Sir Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital confirms deal talks as it chases US-based Mightyhive November 9, 2018 S4 Capital has confirmed deal talks are underway following rumours that it is making a play for a US advertising firm. Sir Martin Sorrell’s new venture told investors this morning that “it is in discussions with the owners of several digital marketing services businesses about a possible acquisition”. Media reports suggest that S4 is close [...]
ITV warns that economic uncertainty will hit advertising revenues November 7, 2018 ITV's share price fell almost 3 per cent today to 150p as it predicted a dip in advertising revenue at the end of the year as continued economic uncertainty takes its toll on the broadcaster. The channel's performance in the first nine months of the year was in line with expectations, recording a six per cent increase in [...]
Killing Eve in real life would lead to a workplace disaster November 6, 2018 Few people seem to have missed one of this year’s most popular TV series, Killing Eve. For those who have not yet caught up with the latest craze, the show follows Eve Polastri, an intelligence officer whose sole mission becomes to track down an assassin named Villanelle – an operation that leaves a comedy (and [...]
ITV names Microfocus finance boss as new CFO November 5, 2018 ITV today confirmed the appointment of a new chief financial officer. Chris Kennedy will join in February 2019 after finishing up his current role as CFO of Microfocus, where he has served only since January 2018. "This is an exciting time to be joining ITV,” Kennedy said. "I'm looking forward to working with the team [...]
DEBATE: Channel 4 has chosen to relocate its headquarters to Leeds, but is this a sensible decision? November 2, 2018 Channel 4 has chosen to relocate its headquarters to Leeds, but is this a sensible decision? YES, says Olivia Utley, deputy editor at TheArticle. It is common knowledge that British regions are suffering from a brain drain to London. The latest analysis suggests that 30 per cent of all students will head to the capital upon [...]
The comeback kid: HMV tops Amazon in UK physical sales October 29, 2018 British entertainment retailer HMV has staged a comeback in the face of Amazon’s increased dominance to become the largest physical music retailer in the UK. In the 12 weeks to 23 September, HMV experienced market share growth for the second consecutive quarter to a total of 28 per cent, according to data published today by [...]
WPP boss Mark Read: We’ve had a tough time for two years October 25, 2018 WPP chief executive Mark Read has said he is determined to improve the company’s performance to compete with its peers, as shares plunged on this morning’s quarterly results. The advertising business dropped as much as 22.5 per cent to 818 pence per share earlier today. Sales fell 1.5 per cent in the third quarter, following [...]
Twitter shares soar on boosted revenue despite slump in active users as social media giant combats suspicious accounts October 25, 2018 Shares in Twitter soared today as the social media giant reported boosted revenues despite a slump in active users in the third quarter. Revenue for the period beat Wall Street expectations at $758m (£587.58m) – an increase of 29 per cent year-on-year – with advertising revenue totalling $650m, sending shares soaring by more than 15 per cent. However, [...]
Sony offers no concessions to EU regulators in $2.3bn EMI bid October 22, 2018 Sony has offered no concessions to the EU’s antitrust regulator in support of its $2.3bn (£1.8bn) bid for major record label EMI. Sony had not submitted any proposed concessions by last Friday’s deadline, the European Commission’s website showed today. Read more: EU sets October deadline to rule on Sony's takeover of EMI The Commission is [...]
Truth to power: Adtech has to stand up for journalism October 22, 2018 The future of the press is in doubt. If you need an example of just how powerful fake news has become, remember August, when even seasoned journalists accepted at face value a spoof campaign ironically titled “Don’t believe every tweet”, featuring bogus quotes from Twitter’s chief executive Jack Dorsey. The changes in journalism have not [...]