Video killed the radio star – is it TV’s turn for the chop? February 27, 2019 I read the news about the proposed merger of BBC and ITV today with interest. The new service – apparently called ‘Britbox’ – will reportedly cost around £5 a month. Just last week, I interviewed outgoing CEO of UKTV, Darren Childs, for my Media Masters podcast, where we discussed the future of television and the [...]
ITV and BBC announce online streaming service to rival Netflix February 27, 2019 ITV has reported boosted revenue this morning as the broadcaster announced it is in final talks with the BBC to launch Netflix rival Britbox. The figures Total external revenue was up three per cent to £3.2bn and total non-advertising revenues grew five per cent to £1.9bn, ITV said in its full-year year results for [...]
Mirror publisher Reach expects to benefit from Facebook’s fake news fight as it blames Brexit uncertainty for £200m writedown February 25, 2019 Mirror and Express publisher Reach expects to benefit from Facebook’s fake news controversy in 2019 as it looks to its digital revenues for growth. The results Revenue rose 16.2 per cent year on year to £723.9m in 2018 following the purchase of the Daily Express, Daily Star and OK! Magazine publisher, Express & Star. But [...]
Daily Mail reviews options for financial magazine publisher Euromoney February 25, 2019 The owner of the Daily Mail is “reviewing options” for its holding in financial publisher Euromoney. The announcement follows reports over the weekend that Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) has lined up a £750m sale of its 49 per cent stake in Euromoney Institutional Investor. Read more: Daily Mail online ad revenue helps offset print [...]
Pearson sales slip as publisher eyes 2020 revenue growth February 22, 2019 Sales fell at education publisher Pearson in 2018 even as profits surged, the firm revealed today, as it confirmed a £500m pension insurance deal with Legal & General. Read more: Pearson seals £500m pension insurance deal with L&G The figures Revenue slipped nine per cent year on year to £4.1bn after Pearson took a £216m [...]
Netflix is first choice for almost half of Brits wanting new movie releases February 20, 2019 Almost half of UK film lovers prefer watching new release movies on Netflix over going to the cinemas, according to data released today. The survey from consumer profiling firm GlobalWebIndex reveals that 46 per cent of Brits would rather watch a film from the comfort of their own home on than head out to the cinema. [...]
Twitter rolls out political ad tracking tools in Europe ahead of EU elections February 19, 2019 Twitter has launched new tools in Europe to make it easier for users to identify ads paid for by political campaigns, ahead of key elections due in May. The news follows similar moves by fellow social media firm Facebook, as tech platforms prepare to face potential regulation and renewed disinformation efforts from hostile actors. The European [...]
Looking to the Future: Publisher bets it will beat full-year guidance as digital audience grows revenue February 19, 2019 Future already predicts it will beat expectations for its new financial year after experiencing strong momentum over the first quarter, it said today. The publisher of Tech Radar, Total Film and What Hi-Fi also believes results will be “significantly ahead of its expectations” for the first half of the year, it said in a trading update that [...]
Bauer Media names BBC boss Richard Dawkins as new head of European radio February 18, 2019 Media giant Bauer has named BBC executive Richard Dawkins as its new European radio boss, the company said today. Bauer, which owns radio stations such as Absolute and Kiss, said Dawkins will join the firm in late spring in the newly-created role of European radio chief operating officer. Read more: British commercial radio revenue breaks [...]
German prosecutors probe Financial Times journalist over Wirecard reporting February 18, 2019 Prosecutors in Munch have launched an investigation into a Financial Times (FT) journalist whose reporting of alleged fraud at Wirecard sparked a frenzy of short selling of the firm’s shares. The FT published a series of stories revealing alleged fraud at Wirecard’s Singapore office and an investigation by local police, causing shares in the fintech company to [...]