Podcast startup Entale secures £2m backing from Daily Mail September 9, 2019 Interactive podcast startup Entale has received £2m in funding from the owner of the Daily Mail to help expand its AI technology. Entale, which was founded in 2017 by former Conde Nast digital boss Wil Harris, enables audiences to view social media posts, images and product links while listening to podcasts. Read more: Audioboom posts [...]
Media firm Iconic Labs buys Gay Star News for £1 September 9, 2019 Iconic Labs, the media firm run by three former Unilad bosses, has bought the intellectual property of Gay Star News (GSN) for £1 as it looks to build up its portfolio of outlets. The deal was secured with Nuuco Media, a company previously owned by Iconic director David Sefton, which bought GSN out of liquidation. [...]
Disney rents Pinewood studios as original content war cranks up September 8, 2019 Disney is said to have agreed to rent most of production hub Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, in a move which intensifies the battle for Britain’s production talent. The film and TV giant has reportedly signed a decade-long lease for the entire space, except for a handful of TV studios. Pinewood has spawned generations of film [...]
Smith News signs five-year distribution deal with the Telegraph September 6, 2019 Newspaper distributor Connect Group’s Smith News network has won a new five-year agreement to distribute the Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph. Read more: Does the Telegraph’s allegedly biased survey mean there’s no more point in polls? The contract is worth £100m a year in revenue and runs from October 2019 until September 2024. Smith News’ Telegraph [...]
He might not be best friends with the press, but the Prime Minister is no Putin August 27, 2019 Is Boris Johnson the new Vladimir Putin? That’s what Dorothy Byrne, head of news for Channel 4, suggested at the Edinburgh Festival last week. Byrne said that Boris Johnson was “a known liar”, and accused him of aping not only Donald Trump, but the Russian President in his dealings with the press. A head of [...]
Margaret Thatcher’s spin doctor Lord Bell dies aged 77 August 26, 2019 Lord Tim Bell, Margaret Thatcher’s public relations adviser and founder of the PR firm Bell Pottinger, has died aged 77. He died on Sunday at home following an illness. The PR man played a role in the Conservatives’ successful election campaigns in 1979, 1983 and 1987. He was responsible for the Conservatives’ “Labour isn’t working” [...]
Bringing home the bacon: Peppa Pig maker Entertainment One’s share price soars after Hasbro deal August 23, 2019 Peppa Pig maker Entertainment One soared by almost a third on the exchange this morning as it yesterday announced a $4bn (£3.3bn) deal with US toy giant Hasbro. The company’s shares reached as high as 579p as markets opened this morning, 30.5 per cent up. Read more: Hasbro swoops on Peppa Pig-maker Entertainment One in [...]
Apple reportedly hikes streaming budget as it eyes November launch date August 20, 2019 Apple is said to be planning a November launch date for its eagerly-awaited streaming service, as it ramps up its spending on new films and TV shows. Apple TV Plus is considering a monthly subscription fee of $9.99 (£8.25) following a free trial period, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Read more: Apple’s [...]
Hipgnosis snaps up Chainsmokers catalogue as spending spree continues August 20, 2019 Music royalties specialist Hipgnosis has continued its recent run of strong form, securing the rights to the music catalogue of The Chainsmokers. Read more: Hipgnosis bags rights to music catalogue of Ed Sheeran songwriter Hipgnosis said it has acquired 32 songs by the DJ duo, who have bagged 55 number ones and rack up 41m [...]
Netflix snaps up Uxbridge production space in latest UK push August 19, 2019 Netflix has signed a deal to rent out production space in Uxbridge, just weeks after it unveiled its new UK hub at Shepperton Studios. City A.M. understands that the US streaming giant is set to take a 134,000 square feet unit called UX1 in an industrial park in west London as part of a 10-year [...]