Sky invests $1m in air Drone Racing League in the UK September 14, 2016 Sky said today it has invested $1m (£757,600) to bring drone racing to its new channel next month, as it announced plans to launch the first professional drone race in UK. The distribution deal with organiser The Drone League (DRL), whose competitions allow pilots to fly drones through three-dimensional racecouses, will enable the broadcaster to put on live events and screen [...]
Bake-xit: Two Great British Bake Off hosts to leave programme after move from BBC September 13, 2016 Great British Bake Off hosts Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc are to step down when the programme leaves the BBC for Channel 4. The Bake Off move, which emerged last night, has caused a stir and sparked front page news today. Read more: Government set to make BBC reveal pay packets of stars on more [...]
We want you bake: BBC makes plea for Great British Bake Off maker to accept “very strong offer” September 12, 2016 The BBC is set to lose the Great British Bake Off after the current series. The company behind the show, which stars Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, has said it has been unable to reach a renewal agreement with the corporation. Read more: Brands set to benefit from Bake Off’s return A BBC spokesperson said: [...]
Football film starring Martine McCutcheon and Alan Davies crowdfunds to find back of the net September 12, 2016 The maker of an independent British film starring Alan Davies and Martine McCutcheon has turned to the crowd as it seeks funding for the production. ItchyFishFilm is aiming to raise £640,000 to support production of the film and has already secured £305,000 from a lead investor group fronted by Bolton Wanderers Football Club chairman Ken Anderson. Read [...]
These are the FTSE 100 social media winners and losers September 12, 2016 FTSE 100 firms are finally getting the hang of social media and even jumping on the Snapchat bandwagon to build their profile, new research reveals. Seven firms in the blue-chip index now have official accounts on the fledgling messaging service with a further six using the platform in some form. Read more: Google, Facebook and Twitter blasted over [...]
£4bn UK music industry calls for Brexit protection September 12, 2016 Music contributed £4.1bn to the UK economy last year, a new report has found. Calling for the industry to be protected after the UK’s Brexit vote, research by UK Music also revealed that exports generated £2.2bn in revenue in 2015. The report estimated that export revenue in live music grew by an estimated 35 per [...]
Getting creative: As agency margins get thinner, CHI & Partners’s Sarah Golding explains how the advertising industry can keep attracting young talent September 12, 2016 There are so many creative industries; young people have never had greater choice,” says Sarah Golding, chief executive of CHI & Partners. Attracting talent, she believes, is the biggest issue facing creative agencies today. “It is hard for creative agencies in the marketing industry to attract them; the best ones are in the centre of town and [...]
Brexit has had little impact on the UK advertising market so far, new report shows September 12, 2016 The short-term impact of the UK’s Brexit vote on the advertising industry has not been as bad as was feared, a new report out today reveals. Zenith’s advertising expenditure report is forecasting 5.4 per cent growth this year, down 0.2 percentage points from previous estimates. Read more: Project Juno: Newspapers put aside differences for united [...]
Struggling newspaper group Johnston Press set for activist investor meeting September 11, 2016 Newspaper publisher Johnston Press could come under pressure this week when its chairman meets with an activist investor. The company’s share price has fallen from close to 100p this time last year to 8p. Johnston Press publishes more than 200 regional and local newspapers and bought the national i newspaper from the Independent publisher earlier this year. [...]
Channel 4 set for first meeting with new culture secretary amid uncertainty over ownership and London HQ September 11, 2016 Channel 4 executives are set for their first meeting with the new culture secretary this week and will be seeking clarity over ownership and the location of its headquarters. It emerged this time last year that the government was considering privatising Channel 4, a move that strongly opposed by bosses at the broadcaster. Read more: [...]