Private equity giant Carlyle dragged into dispute over Taylor Swift’s past hits November 15, 2019 Taylor Swift has begged private equity titan The Carlyle Group for help after accusing two record executives of exercising “tyrannical control” over her music and barring her from performing past hits. Swift appealed to Carlyle and her fans to help her secure ownership of six of her past albums, accusing her former record label of [...]
Media group Future buys Barcroft Studios as results beat expectations November 15, 2019 Media company Future has acquired production company Barcroft Studios for £23.5m, in a deal announced alongside the group’s annual results, which beat analysts’ expectations. Future, which owns brands including Techradar and PC Gamer, reported an operating profit of £26.7m for the year ending 30 September, a 404 per cent increase. The company’s revenue jumped 70 [...]
Disney Plus secures more than 10m subscribers in first day November 13, 2019 Shares in Disney rose more than three per cent today after the media giant revealed its new streaming service has nabbed more than 10m subscribers in its first day. Read more: Netflix and Nickelodeon sign original content deal in wake of Disney Plus launch The highly-anticipated launch of Disney Plus was beset by technical problems [...]
Netflix and Nickelodeon sign original content deal in wake of Disney Plus launch November 13, 2019 Netflix has signed a multi-year deal with Nickelodeon to create original animated films and TV series, just a day after Disney launched its new streaming service. Read more: Britbox launches in the UK – but can it challenge Netflix? As part of the deal, Netflix will produce new programming based both on the existing catalogue [...]
Union raises public interest concerns after reports of Newsquest bid for JPI Media November 13, 2019 The journalists’ union has issued a stark warning over a potential merger between Newsquest and JPI Media, saying the deal could harm the public interest and put jobs at risk. Newsquest, which owns a string of titles including the Oxford Mail and Brighton’s Argus, has reportedly taken pole position in the race to snap up [...]
Conservatives outspend opposition parties on Facebook election ads November 13, 2019 The Conservatives have spent more than any other party on Facebook advertising in the first 12 days of the election campaign. The Conservatives have spent more than £100,000 on Facebook ads since 31 October, with their advertisements mostly revolving around the “get Brexit done” message. Read more: Labour split over four-day NHS working week plans [...]
Newsquest outbids Reach in race for local publisher JPI Media November 12, 2019 Regional publisher Newsquest is said to have tabled a surprise bid for i newspaper owner JPI Media, threatening to derail the takeover efforts of rival Reach. Newsquest, which owns a string of titles including the Oxford Mail and Brighton’s Argus, is now thought to be the frontrunner in the bidding war, the Guardian reported, citing [...]
Financial Times appoints first female editor as Lionel Barber steps down after 15 years November 12, 2019 Lionel Barber is stepping down as editor of the Financial Times (FT) after almost 15 years at the helm, to be replaced by the newspaper’s first female editor. The veteran journalist is set to depart at the beginning of next year, having taken over the position in 2005. He will be replaced by current FT [...]
Publishing and events firm Informa buys stake in Founders Forum November 11, 2019 Publisher and events company Informa has taken a minority stake in entrepreneur network Founders Forum as it posted revenue growth for the first 10 months of the year. The FTSE 100 company’s investment will see the two firms launch a joint venture to offer “high-profile connections” in the tech industry and expand London Tech Week. [...]
BBC signs on-demand deal with Sky as it bolsters iPlayer for streaming wars November 11, 2019 The BBC has struck a deal with Sky to integrate iPlayer into the firm’s pay TV platform in the corporation’s latest attempt to bolster its on-demand offering. The partnership will allow Sky Q customers to access the iPlayer app by pressing the red button when watching a BBC channel. Read more: BBC data breach leak [...]