ITV warns on ‘challenging’ ad market as pandemic hits profit March 9, 2021 ITV today warned that the advertising market remained “challenging” as it reported sharp falls in revenue and profit due to the impact of the pandemic. The London-listed firm, which last night aired Oprah Winfrey’s eagerly-awaited interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, posted a 16 per cent drop in total revenue to £2.8bn in 2020. [...]
The Week Ahead: ITV, Rolls Royce, Morrison, ECB and UK GDP data March 8, 2021 It’s Monday morning. City A.M. looks ahead at what this week has in store. China Trade for February This morning – The Chinese economy finished 2020 on a strong note, its surplus hitting a record high in December. Exports rose by 18.1 per cent, slightly down from November’s 21.1 per cent but still better than expected, [...]
Pearson maintains dividend as it unveils plans to slash office space March 8, 2021 Education giant Pearson today said it will maintain its dividend for the full year as the firm unveiled plans to “significantly” reduce its office space. The publisher proposed a final dividend of 13.5p, bringing its full-year payout to 19.5p — in line with 2019. It came as Pearson announced plans to slim down its property [...]
Mail on Sunday ordered to publish front-page statement over Meghan Markle privacy case March 5, 2021 The Mail on Sunday must publish a front-page statement about Meghan Markle’s victory in a privacy case against the newspaper, the High Court ruled today. A judge last month ruled that the tabloid had breached the Duchess of Sussex’s privacy and infringed her copyright by publishing extracts of a letter she sent to her estranged [...]
Screenshot: Will nightclubs really reopen in June? March 5, 2021 This week: **Media Moment of the Week: Telly’s still got welly **Will nightclubs really reopen on 21 June? **The BBC turns back time Media Moment of the Week: Telly’s still got welly In the age of Silicon Valley streaming giants and relentless references to “content” and “eyeballs”, it’s easy to forget that TV can, sometimes, [...]
Jack Dorsey’s Square buys $300m stake in Jay-Z’s streaming firm Tidal March 4, 2021 Mobile payments firm Square has agreed to buy a majority stake in Tidal, the streaming service owned by rapper and producer Jay-Z, for $297m (£212m). Square, which was co-founded by Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey, said it will pay a mix of cash and stock for the stake, while Jay-Z will join its board of [...]
Sports streaming firm DAZN taps former Disney executive Kevin Mayer as chair March 3, 2021 Sports streaming service DAZN has appointed former Disney executive Kevin Mayer as its new chairman. DAZN, which is backed by billionaire Len Blavatnik, said Mayer will lead the nascent streaming platform as it pursues an “aggressive” growth strategy. He replaces John Skipper, who is stepping down to focus on Meadowlark Media, a newly-launched content company [...]
ITV shares rise as channel secures Meghan and Harry Oprah interview March 3, 2021 ITV shares pushed higher today as the broadcaster revealed it has secured UK rights to Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The London-listed company fended off competition from rivals Sky and Channel 4 to acquire the eagerly-awaited chat, in which the couple discuss their decision to quit the royal family. The special [...]
Nightclubs blast ‘ridiculous’ Budget amid summer festival warning March 3, 2021 UK nightclubs have hit back at a “ridiculous” lack of support for the sector in today’s Budget amid warnings that time is running out to save this summer’s music festivals. The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) said chancellor Rishi Sunak had failed to recognise the specific challenges faced by clubs, bars and casinos, many of [...]
Pandemic binge-watching drives UK entertainment spend to record high March 3, 2021 UK spending on films, music and gaming increased to a record high last year, driven by increased demand for streaming during Covid-19 lockdowns. Retail entertainment spend increased 18 per cent to a record £9.3bn in 2020, marking the eight successive year of growth in the sector and the fastest growth rate ever recorded. The final [...]