slim down its hefty wage bill. The former England footballer and Match of the Day presenter earned £1.36m, the BBC’s latest annual report showed, down from £1.75m the previous year. It comes after Lineker, who [...]
GB News: Ofcom shuns investigation into Dan Wootton’s lockdown rant July 5, 2021 Media watchdog Ofcom has opted not to investigate anti-lockdown comments made by Dan Wootton on the opening night of GB News, marking a victory for the nascent news channel. A total of 390 complaints were lodged with the regulator after Wootton, former executive editor of the Sun, launched a tirade against the government’s response to [...]
Hipgnosis throws $1bn at latest song-buying spree, as TikTok rallies revenues July 5, 2021 Hipgnosis has thrown over $1bn during its latest stint of song-buying which spans 84 freshly bought back catalogues from the industry’s biggest names. Like-for-like valuation for Hipgnosis’ portfolio has grown 10.4 per cent during the year to 31 March 2021. Meanwhile, streaming income has lifted 18.4 per cent in the second half of the year. [...]
Saturday essay: It’s easy to hate social media, to truly make it work we need to learn to love it July 3, 2021 It’s fashionable to be irrationally critical of social media. Almost every policy relating to social media serves to restrain, rather than nurture it. The image of online platforms, amongst politicos and policymakers, is often that it is nothing more than an inflammatory cesspit of trolls and creeps who debase every conversation with racist and sexist [...]
Back to adland: What London’s creatives think about the return to the office July 3, 2021 With the final easing of lockdown restrictions on the horizon, attention is turning to the eventual return to the office and a new era of flexible working. Major banks such as JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have all begun bringing staff back into the office, while UBS has said it will embrace a [...]
Screenshot: Who will win the summer TV ratings war? July 2, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Rob Beckett’s Wembley wisdom **Who will win the summer TV ratings war? **Kantar’s boardroom carousel Media Moment of the Week: Rob Beckett’s Wembley wisdom We all had a great time on Tuesday, didn’t we, but arguably no one had a better time than Rob Beckett. Fortunately, the comedian [...]