Top journalists Nick Robinson and Jon Snow in isolation over coronavirus fears February 26, 2020 The BBC’s Nick Robinson and Channel 4 presenter Jon Snow are both in self-isolation as coronavirus fears take their toll on British journalism. Robinson, who presents Radio 4’s Today programme, said he had been given a “routine precautionary check” for the virus after returning from Vietnam and Cambodia. The former Beeb political editor said he [...]
This Morning star Eamonn Holmes faces hefty bill after losing IR35 tax case February 25, 2020 Veteran TV presenter Eamonn Holmes could be facing a hefty tax bill after losing a case against HMRC over his employment status. Holmes, who hosts ITV’s This Morning, had argued he was a freelancer as he received payments from the broadcaster through his company Red, White and Green Limited. However, a judge ruled that the [...]
DEBATE: Does the ‘royal’ brand hold any cachet anyway? February 25, 2020 Harry and Meghan have dropped the word ‘royal’, but does the brand hold any cachet anyway? Max Ottignon, co-founder of branding agency Ragged Edge, says YES. There’s a huge amount of value in the royal brand. It comes with a rich legacy, one that has been carefully curated and protected over time. And it carries [...]
Mirror publisher Reach looks to data as it fights back against tech giants February 24, 2020 Reach, the owner of the Daily Mirror and Daily Express, today unveiled plans to win back customer data from tech giants such as Google and Facebook as the publisher looks to expand its user base and counteract a decline in revenue. The figures Like-for-like revenue hit £702.5m, down 5.3 per cent from £723.9m a year [...]
Samira Ahmed reaches settlement with BBC over equal pay case February 24, 2020 The BBC has reached a settlement with Samira Ahmed after the presenter won her equal pay case against the broadcaster. An employment tribunal last month ruled that Ahmed was underpaid for hosting Newswatch in comparison to Jeremy Vine, who hosts Points of View. The BBC had argued that the two presenters fulfilled “very different roles”, [...]
Disney Plus UK: Everything you need to know (and why The Simpsons is missing) February 24, 2020 Eager film and TV fans can today get their hands on a discounted Disney Plus subscription ahead of the streaming service’s UK launch next month, while the media giant has given subscribers a taste of its content slate. How much does it cost? Disney Plus today announced that customers can sign up for an introductory [...]
Murdoch’s media empire hit by phone hacking charges as Sun suffers hefty loss February 23, 2020 Rupert Murdoch’s Sun newspapers have posted another year of deep losses after the publisher was forced to pay out millions of pounds to settle phone hacking cases. News Group Newspapers (NGN), which publishes the Sun and the Sun on Sunday, reported a pre-tax loss of £68m in the year to the end of June 2019. [...]
Pearson profit falters as US courseware business drags it down February 21, 2020 Education publisher Pearson posted underlying profit at the top end of a reduced guidance range for 2019 today, and warned its ongoing transition to digital will drag profits even lower in 2020. Pearson’s share price sank 4.4 per cent to 558.2p as traders digested the figures. The figures Operating profit halved to £275m in 2019, [...]
London media hub Outernet signs video production deal with Ridley Scott February 20, 2020 London entertainment hub Outernet Global today said it has inked a deal with veteran filmmaker Ridley Scott to launch a new development and production platform for branded content. Outernet, which is due to open in December, has teamed up with the Ridley Scott Creative Group to provide early-stage funding for visual content producers. The initiative, [...]
WH Smith removes Telegraph from railway station stores February 19, 2020 WH Smith has stopped selling the Telegraph in some of its branches following a dispute over prices. The decision to stop selling the newspaper in its railway station shops comes after the Telegraph increased the price of its daily, Saturday and Sunday editions earlier this month. However, the newspaper publisher has not yet increased the [...]