A drive to survive: How Liberty Media used Netflix and esports to win a new generation of fans and safeguard the future of Formula 1 March 26, 2021 It feels like an awful long time ago now that Liberty Media took the wheel of Formula 1, completing a takeover valued at $8bn including debt in January 2017. Donald Trump had just been inaugurated and the most relevant global health emergency was the Zika virus. In motorsport, meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton had been dethroned and [...]
Ollie Phillips: England need change but that doesn’t mean sacking Eddie Jones; France to wreak havoc on Scotland; and Lions pecking order March 25, 2021 In the space of a few days England went from brilliant, devastating and clinical against France to devoid of ideas against Ireland. Credit to Ireland for well and truly doing a job on England last weekend. They didn’t just beat Eddie Jones’s side, they thrashed them 32-18. This is a team that talks about wanting [...]
Six Minutes To Midnight – Eddie Izzard stars in wartime thriller March 25, 2021 Eddie Izzard has enjoyed quite an eclectic big screen career over the years. She’s been in cult hits such as Velvet Goldmine and Mystery Men; mixed it up with Clooney and Co in the Ocean’s films; and even faced off with a Nazi Tom Cruise in 2009’s Valkyrie. The Third Reich looms ominously in her [...]
Tina review: A documentary fit for an icon March 25, 2021 Coming to our screens from a successful run at the Berlin Film Festival, Tina is an exploration of the life of Tina Turner, the multi-Grammy winning icon who first became a success as one half of Ike and Tina, and became a global superstar in her own right with hits like The Best and Private [...]
Tom & Jerry film review: Animated legends don’t translate to film March 25, 2021 Since 1940, Tom and Jerry have been a staple of animation, influencing almost every cartoon that followed. With family movies proving big business during the pandemic, Warner Bros are giving these two a shot at a feature length film, a Roger Rabbit style hybrid of animation and live action. Tom & Jerry puts the pair [...]
Ammonite – Francis Lee period romance has nothing new to say March 25, 2021 British filmmaker Francis Lee follows up the award-winning God’s Own Country with another story of secret romance, albeit with a higher profile cast. Kate Winslet plays Mary Anning, a celebrated palaeontologist living a quiet life on the coast of 19th Century England, away from the male-dominated scientific community which acknowledges her findings but gives her [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Is crypto the next big player in sports sponsorship? Plus Extreme E’s Suez near miss and Amazon’s Six Nations interest March 25, 2021 Where US sports lead, others tend to follow, so it was with interest that industry insiders noted developments in Florida this week. Miami Heat’s home is set to be rebranded the FTX Arena after the NBA side struck a naming rights agreement with the cryptocurrency exchange. FTX will pay $135m for the 19-year deal, the [...]
Why Chelsea FC are giving away digital advertising to London’s small businesses March 24, 2021 Chelsea are offering London’s small businesses a pandemic pick-me-up in the form of free digital advertising. The Premier League club plan to showcase a different start-up each matchday for the rest of the season, giving away digital assets worth five figures a time. “Rather than celebrating us, we wanted to celebrate the city that we’re [...]
British and Irish Lions summer 2021 tour to South Africa to go ahead March 23, 2021 The British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa will go ahead this summer despite uncertainty over whether fans will be allowed to attend. Alternative arrangements, such as postponing the tour or playing the series in the UK or Australia, had been considered due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “After reviewing information relating to the various [...]
The most complex World Cup qualifying process yet? England’s path, the role of Qatar, the Nations League and Russia in the race for Europe’s 13 spots March 23, 2021 When Bill Shankly quipped that “football is a simple game complicated by people who should know better” he could have been talking about the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers. This week, England and the other 54 European national teams kick off their campaigns to reach next year’s tournament with a triple-header of matches. And the [...]