Equality regulator launches probe into BBC over equal pay scandal March 12, 2019 The BBC will face a formal investigation by the equality regulator following complaints female employees were not paid as much as men for the same work. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) today said it has opened a probe into the broadcaster’s historical policy and pay practices and will look at formal and informal [...]
BT TV to offer Vice channels in bid to bolster its youth appeal March 8, 2019 BT has secured a deal with Vice Media to give its customers access to the youth channel’s content on live and on-demand TV. The partnership, which comes into effect next week, will give BT TV customers access to Vice on TV, a lifestyle and entertainment channel offering documentaries about popular culture and current affairs. Read [...]
BBC ‘risks irrelevance’ unless it adapts to digital age, says director general March 7, 2019 The BBC risks irrelevance unless it adapts to changing viewing habits, the broadcaster’s director general has said. Speaking at the Media & Telecoms Conference this morning, Tony Hall admitted the BBC faces an uphill struggle to keep up with deep-pocketed rivals such as Netflix and Amazon, but insisted public service broadcasters are as important as [...]
Bauer Media acquires ten regional radio stations amid competition probe March 5, 2019 Bauer Media has snapped up a further ten regional radio stations as it faces a competition probe into its spate of acquisitions earlier in the year. The media giant today said it has bought UKRD Group, which owns stations across Yorkshire, East Anglia, the south and the south west of England. Read more: Bauer Media [...]
Harrods launches new luxury podcast amid editorial expansion March 5, 2019 Harrods has launched a new podcast about the meaning of luxury as it looks to win over high-end shoppers with its renewed focus on editorial formats. The six-episode series, hosted by journalist and broadcaster Mariella Frostrup, will host guests from the creative industries to discuss the “true meaning of modern luxury”. Read more: Harrods eyes online [...]
Financial Times buys majority stake in tech media firm The Next Web March 5, 2019 The Financial Times (FT) has bought a controlling stake in tech media firm The Next Web (TNW) in a bid to expand its events offering. The FT said the move will boost its presence in the European tech market and will create synergies with its existing events division FT Live. Read more: German prosecutors probe [...]
Music streaming revenues overtake ownership for the first time amid shift to ‘rental’ market March 4, 2019 The popularity of subscription services reached record levels in the UK last year as music streaming revenues overtook ownership formats for the first time. Revenues from paid-for music subscription services such as Spotify jumped 39 per cent last year to £829m, meaning subscriptions now account for 62 per cent of all music revenues, according to figures [...]
AT&T announces Warner Media restructuring to prepare for streaming battle March 4, 2019 AT&T detailed plans to restructure its Warner Media business in a memo to employees today. The American telecommunications giant is preparing to enter the world of streaming and do battle against Netflix and Disney. Last week, it defeated the US government’s efforts to undo its $85bn (£65bn) purchase of Warner Media, formerly called Time Warner, [...]
Daily Mail shares jump following Euromoney shareholder giveaway March 4, 2019 Shares in newspaper group Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) jumped more than five per cent this morning after the company said it would return shares to shareholders. The company last night said it would return its 49 per cent stake in business media group Euromoney, along with £200m in cash, to certain DMGT shareholders. [...]
The future of news: could tax breaks make online news sustainable? March 3, 2019 Sarah Cartwright’s news kiosk is as much a fixture in Sloane Square as the high-end boutiques that have surrounded it since her grandfather began selling newspapers from a wooden box there in 1892. But the kiosk may do well to survive another decade, let alone a century. “Print is dead,” she says. The Cairncross Review [...]