Disney takes online video crown away from Netflix as global streaming war heats up August 11, 2022 Entertainment giant Disney said late last night it has taken over streaming rival Netflix in the total number of subscribers for the first time ever. Having gained 14.4m subscribers to its Disney+ the franchise now maintains a 221m total subscriptions across its streaming offerings. This is compared to Netlfix’s reported 220.67m total global subscribers. It [...]
News Corp nearly doubles profit after online advertising sales and subscriptions soar August 9, 2022 Rupert Murdoch’s publishing giant News Corporation has almost doubled its profit to reach a record $760m. The buoyant results come after a boom in online advertising sales and subscriptions for the owner of titles including The Wall Street Journal, The Australian, The Sun and The Times. Revenue shot up 11 per cent to $9.36bn in [...]
Facebook, TikTok and fake news play key role in Kenyan elections: Millions to vote today after ugly online campaigns August 9, 2022 NAIROBI – Politicians and political parties across Kenya have spent tens of millions on social media campaigns in recent weeks in a last effort to win over voters, as the East African country is going to the polls today. Alongside hundreds of genuine statements and ads, fake and false online claims play a key role [...]
Informa sells centuries old Lloyd’s List to private equity firm Montagu August 5, 2022 London private equity firm Montagu has struck a deal with publishing giant Informa to buy up shipping newsletter Lloyd’s List, one of the world’s oldest continuously running news journals. Montagu Private Equity, which manages €10bn (£8.4bn) worth of assets, has agreed to buy the centuries-old maritime news service from Informa, in a deal worth £385m. [...]
Advertising titan WPP lifts net sales forecast August 5, 2022 The world’s biggest advertising group, WPP, has hiked its full-year net sales outlook, anticipating buoyant spending by clients. The London-listed firm said it now anticipates net sales to grow six to seven per cent in 2022, on a like for like basis. This was an adjustment upwards from a previous forecast of 5.5-6.5 per cent. [...]
Main stream: AFTV founder Robbie Lyle on taking football fan channels overground August 4, 2022 Robbie Lyle, the avuncular face and founder of Arsenal fan media platform AFTV, was walking through New York City when he truly realised what a phenomenon he had created. On his stroll Lyle came across activists marching on Times Square in protest at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, each with their mouth taped up in a symbol [...]
UK parliament shuts down its TikTok account over China security concerns August 3, 2022 Parliament has decided to shut down its new TikTok account after just one week due to data security concerns raised by MPs. Four MPs and two Lords who have all been sanctioned by China wrote to Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Lord speaker Lord John McFall to complain about “data security risks associated with [...]
‘Bad for competition’: Stephen King pushes back against Penguin and Simon & Schuster merger August 3, 2022 Novelist Stephen King has slammed the proposed merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, deeming it "bad for competition".
Warner Bros axes new Batgirl movie following dismal reviews August 3, 2022 Warner Bros has shelved its upcoming “Batgirl” film after the movie was met with dismal reviews from viewers. According to reports from US media, the DC Comics film had received a poor reception at test screenings, forcing the studio to backtrack on the $100m (£82m) production. Leslie Grace was set to star as Batgirl, while Michael Keaton as [...]
Coleen Rooney wins ‘Wagatha Christie’ libel trial against Rebekah Vardy: ‘An embarrassing own goal’ July 29, 2022 Rebekah Vardy has lost the “Wagatha Christie” libel battle against Coleen Rooney over a viral social media post, after a High Court judge found it was “substantially true”. In the October 2019 post, Mrs Rooney, 36, said she had carried out a months-long “sting operation” and accused Mrs Vardy, 40, of leaking “false stories” about [...]