Sky defends increases in TV prices saying coverage has been “completely transformed” since 2010 January 10, 2017 The cost of satellite television has rocketed by an average of 50 per cent since 2010, four times the rate of inflation and twice as fast as rail fares have increased over the same period. Free-to-air satellite firm Freesat has urged rail users, angry at January fare hikes, to check the cost of their Sky [...]
Newspapers warn “draconian law” Section 40 would cost industry £100m a year January 10, 2017 The newspaper industry has estimated that a new “draconian law”, Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act, would cost the industry £100m a year. The News Media Association (NMA) said passing the act would represent an “unfair and undemocratic attack on free speech which would have a chilling effect on newspapers’ ability to report [...]
Veteran newspaper exec leads takeover plot for Richard Desmond titles January 10, 2017 A former News of the World editor is spearheading a takeover plot for Richard Desmond’s newspapers and magazines. David Montgomery, also a former Mirror Group chief executive, is seeking to drum up funds for a new media investment vehicle. Read more: Daily Express owner mulling sale of tabloids to rival Trinity Mirror Montgomery, who City [...]
Tough EU privacy rules could soon apply to WhatsApp, Facebook and Google January 10, 2017 Privacy laws which only apply to telecoms companies could soon be extended to cover newer digital services such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Google and Skype, in new proposals by the European Parliament. The e-privacy directive governs things such as the handling of data and making sure users consent to sharing information. Now Brussels wants to update the [...]
Former Bank of England deputy governor chosen as new BBC chair January 10, 2017 Sir David Clementi, the former deputy governor of the Bank of England, has been named as the government’s preferred candidate for the BBC chairmanship. He is set to head up the new BBC board, which is replacing the BBC Trust under the terms of the government’s new royal charter for the corporation. Clementi will appear [...]
Daily Express owner and former porn baron Richard Desmond mulling sale of tabloids and other publications to rival Trinity Mirror January 10, 2017 Trinity Mirror shares rose in early trading after it emerged it was in talks with media mogul Richard Desmond to buy a stake in his four UK tabloids and other key publications. Shares rose 2.8 per cent to 100.23p after it confirmed it was in talks with Desmond's Northern and Shell Media Group to buy a minority interest [...]
The most rock ‘n’ roll deal of 2017: Future agrees deal to buy, and rescue, music magazines January 9, 2017 Media company Future has agreed a deal to buy, and rescue, a group of rock magazines. Future’s share price dropped by two per cent Monday morning after it announced the deal for Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog, Blues and Golden Gods. The publisher sold the titles for £10.2m in 2013 to Team Rock, which went into [...]
Serial entrepreneur Luke Johnson on Channel 4 sell-off, dodging journalism and having no Brexit regrets January 9, 2017 Life could have been very different for serial entrepreneur and investor Luke Johnson. His father, Paul Johnson, is a former editor of left-wing political magazine the New Statesman. And his brother, Daniel, is the founder of political magazine Standpoint. In the tight-knit media world, it would not have been a surprise if Luke Johnson had [...]
How full service agencies have come full circle: Meet The&Partnership January 9, 2017 After a scurry following a room change I meet Nick Howarth, managing partner at The&Partnership, in one of the countless buildings it is “slowly taking over” in Fitzrovia. “I think it’s called ‘Noho’ now,” he chuckles. “If you say you work in Fitzrovia people think you’ve gone back in time about 250 years.” The&Partnership is a [...]
Laurence King, founder of the eponymous publisher, talks adult colouring books, soviets, Ezra Pound and anti-digital January 9, 2017 "We caused a shortage of felt pens in Brazil,” says Laurence King, founder of Laurence King Publishing, the creator of the original adult colouring book that sparked the recent craze. In 2013, the firm published the Secret Garden, illustrated by Johanna Basford. In the first two years, it sold 250,000 copies. “It was then we became [...]