Vue chief executive Tim Richards named as new BFI chair February 11, 2021 The founder and chief executive of cinema chain Vue has been named as the new chair of the British Film Institute (BFI). Culture secretary Oliver Dowden today confirmed that Tim Richards will take up the position from next week and serve a term of up to three years. Richards founded Vue in 1999 and has [...]
Publisher Future given bloody nose over executive pay as profit surges February 11, 2021 Publishing group Future has suffered an investor revolt over executive pay, even as the magazine giant shrugged off the pandemic to post a sharp rise in profit. The board of Future, which owns titles such as Four Four Two and Country Life, has pushed through a controversial new pay scheme that could see chief executive [...]
Relx hikes dividend but warns on exhibitions recovery February 11, 2021 Relx today said it plans to lift its full-year dividend by three per cent after growth in its core analytics business offset a sharp decline in exhibitions. The FTSE 100 group said it had enjoyed continued growth in its science, legal and risk divisions, which make up 95 per cent of its revenue. This mitigated [...]
BBC makes editorial director Kamal Ahmed redundant in board overhaul February 10, 2021 The BBC has made editorial director Kamal Ahmed redundant in a major overhaul of its leadership that has also left the corporation in breach of its own diversity rules. Fran Unsworth, director of BBC News, today said the number of board members will be cut from 11 to eight as part of plans to “modernise” [...]
Google to pay UK publishers for news as global pressure mounts February 10, 2021 Google has inked a licensing deal with more than 120 UK publications as pressure mounts on tech giants to pay publishers for news. The launch of Google News Showcase, part of the company’s pledge to invest $1bn (£750m) in news worldwide, means publishers will be paid for excerpts that appear in its search results. The [...]
Green Street buys property news site React News February 10, 2021 Green Street has bought React News, a property news site, in a move that will extend its audience’s access to coverage on real estate. Green Street said React News has a track record for breaking “the biggest stories in the market”, and covers news in the UK and Ireland and has a growing presence in [...]
Journalist sues Facebook over loss of control of personal data February 9, 2021 A claim has been filed against Facebook in the High Court of Justice regarding a loss of control over his and the personal data of around one million other affected Facebook users in England and Wales. The claim, brought about by journalist and writer Peter Jukes, is a consumer representative action brought on behalf of [...]
Napster set for London listing after MelodyVR deal February 8, 2021 Napster is reportedly preparing to list in London later this month following the $70m (£53.8m) reverse takeover by startup MelodyVR. Napster will start trading on Aim from 26 February, according to the Guardian, the first time it has ever had its own IPO. Virtual music tech company MelodyVR, which launched in 2018, announced it had [...]
The show must go on: How UK film and TV ploughed through the pandemic February 6, 2021 From Tiger King to The Serpent, hit TV shows have become cultural currency in an era defined by lockdowns. With millions of Brits forced to stay at home, film and TV has been one of the few avenues for entertainment over the last year, providing a much-needed dose of escapism during the pandemic. But for [...]
Screenshot: How Amazon set up shop on cloud nine February 5, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Parish the thought **How Amazon set up shop on cloud nine **Will BT look to the stars? Media Moment of the Week: Parish the thought Anyone who thinks local politics is boring has clearly never attended a meeting of the Handforth Parish Council Planning and Environment Committee. Or [...]