Leading the fight-back against bot fraud August 16, 2015 In the age of digital advertising, there is a concern that the online adverts which companies have paid for aren’t reaching the eyeballs they’ve been promised. The problem is partly down to botnets, or “bots”, which get into users’ systems, interact with adverts and create fake impressions, making it seem as if the advert [...]
Amazon Prime’s new Top Gear: “They’re worth a lot” Jeff Bezos says of Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond August 16, 2015 Amazon boss Jeff Bezos has revealed what he thinks about Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond after signing the trio to star in a new car show on Amazon's Netflix-style Prime Video streaming service. The show, due to air next year, will be “very, very, very expensive,” Bezos said, speaking to [...]
A Level results 2015: A lesson in why they aren’t crucial for career success from Dave Trott August 13, 2015 In advertising, lots of the really great people didn’t do A levels. They quit school and started work. They were hustlers, doers, they didn’t want to waste their time memorising things and writing essays.They were in a hurry. They wanted to be working, earning money. That was their A levels. They started in the post-room [...]
David Coulthard-backed company Whisper Films receives Channel 4 investment August 13, 2015 Channel 4 has taken an equity stake in Whisper Films, a London-based production company specialising in sports content. The investment was made through the £20m Channel 4 Growth Fund, which was launched at the beginning of 2014. Whisper Films was established in 2010 by former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard, TV presenter Jake Humphrey and [...]
Pearson sells stake in The Economist Group for £469m August 12, 2015 Pearson has agreed to sell its 50 per cent stake in The Economist Group for £469m just weeks after offloading the Financial Times. Italian investment group Exor take on 27.8 per cent of The Economist's ordinary shares for £227.5m and all of the B special shares for £59.5m. Pearson's remaining ordinary shares will be [...]
Johnston Press presses on with digital push as print revenues decline August 12, 2015 Johnston Press yesterday reported a £6.2m fall in revenue in the six months to 3 July, citing a “slowdown in general trading”. Driving the decline in revenues was a fall in income from print advertising, which fell to £64.1m, down 9.5 per cent on the same period of last year. The newspaper and magazine publisher [...]
Super Evil Megacorp raises $26m to fund global expansion of Vainglory video game August 10, 2015 Super Evil Megacorp has commanded $26m (£16.8m) of investment to fund its plans of world domination. Read more: eSports introduces random drug testing to combat doping in professional video gaming But alas, it's not a dastardly group of comic book villains: Super Evil Megacorp is a video game publisher with its sights set on ruling the [...]
Disruptive integration: AllTogetherNow’s Conor McNicholas explains why firms struggle with digital August 9, 2015 For a brand to make a big impact, a multifaceted campaign combining analytics, creative, media buying and more is now a requirement. But coordinating different specialists working on one campaign can be difficult, and agency models have begun to change so clients can be offered an end-to-end marketing solution. Former NME and Top Gear editor [...]
Real Madrid and Barcelona head to BT as Sky pulls out of bidding for La Liga TV rights August 1, 2015 BT Sport has struck the latest blow in its battle with Sky Sports for football broadcasting supremacy, as it closes in on securing the rights to Spanish football. Read more: Sky’s costs soar as battle with BT Sport weighs Sky is believed to have pulled out of the bidding process for rights to La Liga fixtures [...]
Chime Communications board gives thumbs up to £374m WPP and Providence takeover bid July 31, 2015 Chime Communications' directors have unanimously recommended a £374m takeover from Providence Equity Partners and WPP to shareholders Read more: Chime shares soar on £350m WPP takeover talk The takeover offer entitles shareholders to 365p per Chime share and an interim dividend for the current year of 2.53p per share. Chime's specialist sports marketing businesses appear to [...]