FT undergoes B2B subscription rebrand in growth drive July 10, 2023 The Financial Times (FT) has given its B2B service a makeover in a bid to attract more subscribers and boost revenue. Rebranded as ‘FT Professional’, the British broadsheet has freshened up its infamous pink palette with a splash of mint green. Catering to over 8,000 businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide, FT Professional aims to [...]
YouTube stars including KSI and Sidemen invest £1.5m in emerging video-podcast studio July 6, 2023 The Fellas Studios, a production company owned by popular YouTubers Callum Airey and Joshua Larkin, has received £1.5m in investment as the brand is set to put ‘video podcasting’ on the map. The burgeoning studio has said it is the “fastest-growing” video podcast house in the UK after it gained significant financial support from YouTube [...]
Taylor Swift fans warned Eras tour tickets ‘highly attractive target for criminals’ July 6, 2023 Taylor Swift fans keen to secure tickets for her 2024 Eras Tour have been urged to be alert to fraudsters taking advantage of “phenomenal demand” for the shows. Fans who registered last week were to have learned on July 5 if they had been randomly selected to receive a highly sought-after pre-sale code giving them [...]
End of an era: Majority of jobs axed as TV shopping channel Ideal World collapses July 6, 2023 TV shopping channel Ideal World has hired administrators and made the “majority” of its workforce redundant. The Peterborough-based company employed around 275 people at its head office but hired insolvency experts from advisory firm Kroll on Wednesday after it was hit by weaker consumer spending habits. Administrators said overall trading was “not strong enough” for [...]
STV buys Greenbird Media for £21.4m and gains hit series in growth push July 6, 2023 STV has acquired Greenbird Media, an unscripted television production network, for £24.1m today in a “transformative” drive for greater growth across the UK and globally. The Scottish broadcaster, which has brought popular dramas like Antiques Road Trip, Celebrity Catchphrase and Blue Lights to UK television screens, is bolstering its STV Studios production division with the [...]
British recorded music exports smash £700m for first time July 6, 2023 British recorded music exports have defied increasing global competition to grow by a record amount in 2022 as UK artists dominate the year’s biggest global streaming hits. The value of UK music sales and streams overseas increased by 20 per cent last year to £709m; a jump of over £100m in a single year and [...]
‘Be a better neighbour’: BBC warned its digital expansion will ‘wreak untold damage’ for local news outlets July 4, 2023 Local news outlets are pleading for government intervention in the BBC’s plans to digitally expand, saying it will decimate an already struggling industry. Independent publishers such as News Media Association, Bristol Post, and The Northern Echo have said the nation’s license fee-funded broadcaster needs to ‘be a better neighbour’ and rethink its plans to grow [...]
Facebook vs Twitter: Meta launches rival as Musk locks Tweetdeck July 4, 2023 Facebook owner Meta is launching a new app to rival Twitter this week. Threads, which will be linked to Instagram, is available for pre-order in the Apple App Store and will go live on Thursday. It is described as a “text-based conversation app… where communities come together”. The new app is the latest chapter in [...]
Sadiq Khan unveils renovated London studio as part of £6m boost to the capital’s film and TV industry July 3, 2023 London mayor Sadiq Khan has visited the newly renovated 3 Mills Studios in east London, revealing the completed £6m development that is set to boost the capital’s film and television industry on a global stage. The project, funded with £3m from City Hall, includes upgrades to several historic buildings, the creation of over 10,000 sq [...]
Kevin Spacey abused fame to become ‘sexual bully’, London court told June 30, 2023 Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey abused his reputation and fame to become a “sexual bully”, a court has heard. The Hollywood star, standing trial under his full name Kevin Spacey Fowler, is accused of sex offences against four men who “had the misfortune to attract the attention of the predatory” actor, a jury was told. Southwark [...]