Barbenheimer lights up cinemas but strikes cast shadow on industry’s future July 24, 2023 Barbie and Oppenheimer, the pop culture power movie duo nicknamed Barbenheimer, had a triumphant opening weekend, reviving cinemas to their pre-pandemic glory – if only for a fleeting weekend. Vue cinemas witnessed their biggest weekend since 2019, raking in nearly £30m at the UK box office according to the UK Cinema Association, as over 500,000 [...]
Vodafone slows decline in Europe as new CFO inherits all-too-red balance sheet July 24, 2023 Vodafone has managed to slow revenue declines in vital European markets as CEO Margherita Della Valle looks to turn around the ailing telecoms giant. In what it described as a “better” first quarterly earnings report than what was forecast, Vodafone told markets it had seen a near-6 per cent year on year revenue uplift in [...]
Tony Bennett: US singing legend dies aged 96 July 21, 2023 American crooner and jazz singer Tony Bennett has died at the age of 96. Bennett became the torchbearer for the Great American Songbook over his seven-decade career, best known for his 1962 classic I Left My Heart In San Francisco which was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1994. On Friday, publicist Sylvia [...]
BBC: Nigel Farage Coutts bank account story has been ‘clarified and amended’ July 21, 2023 The BBC has amended a story about Nigel Farage’s Coutts bank account after coming under fire from the politician for suggesting he lacked the funds needed to hold an account. The former Ukip leader said he was lodging a formal complaint over the reporting. The BBC’s business editor, Simon Jack, wrote in a Tweet that [...]
OnlyFans to ‘OilyFans’: Billboards show BP chief topless after earning £10m July 21, 2023 A set of billboards for the adult site OnlyFans has been rebranded by environmental activists to show the chief executive of BP shirtless. Following complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), Global Witness bought out three advertising slots around London to comment on the pay package of Bernard Looney, whose earnings went from £4.5 million [...]
Netflix: Subscribers up, password sharing down, as clampdown pays off July 20, 2023 Netflix has gained nearly six million subscribers this quarter as its password sharing clampdown bears immediate fruit. Announcing its second quarter results, the company said paid subscribers grew by 4.14m April through June as they rolled out so-called paid sharing in over 100 countries. The firm had become aware that a number of users of [...]
IPA Bellwether: UK businesses boost sales promotions to record levels but pessimism lingers July 20, 2023 UK firms have ramped up sales promotions to an all-time high, leading to a growth in overall marketing budgets, according to the second-quarter IPA Bellwether Report released today. The report, which tracks marketing trends, revealed that sales promotions budgets have reached their highest level in the 23-year history of the survey, as more businesses increased [...]
Andria Vidler to lead Allwyn UK as it gears up to operate the National Lottery July 19, 2023 Lottery operator Allwyn UK has announced the appointment of Andria Vidler as its new boss, as it prepares to take over operation of the National Lottery. Vidler will spearhead Allwyn’s operation of the National Lottery starting in February 2024, as it focuses on maximising funds generated for its giving-back initiative ‘Good Causes’ during its 10-year [...]
Warner Music signs deal with Tiktok to ‘harness’ its viral social media power July 19, 2023 Warner Music Group has inked a multi-year licensing deal with Tiktok to help drive up its revenues and increase marketing opportunities. While specific financial details remain undisclosed, Warner said the venture aims to “harness” the viral media power of the short-video app to bolster revenues and marketing opportunities. Both companies have dubbed the new partnership, [...]
Audioboom hopes new ad strategy will power recovery as it reports net loss July 19, 2023 Podcasting platform Audioboom today posted a net loss of $1.8m (£1.4m) for the first half of the year, but said that its new advertising strategy would see the firm “emerge from the economic downturn in a position of strength”. Revenue for the first half of the year came in at $31.8m (£24.6m), down from $40.9m [...]