Two in five small theatres could close this Christmas following sales slump December 6, 2022 Two in five small theatres in the UK could face closure as energy costs soar and Christmas sales tank. According to a new study by GoDaddy and the Society of Independent Theatres, three quarters of independent theatres – those with fewer than 300 seats – say their ticket sales have still not returned to pre-Covid [...]
Today: Latest twist in Prince Harry’s libel battle against Mail on Sunday December 6, 2022 Just two days before Netflix is planning to release a controversial reality series involving the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the High Court braces itself for the latest hearing in the Duke’s libel claim against the publisher of The Mail on Sunday over an article about the duke’s challenge against the Home Office over security [...]
Vodafone group CEO Nick Read to step down within weeks December 5, 2022 Vodafone chief Nick Read will exit the company at the end of December as its share price continues to plunge and investors are left increasingly disgruntled. After four years at the top spot, Read steered Vodafone through the pandemic, narrowing the company’s focus on Europe and Africa, and cutting costs. Nonetheless, telecom expert at CCS [...]
Royal Mail slams union’s ‘wholly unacceptable behaviours’ at strikes December 1, 2022 Royal Mail has today written to union bosses to intervene in “wholly unacceptable behaviours” on the picket line. Writing to the general secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) Dave Ward, the delivery giant said there had been more than 100 allegations of violence and assault, harassment and intimidation have been reported over the four [...]
World Cup: England v Wales peaks at 17.6m viewers on BBC November 30, 2022 England v Wales peaked at 17.6m viewers on BBC One last night as the Welsh get knocked out of the tournament. The whopping figure does not include people watching in public spaces or people using a streaming service, according to data from Digital i. The numbers smash viewing figures from the Lions’ first game of [...]
Future tops profit expectations with acquisitions and US push November 30, 2022 Publisher of The Week Future tops profit expectations as it continues to diversify offering with fresh buys and push into the States. Full year revenue climbed 36 per cent to £825.4m, reflecting a combination of continued organic growth and acquisitions. Adjusted operating profit topped expectations, jumping 39 per cent to £271.7m, with 11 per cent [...]
Editors call for law change to stop oligarchs silencing press November 29, 2022 A group of UK journalists have banded together to call on the justice secretary, Dominic Raab, to back a proposed law to tackle “abusive legal tactics to shut down investigations” The letter, signed by the editors of the Guardian and the Daily Mail, has urged the government to address the “endemic” use of strategic lawsuits against [...]
Music to Spotify’s ears: Watchdog says streaming intervention not needed November 29, 2022 The competition regulator said it will not intervene in the music streaming market, deeming the industry valuable to both artists and consumers. In its final report published this morning, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that consumers actually benefited from digitisation and competition between music streaming services. Prices for consumers have fallen by more [...]
The man behind the O2 says Brits back ‘good times’ in the face of recession November 29, 2022 The man behind London’s The O2 says that despite cost of living concerns, people are still spending big on events, with the consumer mindset shifting to “having good times”. Paul Samuels, who heads up global partnerships at events giant AEG, told City A.M. that the arena is yet to see a dip in visitors amid [...]
Govt boots legal but harmful provision from online safety bill November 28, 2022 The “legal but harmful” provision has been formally scrapped from the online safety bill, in a push to water down moderation and put greater focus on free speech protection. The provision, which would have allowed tech firms to remove content that wasn’t actually illegal, sparked controversy across free speech advocates raising concerns around overcensorship. However, [...]