Exclusive: Former Portland boss launches new City comms firm January 4, 2021 The former head of Portland’s financial PR division has launched a new communications firm aimed at providing bespoke advice for City businesses. Steffan Williams, who left Portland at the end of 2020, has teamed up with fellow public relations guru Louise Nicolson to start a boutique consultancy based in London. Williams Nicolson has so far [...]
UK court blocks Julian Assange US extradition on espionage charges January 4, 2021 Wikileaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the US to face espionage charges, a UK court has ruled. Assange faces 17 charges of espionage and computer fraud in the US and could be sentenced to as many as 175 years behind bars. In a landmark decision at the Old Bailey this morning, district judge [...]
UK court to rule on Julian Assange extradition case January 4, 2021 Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will today find out whether he will be extradited to the US to face espionage charges in a landmark press freedom case. Assange faces 17 charges of espionage and computer fraud in the US and could be sentenced to as many as 175 years behind bars. His fate will be decided [...]
Love Island woos viewers as reality show tops ITV streaming charts December 28, 2020 Love Island topped the rankings for ITV’s most streamed shows this year as the pandemic helped drive up the broadcasters’ viewing figures. The most recent series of the wildly popular reality TV show, which was filmed in South Africa, racked up 130m requests on the channel’s on-demand platform ITV Hub. This topped the list and [...]
What the UK watched in 2020 December 24, 2020 Terrible, wonderful, and every shade in between: 2020 is not a year any of us will ever forget. But as marketers with eyes firmly on the future, we must take what we’ve learned into 2021 — a year that is certainly full of hope, but not of certainty. The dramatic shifts in consumer behaviour are [...]
MPs question government’s 2025 broadband target amid 5G concerns December 22, 2020 MPs have questioned the government’s ability to meet its revised-down target for “gigabit-capable” broadband to be delivered to most of the country by 2025, saying the industry faces serious challenges over such a short time-scale. The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee also said the rollout of superfast 5G internet risked creating more “not-spots” in [...]
How Cyberpunk, the generation’s most hyped game, turned into its biggest disaster December 18, 2020 The Witcher 3, released in 2015, is rarely far from the upper echelons of “Best Game Ever” lists. Developed by Polish studio CD Projekt Red, it was a sprawling, hugely ambitious RPG that refused to offer players a neat solution to its deftly written quests. In its squalid, low-fantasy world, sparing the life of some [...]
Harry and Meghan sign exclusive podcast deal with Spotify December 15, 2020 Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have signed an exclusive podcast partnership with Spotify just months after inking a Netflix deal. Under the multi-year deal the couple will produce the podcasts through their newly-formed production company Archewell Audio, which will produce programming “aimed to uplift and entertain audiences”. They have no previous experience as producers [...]
UK to regulate social media firms such as Facebook and Twitter over content removal December 11, 2020 The UK government will announce plans for a new law next week under which social media companies will have a duty to be impartial and be barred from “arbitrarily” removing comments because they are controversial, according to a report in The Times today. UK ministers will announce plans on Tuesday for a statutory duty of [...]
Sky’s Kay Burley to be off-air for six months following Covid rule breach December 10, 2020 Sky News presenter Kay Burley has agreed to be off-air for the next six months after breaking coronavirus restrictions rules. Last weekend Burley celebrated her 60th birthday with a group of 10 friends the Century Club, a private members’ club on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue. The party sat across two tables, with six at one and [...]