BBC sells iconic Maida Vale Studios to Hans Zimmer August 14, 2023 The BBC has sold its iconic Maida Vale Studios to a partnership of film producers and composer Hans Zimmer for an undisclosed sum. Once echoing with the sounds of music legends like The Beatles, David Bowie and Dusty Springfield, the recording hub has been sold to a partnership between film producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, [...]
More streaming mergers are ‘inevitable’ say experts August 14, 2023 A tie-up trend is taking root in the streaming industry. Video on demand providers are scratching around for more subscribers and trying to secure their footing in a crowded market.
Taking the Mickey: Disney hikes subscription costs 27 per cent – even as users fall by 11 million August 10, 2023 Disney has upped subscription prices and is rolling out an ad-supported plan despite losing subscribers since February. Current users of the Disney+ advertising-free plan now face a 27 per cent price hike for the streaming service, which features Disney classics and the Marvel franchise movies among other shows. Disney+ is set to launch a new [...]
Entain sets aside half a billion for investigation into alleged Turkish bribery offences August 10, 2023 Ladbrokes owner Entain has set aside an ‘eyewatering’ £585m to cover a potential settlement as it nears an end of a bribery investigation into its legacy Turkish facing business, launched in 2019. In an update posted this morning, the global betting giant said it has “a sufficient degree of confidence to take a provision of [...]
Sky drops Oscars coverage after 20 years August 9, 2023 UK film enthusiasts will no longer be able to watch the Oscars coverage via Sky as the TV giant has reportedly relinquished its two-decade hold on broadcasting the prestigious LA awards ceremony. Sky is set to end its deal to show the Oscars and Disney, the rights holder, is reportedly in advanced talks with an [...]
Sony warns sales will be hit by Hollywood strikes August 9, 2023 Japanese tech giant Sony lowered its full-year sales forecast today warning that the ongoing Hollywood strikes will wreak havoc with movie production schedules. In a trading update, Sony revised its annual movie sales forecast down 50bn yen to 1.47trn yen (£8bn). Sony blamed the potential lower revenues on the impact of actors and writers staking [...]
Taylor Swift helps Brits shake it off with entertainment spree but it’s a cruel summer for retailers August 8, 2023 Taylor Swift tickets, which went on sale in July, have powered a double-digit increase in entertainment spending so far this summer
Ofcom: Jacob Rees-Mogg in focus as GB News shows probed over impartiality claims August 7, 2023 Ofcom has launched four investigations into GB News’s compliance with due impartiality rules, including one by Conservative politician Jacob Rees-Mogg. The UK media watchdog said it is looking at three programmes, including an episode of Rees-Mogg’s show State Of The Nation. This in relation to the regulator’s rule that politicians must not act as newsreaders, interviewers [...]
Commercial radio giant Global shuffles management playlist August 6, 2023 Global, the owner of LBC, Heart and a host of commercial radio stations, has reshuffled its management deck despite maintaining its spot as the number one commercial radio company Both the finance and marketing chiefs of the UK’s largest commercial radio group have bid farewell to the company in recent weeks, according to Companies House [...]
WPP profits tumble 51 per cent as advertising giant shifts focus to AI plans August 4, 2023 The world’s biggest advertising firm WPP reported a “resilient” performance in the first half of the year despite plunging profits as they start to build out AI plans. WPP reported profit before tax for the first half of 2023 dropped 51 per cent to £204m, compared to £419m compared to the first half of 2022. [...]