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 [...]
Twitter user to pay BBC journalist six-figure sum for defamatory actions July 1, 2021 A twitter ‘troll’ has apologised and agreed to pay a six-figure bill in damages after trying to damage the reputation of BBC radio and TV presenter Stephen Nolan. Nolan, a presenter on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio 5 Live, said the user ran a “malicious campaign designed to undermine me and hinder my journalism” [...]
Pinterest to ban all weight loss adverts from platform July 1, 2021 Pinterest will ban all ads with weight loss language and imagery, including ads that idealise or criticise certain body types. The digital pinboard site said it would also not allow ads with testimonials about weight loss or weight loss products, or ads referencing Body Mass Index (BMI) or similar indexes. “This stance makes Pinterest the [...]
Evening Standard told to pay £70,000 to Frenchman who sued over false abuse claims July 1, 2021 Frenchman Bruno Lachaux has been awarded £70,000 in compensation from the publisher of the Evening Standard after it published unverified claims he had abused his ex-wife. Lachaux, a French national who lives in Abu Dhabi, sued after stories were published in the Evening Standard, the Independent and the i newspapers in 2014. The stories reported [...]
Revolving door: Kantar’s third boss in 18 months is BT CEO’s bro July 1, 2021 Kantar has tapped the brother of BT’s chief executive as its new boss, marking yet another leadership change at the media giant following its takeover by Bain Capital. The market research group today said Chris Jansen, brother of BT’s Philip Jansen, will take the reins from 1 November. The appointment comes less than 18 months [...]
Ronaldo scores top spot on Instagram rich list June 30, 2021 Cristiano Ronaldo has soared to the top of Instagram’s annual rich list, crowning him king among celebrities who can charge the most money for a sponsored post on the social media platform. The footballer can reportedly now charge as much as £1.2m to endorse a product on social media and post to his 307 million [...]