Video killed the radio star – is it TV’s turn for the chop? February 27, 2019 I read the news about the proposed merger of BBC and ITV today with interest. The new service – apparently called ‘Britbox’ – will reportedly cost around £5 a month. Just last week, I interviewed outgoing CEO of UKTV, Darren Childs, for my Media Masters podcast, where we discussed the future of television and the [...]
Technology continues to develop, but does the tech industry really understand the power of data? February 27, 2019 Big data has been cast as the latest pariah within tech, and considering that big players like Google and Facebook have built their ad businesses on audience and user data, albeit with the renewed interest among regulators and consumers on data privacy, no one wants to declare their use of big data anymore. The Cambridge [...]
Why you should blame personality tests for the psycho in your office February 27, 2019 Most of us have, at some point, encountered a Myers-Briggs personality test. Katherine Cook Briggs began her personality research over a century ago after an awkward dinner party, which just goes to show the lengths that some people will go to avoid small talk. Of course, personality tests can be useful, but the corporate world [...]
Britain lost faith in its politicians – and then it voted for Brexit February 27, 2019 What do Bill Clinton, the Beano, and moat cleaning have in common? Answer: they all contributed to Brexit. We are about to reach the tenth anniversary of the MPs’ expenses scandal, the fifteenth anniversary of the launch of the TaxPayers’ Alliance (which I co-founded in 2004), and in 30 days’ time we should be leaving [...]
It makes smart business sense to invest in the future of refugees February 27, 2019 Amid scenes of refugees’ flight from Venezuela, it is easy to forget that the world’s largest refugee crisis remains Syria. And that’s why the UK-Jordan Conference in London tomorrow is so important. Jordan has generously provided refuge for more than 670,000 Syrian refugees fleeing their homes amid a brutal war. Its role in the stability [...]
If we’re going to get serious climate action, we need to talk honestly about the economic costs February 27, 2019 Sydney University’s Centre for Complex Systems does innovative work on a broad range of topics. But spending the last couple of weeks there has also given me a wider perspective on some familiar themes. Climate change is, quite literally, a hot topic in Australian politics. The country melted in 45-degree record temperatures in January, and [...]
DEBATE: Is Labour’s sudden support for second referendum a good political move? February 27, 2019 Is Labour’s sudden support for second referendum a good political move? Finn McRedmond, staff writer at Reaction, says YES. It is no secret that Jeremy Corbyn is a longstanding eurosceptic. It is also no secret that vast swathes of Labour’s support base are Remainers. So the challenge facing the Labour leadership is this: how do we [...]
Hong Kong Horse Racing Tips: Victory could be a Gamechanger for frustrated Moreira February 26, 2019 JOAO Moreira is having a tough time at present. The former two-time champion jockey was forced to sit out the last two race-meetings through suspension and then watched his great rival Zac Purton notch up nine winners, including three for his retained John Size stable. With a further two enforced holidays coming up on the [...]
Hong Kong Horse Racing Tips: Play it Wise and back Zac to keep hot streak going February 26, 2019 REIGNING champion jockey Zac Purton is the name that will be on everyone’s lips when Happy Valley hosts its regular Wednesday meeting in Hong Kong. It wasn’t long ago that Joao Moreira was the darling of the fanatical racing fans in the territory. The Magic Man could do no wrong and was likened to a [...]
DEBATE: With the Oscars success of Roma, has Netflix broken the dominance of the traditional film studios? February 26, 2019 With the Oscars success of Roma, has Netflix broken the dominance of the traditional film studios? Abbie Llewelyn, freelance writer and commentator, says YES. Just six years after Netflix started producing original content, it has scored 15 nominations and three wins at the Oscars. This is a huge breakthrough for streaming platforms, as up until [...]