Jack Dee’s star-studded Open Mike Productions’ profit slides November 27, 2016 Open Mike Productions, set up by comedian Jack Dee over 20 years ago, is set to pay out £3m in dividends to him, despite earnings struggling. The TV and radio production company recorded £22.3m in revenue for 2016, down from £23.9m last year. Profit before tax also took a hit, dropping to £4m from £4.4m [...]
A gold-en choice for silver circle firm: Ashurst appoints TV expert to its board November 25, 2016 A City law firm has taken the unusual step of hiring its new chief operating officer from a TV company. Jan Gooze-Zijl, who currently serves on the board of UKTV – the owner of channels Dave and Gold – is to swap re-runs of Top Gear, Only Fools and Horses and Wheeler Dealers, for an executive role at [...]
John Lewis stands firm, resisting growing calls to stop newspaper advertising November 23, 2016 John Lewis is standing firm and refusing to pull newspaper advertising despite increasing pressure to do so. The retailer has emerged as the main target of the Stop Funding Hate campaign – which is calling for brands to pull adverts from the Sun, Daily Mail and Daily Express. Read more: John Lewis resists "Stop Funding [...]
Media company Future’s share price jumps as earnings and profits rise November 23, 2016 Media company Future’s share price jumped five per cent this morning after the publisher of Tech Radar and PC Gamer reported a jump in earnings and operating profit. The figures Group revenue fell slightly, from £59.8m to £59m, for the year to 30 September as Future made a push to move from magazine publishing to e-commerce [...]
Sir Martin Sorrell: Brexit not the only uncertainty worrying businesses November 21, 2016 Sir Martin Sorrell has said today current levels of uncertainty are hurting businesses, but Brexit was far from the only problem. Speaking at the Confederation of British Industry annual conference, the WPP group chief executive said of the Brexit negotiations: "What business wants is more certainty but, given the different objectives of both parties (businesses and government), [...]
“Co-storytelling”: How US business magazine and media company Forbes plans to upset the journalism establishment… again November 20, 2016 City workers may be surprised to learn that it is rare, and even frowned upon in some areas, for journalists to familiarise themselves with the business-end of their trade. But, with revenues, profits and headcounts at publishing companies falling each year, editorial staff may increasingly find themselves having to familiarise themselves with how their companies [...]
Now Heathrow Airport’s trying to swoop in on the Christmas ad battle with this tear-jearker featuring two teddy bears November 17, 2016 First it was John Lewis that routinely took the crown for best Christmas ad. But in recent years other retailers have been upping the ante – from Sainsbury's to M&S to Waitrose's adorable robin. And now, not content with winning the battle over airport expansion (for now), Heathrow Airport has unveiled its very first Christmas ad [...]
BBC World Service launches 11 new language services with new government funding November 16, 2016 The BBC World Service has announced plans to expand with 11 new language services next year. The growth is being funded by a government pledge, announced last year, to pump £85m a year into enhancing BBC services into areas such as Russia, North Korea, the Middle East and Africa. Read more: Government launches hunt for [...]
Facebook and Google have finally taken some action on fake news November 15, 2016 Facebook and Google have both responded to a firestorm around the proliferation of fake news during the US Presidential race by promising to crackdown on advertising against such content. Google has said it will restrict advertising on pages "that misrepresent, misstate or conceal information about the publisher, the publisher's content, or the primary purpose of the [...]
Advertising expenditure forecast up despite Brexit uncertainty November 14, 2016 A WPP-owned group has upgraded its UK advertising growth forecasts for this year and next despite uncertainty around the UK’s Brexit vote. Expenditure is expected to grow 7.2 per cent in 2016, up from a previous estimate of 6.3 per cent. The same level of growth is forecast by GroupM for 2017, up from 5.8 per cent. [...]