Pearson issues 2020 profit warning on coronavirus closures March 23, 2020 Education publisher Pearson today issued a profit warning for 2020 and paused a £350m share buyback as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The firm, already suffering from a difficult transition from print to digital, warned it expects a “negative impact” on 2020 profit from closing its testing centres. The postponement of US state exam [...]
Facebook and Instagram cut streaming quality amid broadband surge March 22, 2020 Facebook today said it will cut streaming quality for videos posted to its platform to help reduce the strain on broadband networks during the coronavirus outbreak. The measures will be rolled out across Europe, and also apply to Facebook-owned social media app Instagram. “We are committed to working with our partners to manage any bandwidth [...]
ITV’s Saturday Night Takeaway bags record 9.5m viewers as Brits flock to traditional TV March 22, 2020 ITV’s Saturday Night Takeaway pulled in a record 9.5m viewers last night as housebound Brits flock to traditional broadcasters during the coronavirus outbreak. The hit sketch show secured 45 per cent of all live TV viewers as hosts Ant and Dec presented the programme without a studio audience for the first time as a result [...]
GBP / EUR update March 20, 2020 | City Talk As everywhere across the world, everything in the UK has been accelerating at pace and the pound has paid the price. Whilst not always at the bottom of the pile, sterling has been struggling and hit a 35-year low against the US dollar. Measures to address all aspects of the crisis were well-received by investors [...]
Coronavirus: Netflix downgrades streaming quality after EU plea March 19, 2020 Netflix has said it will downgrade video streaming qualities on its platform in a bid to save network space. The US streaming giant said it will cut bitrates in Europe for 30 days, which is expected to reduce traffic by 25 per cent. It comes after the EU asked Netflix to restrict high definition (HD) [...]
Coronavirus: Broadcaster viewing figures surge as Brits flock to TV news March 19, 2020 The UK’s public service broadcasters have reported a huge surge in viewer numbers as Brits flock to TV news to find out the latest information on the coronavirus outbreak. Almost 8.7m people tuned into the BBC Six O’Clock News last night — the highest figure recorded since Christmas Day 2008 and more than twice the [...]
DAZN: UK launch of ‘Netflix of sport’ at risk of being delayed March 19, 2020 The UK launch of sports streaming service DAZN is highly likely to be delayed beyond its scheduled date in May, City A.M. understands. DAZN, which has been billed as a “Netflix of sport”, had pencilled in a major global expansion that would increase the number of countries served from nine to more than 200. The [...]
Playboy magazine stops printing due to coronavirus outbreak March 19, 2020 Playboy has said it will shut down its print operation for the rest of the year due to the outbreak of coronavirus. The US periodical, one of the world’s most famous magazines, said its spring issue — which hits newsstands this week — will be its last of 2020. In an open letter posted online, [...]
Coronavirus: BBC overhauls broadcast plans to tackle outbreak March 18, 2020 The BBC today unveiled a raft of new measures aimed at keeping the public informed during the “unprecedented” coronavirus outbreak. Director general Tony Hall said the public service broadcaster would launch special programming on TV and radio to provide audiences with the latest information on the Covid-19 pandemic. As part of the wide-ranging changes, the [...]
Coronavirus: BBC suspends Eastenders filming March 18, 2020 The BBC has suspended filming on Eastenders until further notice due to the coronavirus outbreak. Soap rivals Casualty and Holby City will also be on hold as the broadcaster shuts down its production arm. “In light of the spread of Covid-19, after much consideration, it has been decided that filming on Eastenders will be postponed [...]