After the whistle: Premier League clubs have been busy monetising content this summer which Sky, BT Sport and the BBC would eagerly compete for August 12, 2016 In recent weeks, Sky Sports has had David Beckham running through the streets taking in 10 months of Premier League footballing drama. But the UK’s top flight tournament is no longer seasonal. Over the summer, fans have been assiduously following transfer news and international friendlies with a new level of fervour. And Premier League clubs [...]
Channel 4 and Sky invest in startup selling British TV content overseas August 11, 2016 Channel 4 and Sky have made a joint investment in an online startup service aiming to boost British TV sales abroad. Dial Square 86, the holding company for the RightsXchange (TRX), today announced the pair had invested in the company’s latest financing round, which will raise up to £5.2m. Read more: Peppa Pig maker turns down [...]
Arianna Huffington steps down as Huffpost editor-in-chief August 11, 2016 Arianna Huffington has announced she will step down as editor-in-chief as the Huffington Post, the online news outlet she founded. In a statement today she said she was stepping aside to focus her attentions on Thrive Global, the new health startup she unveiled in June. Read more: These are the 20 richest billionaires in tech "One [...]
Perform kicks off live sports streaming service in three European countries August 10, 2016 UK-based media company Perform has launched its live sports video streaming service in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. DAZN – inexplicably pronounced Da Zone – is described by Perform as the world’s first dedicated live sports streaming service and allows subscribers to watch games on demand. Football is expected to be the services' top draw with the English Premier League, Italy's Serie A, Frances' Ligue [...]
Ministry of Sound investment: Sony Music acquires London Grammar label August 10, 2016 Sony Music UK has announced the acquisition of label Ministry of Sound Recordings. Founded in 1993 as an extension to the South London nightclub Ministry of Sound, the label boasts a roster including London Grammar, DJ Fresh, Sigala, Jodie Abacus, Louis Berry, MIAMIGO and Moss Kena. Read more: Imogen Heap believes blockchain technology could save [...]
The BFG and Finding Dory boost Walt Disney results August 9, 2016 Walt Disney’s second quarter was boosted by the BFG, Jungle Book and Finding Dory. The figures Revenue for the three months to 2 July came in at $14.3bn (£11bn), up nine per cent year-on-year, and slightly ahead of Wall Street expectations. Diluted earnings per share, meanwhile, were up 10 per cent to $1.59, and net [...]
Facebook will stop users blocking adverts August 9, 2016 Facebook is the latest media company to fight the rise of ad blockers, by serving ads to those who use the software. It will force ads to appear on the desktop version of the social network even if they use the popular software, said Facebook executive Andrew Bosworth. It will also give users greater control over [...]
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp makes “aggressive” assault on digital growth as print problems mount August 8, 2016 Rupert Mudoch's News Corporation is making an "aggressive" assault on digital growth as its print advertising troubles mount. The publisher of the Sun, Times, Sunday Times and Wall Street Journal newspapers reported a five per cent growth in revenue in the last quarter on Monday. The figures In the three months to 30 June, the company’s turnover [...]
A probe into Premier League broadcast rights has been dropped August 8, 2016 A major probe into the rights to air Premier League football on UK television has been dropped by the regulator. The two-year probe has been drawn to a close after Ofcom decided there was enough progress being made on making more games available to watch while football fans seemed largely happy. The investigation was first launched [...]
Rio 2016: As non-sponsoring brands get more scope to cash in on Olympic fever, official partners may be getting a bum deal August 8, 2016 Rio 2016 may have be tainted by doping scandals, the threat of the Zika virus, and worries of violence, but if you’ve got the money, sponsoring the Olympics seems like a no-brainer. Around 3.6bn people saw at least one minute of London 2012, and Rio’s audience is expected to be even bigger still, providing the 11 [...]