Music fund Hipgnosis to raise £150m for song-buying spree June 16, 2021 Hipgnosis is set to raise a further £150m through a share placing as the music royalties firm continues to cash in on the booming value of song rights. The London-listed company today said it will raise the funds through the placing of 124m new shares priced at 121p each. This represents a 2.4 per cent [...]
British music exports grow to record high as streaming hits the right note June 16, 2021 The value of British music sales and streams surpassed half a billion pounds for the first time last year thanks to the growing popularity of streaming services such as Spotify. Global consumption of British music generated £519m in export earnings in 2020 — a six per cent increase year on year and the highest figure [...]
Prime minister calls harassment of BBC journalist Nick Watt ‘disgraceful’ June 15, 2021 Footage posted on social media showed anti-lockdown protesters verbally abusing and chasing Nick Watt, the political editor of BBC Newsnight, near Downing Street on Monday. On Twitter, the prime minister said: “Disgraceful to see the hounding of Nick Watt doing his job.” “The media must be able to report the facts without fear or favour – [...]
Investors stare into the unknown as Keywords CEO Andrew Day departs after bumper year June 15, 2021 Keywords Studios CEO Andrew Day will step down from his role following an extended leave of absence. Jon Hauck and Sonia Sedler will continue as joint interim CEOs until a replacement is found, the company confirmed today. “It should come as little surprise that Andrew Day is stepping down from his role as CEO at [...]
Internal BBC review clears broadcaster over rehiring of Martin Bashir June 14, 2021 A hasty internal investigation carried out by the BBC has cleared the broadcaster over the rehiring of reporter Martin Bashir in 2016, but highlighted “shortcomings” in the process. An inquiry into Bashir’s appointment as religious affairs correspondent found there was no evidence he was hired to cover events surrounding his notorious 1995 interview with Princess [...]
UK to roll out new TV streaming rules in boost for broadcasters June 14, 2021 The government is said to be preparing new rules that would force tech firms such as Amazon and Samsung to give greater prominence to public broadcasters. Legislation being finalised by Whitehall officials will guarantee that public service broadcasters (PSB) such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 are easy to access on smart TVs, the [...]
GB News launch tops ratings despite technical glitches June 14, 2021 GB News raked in bumper viewer numbers for its eagerly-awaited launch last night, eclipsing its news rivals despite a string of technical glitches. The channel, which went live last night with a special welcome programme, pulled in average viewing figures of 164,400 between 7pm and 11pm, equivalent to a 1.1 per cent share. This beat [...]
Theatres set the stage for state-backed insurance scheme June 13, 2021 Theatre grandees are said to be on the brink of striking a deal with the government for a state-backed insurance scheme enabling performances to go ahead. Top West End figures have an agreement in principle from culture secretary Oliver Dowden for a taxpayer-backed indemnity programme, the Sunday Telegraph reported. The plans have now been passed [...]
As seen on screen: How a London advertising firm uses AI to place products in films June 12, 2021 In Call My Agent, the hit French TV series about perennially pressurised talent agents, two characters are seated at the boardroom table in their swanky Parisian offices, a mug of Carte Noire coffee sat squarely in front of each. At first glance, this appears nothing more than some straightforward product placement — a form of [...]
GB News takes on LBC with radio station launch June 11, 2021 GB News today announced plans to launch a national radio station as early as next month as the startup puts talk radio rivals such as LBC in its sights. The company is in the final stages of securing a long-term deal for spectrum on the Digital One commercial radio multiplex, which would allow it to [...]