Ofcom sanctions London Live over David Icke coronavirus conspiracy interview April 20, 2020 Ofcom has sanctioned London Live after the TV channel aired an interview with conspiracy theorist David Icke that contained “potentially harmful” views about the coronavirus outbreak. The regulator received 48 complaints about the 80-minute programme, in which Icke made a raft of unsubstantiated claims, including that official health advice was designed to further the ambitions [...]
Future completes TI Media takeover as Covid-19 hits magazine sales April 20, 2020 Publishing group Future today said it had completed its takeover of rival TI Media but warned of job cuts as the coronavirus outbreak takes its toll on magazine sales. The competition watchdog last week cleared Future’s £140m offer for TI Media — which owns titles such as Country Life and Marie Claire UK — subject [...]
Read all about it: Newspapers feel the strain of Covid-19 April 18, 2020 Newspaper editors will have been no doubt heartened to see Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, chivvying Brits to “buy a paper” this weekend. Dowden called newspapers the “fourth emergency service.” Like the others, they are under strain. For weeks on end British newspapers have reported on the coronavirus crisis, covering the spread of the pandemic, [...]
Jewish Chronicle plunged into bitter row as bidders circle April 17, 2020 The Jewish Chronicle has been plunged into a bitter row as rival factions line up bids to take control of the newspaper ahead of a crunch meeting next week. Earlier this month the London weekly announced it was seeking a creditors’ voluntary liquidation alongside the Jewish News, with which it had previously agreed to merge. [...]
Netflix shares hit record high as valuation overtakes Disney April 16, 2020 Netflix shares rose to record highs today amid surging demand during the coronavirus lockdown, pushing its market capitalisation past fierce rival Disney. The US streaming giant’s stock rose more than three per cent in afternoon trading to $440 per share, having closed at a record high of $426.75 yesterday. The rise took Netflix’s market valuation [...]
Sky donates £500,000 to emergency coronavirus film and TV fund April 16, 2020 Sky today said it will donate £500,000 to an emergency relief fund aimed at supporting film and TV crew unable to work during the coronavirus crisis. The fund was established last month by BFI and the Film and TV Charity with an initial £1m donation from streaming giant Netflix. It will provide grants to thousands [...]
Tiktok bans direct messaging for under-16s amid safety concerns April 16, 2020 Tiktok will ban users under the age of 16 from sending direct messages as the platform looks to improve safety and stave off concerns about harmful material. The video-sharing platform, which is popular with teenagers, today said that from 30 April new and existing users who do not meet the age requirements will no longer [...]
Informa launches share issue and suspends dividend in coronavirus crisis move April 16, 2020 Exhibition and media group Informa today launched a share issue worth 20 per cent of its existing capital and suspended its dividend as it looked to bolster its balance sheet during the coronavirus crisis. The company, which is also applying for the Bank of England’s covid corporate finance facility, said the placing of up to [...]
Guardian, Financial Times and Telegraph furlough staff as coronavirus hits newspaper revenue April 15, 2020 The Guardian, Financial Times (FT) and Telegraph today said they will furlough dozens of employees as the coronavirus outbreak decimates advertising revenue for news organisations. Guardian Media Group (GMG), which runs the Guardian and Observer, said it expects revenue for the first six months of the financial year to fall by £20m due to a [...]
Hope opera: Andrea Bocelli’s Milan concert breaks streaming record April 15, 2020 Andrea Bocelli has smashed multiple records after his live-streamed solo performance from the deserted Duomo in Milan racked up millions of viewers worldwide. The Italian tenor’s Music for Hope concert reached a peak of more than 2.8m live Youtube viewers on Easter Sunday, while the video received more than 28m views worldwide in the first [...]