ITV buys Poldark producer Mammoth Screen to bolster original drama assets June 1, 2015 ITV has acquired Mammoth Screen, the independent production company behind highly rated shows such as Poldark and Parade's End. Read more: ITV eyes new $950m deal with television arm of The Weinstein Company By tripling the 25 per cent in the stake it bought for £1m in 2008, ITV has acquired the full business which is [...]
BT to reveal subscription prices for European Champions League coverage May 28, 2015 BT Sport is close to announcing a payment structure for subscriptions to its upcoming exclusive live coverage of the European Champions League. The broadcaster began showing Premier League matches during the 2013-14 season. It has since upped its football offering by paying £897m to show the Champions League for the next three seasons. Industry sources [...]
These are the most valuable brands in the world: Apple, Google, Microsft and IBM dominate in BrandZ 2015 ranking as tech triumphs May 27, 2015 Apple has overtaken Google as the most valuable brand in the world, reassuming the top spot in an annual ranking in which technology dominates. The value of the Apple brand grew 67 per cent, with an estimated worth of more than $245bn. The stellar performance of Apple over the past year pushed Google into second [...]
Never Mind The Buzzcocks cancelled after 18 years and 28 series May 26, 2015 Never Mind the Buzzcocks has been axed by the BBC after 18 years and 28 series. The BBC2 pop music panel quiz has struggled to keep up ratings in recent series, with the final Rhod Gilbert-hosted show averaging 1.1m fewer viewers than the 2013 run according to Broadcast. A BBC spokeswoman explained: After 28 series [...]
Cineworld predicts Star Wars and James Bond to deliver further box office growth May 26, 2015 The figures Online streaming may be on the rise, but the lure of the silver screen is still strong if Cineworld's last 19 weeks are anything to go by. The UK cinema operator saw total group revenue rise 26.8 per cent for the 19 weeks ended May 14, with the biggest growth enjoyed in central [...]
Phone hacking scandal: Trinity Mirror sets aside further £16m after being ordered to pay £1.2m compensation May 21, 2015 Trinity Mirror has set aside a further £16m after it was ordered to pay out £1.2m in compensation to eight phone-hacking victims today. The publisher of the Daily and Sunday Mirror has been accused of "industrial-scale phone hacking", but says it may appeal the ruling over a dispute on the method used for calculating the level [...]
Potus tweets, world listens: Barack Obama finally gets his own Twitter account May 19, 2015 Barack Obama is used to enduring long battles but even by his standards, a six-year wait to get a Twitter account must have been something of a slog. Still, he's made his point, gaining 1.77m followers in less than 24 hours, easily beating poor old David Cameron, who languishes down the table with * [...]
Entertainment One share price rises as Peppa Pig helps profit grow despite film struggles May 19, 2015 The figures Entertainment One's share price jumped by two per cent in early trading as the group delivered a 13 per cent rise in full year profit before tax to £44m as sales of pre-school Peppa Pig properties hit $1bn (£640m) worldwide. Revenue at the group fell by five per cent from £823m to £785.8m – [...]
UKTV to show record-breaking results after big investment programmes May 18, 2015 UKTV will today announce results that show record-breaking revenue, profits and ratings on the back of its major investment in exclusive and original programmes. The company’s 2014 revenue will be £283m, up from £278m in 2013. It will also announce £74.1m of earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda), which is up 10 per [...]
Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs: First trailer for Danny Boyle biopic unveiled May 18, 2015 The first trailer for British director Danny Boyle's biopic of Steve Jobs has landed, with Michael Fassbender appearing in Jobs' trademark black turtleneck. Read more: Steve Jobs was an amazing businessman – but Einstein’s the genius behind the iPod Steve Jobs, the second feature film on the Apple founder's life, is written by Aaron Sorkin, the Academy-award [...]