Nikkei swoops for Financial Times as outbound Japanese M&A hits all-time record in 2015 and analysts cite Abenomics July 23, 2015 Japanese firms are casting their nets far and wide as deals activity heats up, with media giant Nikkei’s £844m swoop for the Financial Times yesterday taking the country’s outbound M&A to an all-time high in 2015. Companies from Japan have splashed nearly $53bn (£34bn) on foreign takeovers so far this year, putting them on [...]
Nikkei buys Financial Times from Pearson for £884m July 23, 2015 Japanese media company Nikkei is the triumphant bidder for the FT, picking up the newspaper and other publications from Pearson for £884m in an all-cash deal. The sale includes the famous pink paper and website FT.com, a web design business FT Labs, FT Chinese and Financial Publishing which includes publications such as The Banker and [...]
Pearson share price jumps after confirming Financial Times sale talks with Axel Springer in the spotlight July 23, 2015 Shares in the publisher of the Financial Times, Pearson, have jumped more than two per cent following reports that it will announce the newspaper group's sale "imminently". Pearson confirmed that it is in "advanced discussions" to sell off the FT Group. Latest: Nikkei buys Financial Times from Pearson for £884m In a market update, the company [...]
BBC appoints Laura Kuenssberg as political editor amid shake up July 22, 2015 The BBC yesterday announced the appointment of Laura Kuenssberg as political editor, taking over from Nick Robinson. Kuenssberg, who has been chief correspondent and a presenter on Newsnight since February 2014, previously served as business editor at ITV News between 2011 and 2014. She said yesterday: “I’m completely delighted and I recognise the responsibility on [...]
The world’s biggest emojis were just created by Tesco Mobile in a field near Bath to cheer up commuters July 22, 2015 The world's biggest emojis have been created in a field near Bath to cheer up weary commuters. With the help of 25 artists and 700 litres of paint, a giant smiling face emoji that spans 100ft – the equivalent of three double decker buses – graced the outskirts of the Somerset city while a mysterious [...]
Sky Sports and News UK win rights to show Premier League highlights online July 22, 2015 Sky Sports and News UK have signed a joint three-year agreement with the Premier League to show highlights across its mobile and online platforms. Read more: Sky Sports subscription fees rise following record Premier League deal Starting from the 2016/17 season, Sky Sports and News UK will have exclusive rights to show in-match content and [...]
New James Bond trailer: Second preview of 007 in Spectre shows Daniel Craig facing off with Christoph Waltz July 22, 2015 Forget the summer; October can't come soon enough after watching the second trailer for the new James Bond installment Spectre. Read more: Watch the first official Spectre trailer In it we get our first real glimpse of Christoph Waltz as the unnamed villain rocking a very Blofeld-esque suit, new Bond girls Monica Belluci and Lea [...]
John Whittingdale is surprised by defensive BBC after green paper published July 19, 2015 Cukture secretary John Whittingdale said yesterday that he was surprised by the BBC’s defensive response towards a governmental review of its remit. Whittingdale published a green paper in the Commons last week, posing questions regarding the future of the BBC, which parliament will debate before the renewal of the network’s soon-to-expire Royal Charter. Following the [...]
BBC shows the strain over Tory reform plan: “Aunty has very much pulled up her sleeves” July 16, 2015 The BBC ramped up its fight with the government yesterday as a groundbreaking Conservative review threatened the broadcaster’s size, funding, content and regulation. Culture secretary John Whittingdale revealed a green paper on the future of the corporation, questioning whether it should aim to be “all things to all people”, attacking its “regressive” licence fee scheme [...]
Ofcom communciations review: What next for BT, Openreach, Sky and the telecoms market? July 16, 2015 While Ofcom’s latest move is no doubt being celebrated as a win by BT’s more than vocal rivals, it’s by no means a foregone conclusion that BT is heading for a breakup. Last time Ofcom reviewed competition, BT was forced to create Openreach in order to give access to its broadband network to rivals, something Ofcom [...]