Future’s profit jumps 77 per cent as consumers turn to online publications May 22, 2020 Publishing group Future has reported a 77 per cent increase in profit in the first half of the year, as consumers turned to its digital offering amid the coronavirus crisis. The company had a record-breaking 329m online users in March 2020, as global lockdowns upended traditional distribution. The figures Adjusted operating profit for the six [...]
Newspaper circulation figures to be kept private as sales crash due to Covid-19 May 21, 2020 UK publishers will no longer have to make their circulation figures public as the Covid-19 crisis continues to decimate newspaper sales and distribution. The Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC), which publishes the official data, today said it will no longer publish its public monthly report, though the figures will still be available to advertisers. The [...]
Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook is in fake news ‘arms race’ against rival states May 21, 2020 Mark Zuckerberg has said that Facebook is in an “arms race” to prevent misinformation from state actors as he defended his company’s crackdown on fake news about the Covid-19 crisis. The social media boss said his firm was battling to prevent interference from countries such as Russia, Iran and China, and admitted it was “behind” [...]
Amazon UK boss tipped as candidate for BBC director general role May 21, 2020 Amazon’s UK chief is said to be one of the frontrunners to take over as director general of the BBC amid concerns the job hunt could be pushed back due to Covid-19. Douglas Gurr, who has led the tech giant’s operations in the UK and Ireland since 2016, is one of four candidates on the [...]
BBC Three could return as on-air channel after Normal People and Fleabag success May 20, 2020 BBC Three could be brought back on air as the broadcaster looks to capitalise on a string of recent hits that have resonated with its vital youth audience. The channel was taken off linear TV and became online-only four years ago to save £30m, with the BBC arguing that young people were increasingly watching shows [...]
Bloomsbury print book sales drop during coronavirus lockdown May 20, 2020 Publishing group Bloomsbury warned this morning that print revenue has plummeted during the coronavirus pandemic as book shops around the world have closed during lockdowns. In Bloomsbury’s worst case scenario, print revenue, which comprised 79 per cent of total sales last year, could fall between 60 per cent to 65 per cent this year. In [...]
Tiktok poaches Disney streaming boss as new chief executive May 19, 2020 The veteran Disney executive behind the launch of its new streaming service is leaving the media empire to become the new chief executive of Tiktok. Kevin Mayer masterminded the rollout of Disney Plus last year but was overlooked for the role of Disney’s new chief executive. Mayer will take over at Tiktok from 1 June, [...]
Party crasher: BBC launches new co-watching feature to rival Netflix May 19, 2020 The BBC has today launched a new feature that will allow people to watch and listen to programmes together even while they are separated. BBC Together allows people to access video and audio content from iPlayer, Sounds, Bitesize, News and Sport at exactly the same time. The feature, which has been launched by the broadcaster’s [...]
TV scripts get coronavirus rewrite as broadcasters resume filming May 18, 2020 TV scripts will have to be rewritten and stars will be made to apply their own makeup under new coronavirus safety guidelines outlined by the UK’s major broadcasters today. The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky were among the broadcasters to sign up to a new framework that will allow filming to resume on popular [...]
Times Radio snaps up Sun political editor Tom Newton Dunn May 14, 2020 Times Radio today said it has appointed The Sun’s political editor Tom Newton Dunn as a presenter and chief political commentator. It is the latest high-profile appointment for the new radio station, which is due to be launched this summer by Rupert Murdoch’s News UK empire. Newton Dunn has worked at the Sun for 16 [...]