ITV eyes new $950m deal with television arm of The Weinstein Company April 7, 2015 After buying Talpa in March, ITV is looking to the US again to expand its content creation arm. It has been less than a month since ITV’s acquisition of Talpa Media, the production company of BBC1’s The Voice. But already the broadcaster is back in the limelight – this time over talks to buy the [...]
Tidal wave as Jay Z’s debut album disappears from Spotify April 7, 2015 Is this the beginning of a Tidal wave of artists pulling out from Spotify? Jay Z fans this morning woke up to discover his classic debut album Reasonable Doubt was no longer available in the US and Canada. It's still available in the UK, however. So far, the rest of his back catalogue, including [...]
Vivendi confirms bid for YouTube rival Dailymotion April 7, 2015 Vivendi has confirmed a bid for Orange-owned YouTube rival Dailymotion. The French media group, which owns Universal Music and Canal+, confirmed reports it was in talks to buy a majority stake in the video site, in a deal thought to be worth €250m (£182.6m) for a 75 to 80 per cent share. Earlier, Hong Kong telecoms [...]
MTV owner Viacom takes $758m hit from write-down as pay-TV falters April 7, 2015 US media giant Viacom – which owns Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon – will take a $758m (£509m) pre-tax charge as part of a strategic realignment. Much of the charge is due to “write-downs of underperforming programming, including the abandonment of select acquired titles”, as well as costs associated with workforce reductions. “This strategic realignment, [...]
Jason Seiken quits as editor-in-chief of Telegraph Media Group after just 18 months April 2, 2015 Telegraph's editor-in-chief Jason Seiken has quit the newspaper after just 18 months at the helm. Seiken joined in October 2013 and was responsible for driving the group's digital aspirations – although not without courting controversy. He said in a statement: “I’m proud of how the Telegraph has become a digital leader, and I’m gratified [...]
Four things people really think about native advertising (hint… it’s all about making money) April 1, 2015 Branded content is the buzzword du jour in the media world. Also known as native content, native advertising or advertorials – call it what you will – this is content that is paid for by brand advertisers but resembles editorial content is becoming increasingly familiar to readers after being popularised by the likes of Vice [...]
James Bond Spectre official trailer: Daniel Craig, Sherlock’s Andrew Scott and Christoph Waltz make Bond 24 debut in new 007 online clip March 27, 2015 Fans of a certain Martini-loving, gun-toting secret agent are in for a treat today. We’ll be getting our first proper glimpse of James Bond making his big screen appearance for the 24th time in the first trailer for upcoming film Spectre. Starring Daniel Craig as Bond for the third time, Sherlock star Andrew Scott, Django [...]
Premier League clubs agree £1bn for good causes if TV rights deal remains after Ofcom investigation March 26, 2015 The Premier League yesterday conditioned a £1bn grant for a variety of good causes, including grassroots football, on its new bumper £5bn TV rights deal not being overturned by a regulatory investigation. The body that oversees England’s 20 elite football clubs says its offer will not stand if an investigation by Ofcom, instigated after a [...]
M&C Saatchi share price dips but revenues up on US business boom March 26, 2015 Famous advertising firm M&C Saatchi saw revenues rise in 2014, but profits fall, it announced yesterday. The firm saw solid growth in all major markets, with UK revenues up nine per cent on the year, driven by increasing use of mobile advertising and customer relationship management (CRM) software. The strongest growth was in the [...]
He’s 6/1 to open an Argentinian steak restaurant and Chris Evans is odds-on to replace him: Here are the questions bookies are trying to answer about the future of Jeremy Clarkson and Top Gear March 25, 2015 What will Jeremy Clarkson do now? It's one of the many questions on everyone's lips after his career as Top Gear presenter was very publicly laid to rest by BBC controller Mark Thomspon today. Naturally, the decision not to renew his contract sent bookies into a feverish bout of calculator bashing, as they tried to work out [...]