Ofcom widens net for Big Tech probe September 22, 2022 Ofcom will be widening the scope of its probe into Big Tech, digging into competition concerns surrounding the cloud services space. The media regulator said this morning that it would launch a market study into the sector to ensure that markets are working well for people and businesses in the UK. Cloud services have exploded [...]
UK music biz struggles to keep up with pre-pandemic economic boom September 22, 2022 The UK music industry is still struggling to keep up with pre-pandemic levels, as the sector calls for more support. According to fresh data from industry body UK Music, the sector’s contribution to the UK economy in 2021 was £4bn – up 26 per cent on the £3.1bn figure for 2020, but still down 31 per [...]
Investors back Sorrell’s aggressive growth for S4 Capital despite heavy losses September 21, 2022 Sir Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital felt the bite of its own aggressive hiring strategy this morning, with losses more quadrupling in the first half of the year to £75.4m. The loss included £100m of primarily combination payments, some linked to “continued employment”, and the associated expense and amortisation totalling £93.9m versus £41.6m in the first [...]
Queen’s funeral: Sky News has biggest single day on YouTube with 42m views September 20, 2022 Sky News had its biggest single day on YouTube during the Queen’s funeral, with more than 42m views. The broadcaster’s digital offering included 5.2m million users on Sky News’ app and website, as the nation watched Her Majesty the Queen laid to rest. Sky News said it had more than 23m views of its coverage [...]
Govt looks at ‘business case’ for Channel 4 privatisation and scrapping BBC licence fee September 20, 2022 The UK Government is currently reconsidering its plan to privatise Channel 4 as well as scrapping the BBC licence fee. Culture secretary Michelle Donelan said she was currently “looking at the business case” for the sale of the state-owned broadcaster. “I’m the type of politician that bases their decisions on evidence, that bases their decisions [...]
Exclusive: UK retailers should copy TfL or they miss out on advertising cash, argues City bigwig September 15, 2022 Are UK retailers missing a valuable opportunity to earn money from advertising? A City insider thinks most big brands do, as he urges the High Street’s biggest names to look at TfL and copy their model by rolling out a retail media network. So-called retail media networks are one of the hottest emerging trends in [...]
The Week owner Future says full-year results to top expectations despite challenging backdrop September 13, 2022 The Week owner Future has said full-year results are expected to top expectations despite increasing pressure being put on the media firm from inflation and supply chain woes. The firm said it had seen return to organic audience growth in the second half of the year, “as Covid comparators were fully lapped, combined with continued [...]
BBC urged to cancel Bain & Co contract following UK government ban September 12, 2022 The BBC has said it will “consider” calls for it to cancel its contract with Bain & Co, following the UK’s government’s decision to ban the consultancy from competing for government contracts. The broadcaster said it will consider calls from veteran anti-apartheid campaigner Lord Hain for the BBC to cancel its contract with Bain over allegations [...]
Activist investor Daniel Loeb retracts calls for Disney’s ESPN sale September 12, 2022 Activist investor Daniel Loeb has backed off from pushing Walt Disney to spin off ESPN, stating that he now has a “better understanding” of the potential for growth. In a tweet last night, Loeb wrote: “We have a better understanding of @espn‘s potential as a standalone business and another vertical for $DIS to reach a [...]
Disney boss pushes back against ESPN sale September 11, 2022 Disney boss has pushed back against calls to sell up or spin off its sports arm, ESPN.