Daily Mail gets green light for £50m takeover of the i newspaper March 25, 2020 The owner of the Daily Mail has been given the green light for its £50m takeover of the i newspaper. Daily Mail and General Trust, which also owns Metro, agreed the deal in November last year with the i’s current owner JPI Media. The government said it was “minded” to intervene in the merger due [...]
Channel 4 taps Grayson Perry as it launches new creative plan March 25, 2020 Artist and broadcaster Grayson Perry will host a new show teaching housebound Brits how to make art as part of a slate of new creative programming on Channel 4. Grayson’s Art Club will feature the iconic crossdresser and famous guest artists, who will teach people how to sculpt, draw and create while in quarantine. It [...]
BBC suspends job cuts as it doubles down on pandemic coverage March 25, 2020 The BBC has halted plans to slash 450 jobs as it faces growing demand for its coverage during the coronavirus crisis. The broadcaster said in January it would cut the roles from its news operations as part of a plan to save £80m by 2022. The cuts are set to impact Newsnight, which will produce [...]
Coronavirus: Whatsapp usage jumps 40 per cent during lockdown March 25, 2020 Whatsapp usage has surged since the outbreak of coronavirus as people increasingly turn to the social media app to stay connected. Overall, the messaging platform has enjoyed a 40 per cent increase in usage, rising to 51 per cent for countries in the late phase of the pandemic. The largest rise came in Spain, where [...]
UK radio stations get coronavirus boost as housebound Brits tune in March 24, 2020 UK radio stations have reported a surge in listening numbers in recent weeks as housebound Brits turn to the airwaves during the coronavirus crisis. Media group Global, which owns stations such as Heart, Capital and LBC, said digital radio reach was up 15 per cent between 9 and 17 March, while listening hours rose nine [...]
Netflix donates £1m to emergency coronavirus fund for film and TV crew March 24, 2020 Netflix has donated £1m to establish a new emergency relief fund aimed at supporting film and TV crew unable to work during the coronavirus crisis. The fund, established with BFI and the Film and TV Charity, will provide short-term support to the thousands of full-time workers and freelancers affected by the closure of productions across [...]
Disney Plus: UK launch to go ahead amid coronavirus outbreak March 23, 2020 Disney fans are poised to gain access to hundreds of films and TV shows as the US media giant launches its new streaming service amid the coronavirus crisis. Disney Plus will be available to UK viewers from tomorrow, though the company has said streaming quality will be reduced across Europe amid concerns the pandemic has [...]
New York Times buys audio news platform Audm March 23, 2020 The New York Times today said it has acquired audio news platform Audm as it looks to tap into the growing popularity of on-demand listening. Audm, which was founded in 2016, turns longform written articles into audio tracks, which are then narrated by professional voice actors. The audio app gives subscribers access to hours of [...]
Time Out rebrands to Time In as it closes print edition and markets due to coronavirus March 23, 2020 Time Out has temporarily rebranded to Time In after the coronavirus outbreak forced the media group to close its print edition and food markets. The publisher and events group has closed all six of its food markets, while it is also battling a slowdown in advertising revenue. The firm said it will now launch an [...]
ITV drops dividend and outlook as pandemic hits advertising March 23, 2020 ITV today ditched its dividend and outlook for the year as the coronavirus outbreak continues to decimate advertising revenue. The broadcaster said it would no longer propose a 5.4p per share dividend for 2019 at its upcoming annual general meeting, nor its 8p full-year payout for 2020. ITV said its decision to scrap the dividend [...]