New Media forms largest US newspaper group after $1.4bn Gannett takeover August 6, 2019 US local media giant New Media Investment Group has bought rival Gannett for $1.4bn (£1.1bn), forming the country’s largest newspaper owner. Virginia-based Gannett owns USA Today, as well as over 160 UK publishers including Newsquest and online marketing firm Reachlocal. Read more: Media group Future buys US publisher Smartbrief for up to $65m New Media [...]
Tencent in talks to buy stake in Universal Music Group August 6, 2019 The French media conglomerate behind Universal Music Group (UMG) is in talks to sell a chunk of the music company to Chinese tech giant Tencent. Vivendi said the deal, which would give Universal a total equity value of €30bn (£27.6bn), will help boost the firm’s presence in Asia. Read more: London firm to launch Spotify-style [...]
Ofcom clears Channel 4 News over Jon Snow’s ‘white people’ comment August 5, 2019 Ofcom has cleared Channel 4 News of wrongdoing after presenter Jon Snow remarked he had “never seen so many white people in one place” during a Brexit rally. The regulator received 2,600 complaints that Snow’s comment, made at the end of the programme, was racist and offensive. Read more: BBC gets Ofcom approval to stream [...]
BBC accused of ‘pulling a fast one’ on producers over Britbox plans August 4, 2019 The BBC has been accused of “pulling a fast one” on independent production companies over new rules that could give Britbox an advantage over streaming rivals. The broadcaster has proposed new regulations meaning producers can sell their rights to streaming services after 12 months, but only subject to conditions that would be tougher for competitors [...]
DEBATE: Is it fair to consider ITV’s Love Island the biggest advertising opportunity of 2019? August 2, 2019 Is it fair to consider ITV’s Love Island the biggest advertising opportunity of 2019? Dave Lawrence, planning partner at creative agency Brave, says YES. Whether the show was the “biggest advertising opportunity” depends on what that brand was trying to achieve. While the women’s World Cup earlier this year, for example, had a much larger [...]
Verizon beats profit estimates as it boosts phone subscribers August 1, 2019 Verizon has posted better than expected profit for the second quarter thanks to strong growth in phone subscribers. Read more: Buzzfeed and Verizon plan to slash hundreds of jobs in grim day for digital media The US telecoms provider said it added 245,000 phone subscribers over the quarter, compared to 199,000 in the same period [...]
BBC gets Ofcom approval to stream shows on iPlayer for a year August 1, 2019 BBC TV programmes will now be available on iPlayer for a year, after Ofcom approved proposals to expand the on-demand platform. The broadcaster submitted a request to extend the availability of catch-up series from 30 days after broadcast to 12 months, with some programmes available for even longer. Read more: Britbox: BBC and ITV strike [...]
Commercial radio listening hits record level as online audience grows August 1, 2019 Commercial radio stations secured record audience numbers in the second quarter, thanks to a surge in online listening. More than 36.1m people tuned in to commercial radio in the UK over the three-month period, with share of listening hours rising to 48 per cent. Read more: UK ad spend defies economic gloom to hit £6bn [...]
Spotify fails to hit the right note as subscriber numbers miss expectations July 31, 2019 Spotify’s subscriber growth hit the lower end of its guidance in the second quarter, sending shares down in pre-market trading. The music streaming platform said it now has 108m premium subscribers, up 30 per cent on the year before. Read more: Music streaming firm Roxi plans London float as it looks to take on Spotify [...]
ITV used Facebook to find Jeremy Kyle Show contestants July 31, 2019 ITV used Facebook to find guests who wanted to take a lie detector test on its axed reality series The Jeremy Kyle Show, according to new evidence published today. In a letter to MPs, ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall said the show’s producers used the social media platform to attract contestants, admitting that “some did [...]