Google’s £2bn acquisition of Looker faces competition probe December 2, 2019 Google’s proposed acquisition of rival analytics firm Looker faces an investigation by the UK’s competition watchdog. Google agreed to buy Looker for $2.6bn (£2bn) in the summer as part of its efforts to expand the service’s cloud offerings. Read more: Price comparison rivals urge EU regulators to take action against Google However, the Competition and Markets [...]
BBC agrees to Boris Johnson interview with Andrew Marr after terror attack November 30, 2019 Boris Johnson will be interviewed on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show tomorrow, despite the Prime Minister’s failure to set a date to be grilled by Andrew Neil. The broadcaster had initially banned Johnson from appearing on the Sunday morning show until he agreed to a 30-minute primetime interview with Neil, as the other party leaders [...]
Better together: How media firms are teaming up to take on tech November 30, 2019 The media industry is in flux and embattled publishers and broadcasters are banding together. But will it be enough to fend off the might of big tech? In Succession, the hit HBO show about a crumbling media dynasty, virtually every conversation is a power struggle. But for ageing patriarch Logan Roy, a thinly-veiled Rupert Murdoch, [...]
Daily Mail owner buys i newspaper for £50m November 29, 2019 The owner of the Daily Mail has snapped up the i newspaper for £49.6m, bringing to an end part of a drawn-out sales process by publishing group JPI Media. The Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), which also owns Metro, announced the acquisition in a short statement released today. Read more: Publishing group Reach pulls [...]
Reach share price jumps as it pulls out of race to buy JPI Media titles November 29, 2019 Shares in publishing group Reach jumped as much as 12 per cent this morning after it said it has pulled out of the race to acquire titles from i newspaper owner JPI Media. Reach, which publishes the Daily Mirror, announced in July that it was in talks over a potential takeover of some of JPI’s [...]
Channel 4 replaces Boris Johnson with ice sculpture in climate debate November 29, 2019 The Conservatives have become engulfed in a standoff with Channel 4 after the broadcaster “empty chaired” Prime Minister Boris Johnson during its climate debate last night. The Tory party has written to Ofcom to complain that Channel 4’s decision to replace Johnson with an ice sculpture was a “provocative partisan stunt”. Read more: Boris Johnson [...]
Netflix under fire after accounts ‘reactivated’ without permission November 28, 2019 Streaming giant Netflix has come under fire after users who cancelled their subscriptions months ago said their accounts had been reactivated without consent. The unwitting customers fell victim to criminals who hacked into their dormant accounts and were able to reactivate them without knowing the user’s bank details, a BBC investigation revealed. Read more: Netflix [...]
Belgian media group Mediahuis ‘interested’ in Telegraph titles November 28, 2019 Belgian media group Mediahuis is said to be interested in a potential purchase of the Telegraph newspapers, which have been put up for sale by the billionaire Barclay brothers. Chief executive Gert Ysebart said that while no formal discussions have taken place, his company is looking for acquisitions. Read more: Ex-Donald Trump strategist Steve Bannon [...]
Shares in publisher Future drop as chief executive takes £15m bonus November 27, 2019 Shares in publishing firm Future dropped as much as 10 per cent today after boss Zillah Byng-Thorne cashed in a bumper £14.6m bonus. In a regulatory filing Future said that Byng-Thorne had sold roughly 1.04m shares priced at £14 each. Chief financial officer Penny Ladkin-Brand pocketed £7.7m after offloading 550,000 shares. Read more: Boss of [...]
UK households to splash out an extra £600m on streaming November 27, 2019 British households are willing to pay an additional £600m each year to stream their favourite films and TV shows following the arrival of a spate of new services, new research has revealed. While Netflix, Amazon Prime and Now TV have so far held dominant positions in the UK, they will soon be competing with the [...]