Tencent posts rise in profit as pandemic drives surge in Wechat use March 18, 2020 Tencent today said the coronavirus outbreak had driven a huge surge in usage for its social media platform Wechat. The Chinese tech giant said Wechat had racked up 8bn visits since February as people logged in to access so-called health codes that allow them to travel during the outbreak. It came as Tencent posted fourth [...]
Glastonbury 2020: What do I do if I booked a ticket? March 18, 2020 Glastonbury Festival 2020 has become the latest victim of the coronavirus crisis, with organisers this morning announcing that the iconic summer event had been cancelled. In a joint statement, Worthy Farm owners Michael and Emily Eavis said cancellation was the “only viable option” after the government urged people to stay at home. The festival will [...]
Glastonbury Festival cancelled due to coronavirus March 18, 2020 Glastonbury Festival has been postponed due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, the event’s organisers confirmed today. The festival, which was due to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year, said cancelling the event was its “only viable option” after the government urged people to stay at home. The world-famous music festival was scheduled for 24-28 [...]
ITV shares drop despite £50m saving from Euro 2020 cancellation March 17, 2020 ITV today said the cancellation of the Euro 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak will save the broadcaster as much as £50m. Uefa this morning announced that its flagship national football competition will be pushed back by a year due to health concerns. ITV, which jointly holds the rights to the tournament alongside the BBC, [...]
Universal to release films online due to coronavirus spread March 17, 2020 Universal Pictures said it will make its films available online the same day they are released in the cinema, as the coronavirus keeps people worldwide in lockdown. The decision by Comcast-owned NBCUniversal, will take effect from 10 April with the release of Dreamworks Animations firm Trolls World Tour. The move ends the traditional approach of [...]
British stars drive UK record label revenue to fresh high of £1.1bn March 17, 2020 Revenue for UK record labels rose to just under £1.1bn last year, driven by the continued growth of streaming and investment in new music. The figures mark the fourth consecutive year of growth and is the highest level of annual trade income in more than a decade. Streaming income — driven by popular subscription services [...]
BBC delays licence fee changes for over-75s due to virus fears March 16, 2020 The BBC today said it will push back plans to end the blanket free licence fee scheme for over-75s amid concerns about the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Pensioners were due to face changes to the licence fee from 1 June, but this will now be delayed until 1 August. Millions of over-75s will have [...]
O2 pairs up with Disney Plus to be its UK mobile network distributor March 16, 2020 O2 has agreed a deal with Disney to be the exclusive mobile network distributor for Disney Plus, a week ahead of its launch. New and upgrading pay monthly customers will be able to get six months of Disney Plus, on O2. Mark Evans, CEO of O2, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Disney to bring [...]
CMA says Future’s acquisition of TI Media does not raise competition concerns March 16, 2020 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has approved Future’s acquisition of TI Media, saying it “does not raise competition concerns”. In October 2019, the publisher said it planned to acquire magazine printer TI Media, which owns popular titles Country Life and Marie Claire, for £140m in cash. After completing its initial investigation, the CMA found that [...]
Ofcom draws up new rules to protect reality TV stars March 15, 2020 Ofcom has laid out a revised set of rules aimed at protecting participants in TV and radio programmes. The regulator’s intervention comes after the deaths of two former Love Island contestants and host Caroline Flack, as well as a former guest on the now-cancelled Jeremy Kyle Show. Ofcom said it had also seen a “steady [...]