We finally have a launch date for The Grand Tour, Jeremy Clarkson’s Amazon Top Gear wannabe September 16, 2016 After what feels like aeons of hype, Amazon has finally confirmed a launch date for The Grand Tour, Jeremy Clarkson's Top Gear-alike car show. The company said today the series, which also features Clarkson's Top Gear chums James May and Richard Hammond, will launch on 18 November on Amazon Prime Video, with new episodes released on a [...]
Guardian cuts extend to US as newspaper group aims to break even in America September 15, 2016 The Guardian’s cuts are being extended to the United States, with around 30 per cent of staff across the pond at risk. The loss-making UK-based newspaper publisher, which has set up operations in the US and Australia in recent years, reported a total loss of £173m in its 2015/16 financial year. Read more: First the cafe, [...]
Digital marketing firm targets more acquisitions after results boosted by Vodafone and Mr & Mrs Smith projects September 15, 2016 Digital marketing company Be Heard is targeting more acquisitions after reporting its results for the first half of 2016 today. The company, which acquired MMT Digital for £20.5m earlier this year and Agenda21 last year, today reported turnover for the period of £14.7m. Clients won during the period included Vodafone, BDO, Wiltshire Farm Foods and [...]
Is Twitter becoming a broadcaster? September 15, 2016 Twitter is moving heavily into the broadcast space, making a bet that its strength lies in real-time news. The joy of Twitter has always been its stream of pithy commentary around current events, with Twitter Moments the latest attempt to curate and editorialise those stories. Certainly, Twitter has always been able to break and spread [...]
Outgoing BBC Trust chair condemns government decision to name highest-paid stars September 15, 2016 The outgoing head of the BBC Trust has slammed the government’s decision to force the corporation to disclose celebrity pay details. Rona Fairhead, who announced she would be stepping down earlier this week following an intervention from new Prime Minister Theresa May, said she was “disappointed” with the change. Read more: Former BBC Trust vice-chair [...]
British information business Informa announces £1.2bn takeover of US rival Penton September 15, 2016 Business information group Informa today agreed a £1.2bn deal to take over a US rival. Informa’s share price was up more than two per cent to 710p at the time of writing following the announced takeover of Penton. [stockChart code="INF" date="2016-09-15 10:20"] Read more: UK publisher snaps up shopping comparison business from Down Under The [...]
The media consumption tipping point has arrived: Millennials lead charge from TVs to smartphones September 15, 2016 This year has witnessed a "tipping" point in media consumption, in which digital has overtaken traditional forms, a new report has found. IPA Touchpoints suggested we are becoming “superhuman information absorbers”, with half of our waking hours now spent consuming media or online information. The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) surveyed more than 5,000 [...]
Media groups could get Google payout from EU copyright rules September 14, 2016 The European Union has proposed overhauling the trading bloc’s copyright and communications rules. Search giant Google could be especially hard hit by the rules that could mean it has to pay out for hosting or show parts of content. The proposals would grant publishers new rights to their articles, making it easier for them to [...]
Will Yahoo ever be a verb? Exec sets out internet firm’s ambitions after Verizon takeover September 14, 2016 Yahoo is targeting the revenues of TV companies as it seeks success after its takeover by Verizon. “I do think there is opportunity to [take] budget from TV,” the internet firm’s chief revenue officer Lisa Utzschneider said. “As more and more viewers spend less time on TV and more time on their mobile devices, those [...]
Oh my god, I can’t believe it: Spotify has 40m paid subscribers, its founder said today September 14, 2016 It seems Spotify founder Daniel Ek has taken a leaf out of Elon Musk's book: the Tesla tycoon is fond of using Twitter to make market-moving musings. And today Ek did just that: 40 is the new 30.Million. 😄 — Daniel Ek (@eldsjal) September 14, 2016 He was, of course, referring to the number of paid [...]