Russian propaganda website hit with record ‘pink slime’ payout at High Court Life&Style An Uzbek businessman has been awarded £105,000 in damages and £117,663.38 in legal costs after winning a defamation suit against a UK publishing network – the largest publicly reported payout in a so-called ‘pink slime’ case. A City AM investigation into British publisher 2Trom was presented as evidence in the High Court case after we [...]
‘Brilliant and provocative’ columnist and broadcaster Rod Liddle dies aged 66 Media The writer and broadcaster Rod Liddle has died at the age of 66. Liddle, a titan of Fleet Street, died at hospital in Middlesbrough on Sunday evening following a short illness. The journalist, who wrote columns for The Sunday Times, The Spectator and The Sun, was previously the editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. [...]
ITV hands shareholders £100m returns after £1.6bn Sky deal Media ITV has announced a £100m share buyback as part of its commitment to return £950m to investors following its blockbuster £1.6bn Sky deal. The broadcaster said the “milestone” merger will “unlock significant value for shareholders,” as it posted a two per cent jump in revenue across the last six months. Earlier this month, ITV agreed [...]
Beat Luke Littler: Netflix enters live darts with £500,000 showcase July 27, 2026 Netflix is entering live darts for the first time with a new show challenging members of the public to take on world champion Luke Littler. Beat Luke Littler will pit 20 amateur arrows fans against the teenage prodigy for a chance to win £501,000 – if they can beat him in a single leg. “Everyone [...]
Sport documentaries muddle grey area of storytelling vs reality July 23, 2026 As every sport seemingly gets its own documentary, Matt Readman assesses whether they’re meddling with reality. There is a famous rule in nature documentary filmmaking: observe, but never intervene. The moment the camera changes the behaviour of its subject, it stops documenting reality and starts creating it. Earlier this month the International Cricket Council investigated [...]
Romesh Ranganathan makes it hard to defend the BBC July 20, 2026 There is a lot to love about the BBC. But the new Romesh Ranganathan-fronted Corporation love-in will backfire, writes Matt Kenyon I’ve been getting sentimental about the BBC lately. Two different people have separately reminded me of Merlin; I had my first encounter with Louis Theroux’s Neil and Christine Hamilton documentary; I’ve been strangely hypnotised [...]
Netflix and Gary Lineker’s Goalhanger extend The Rest Is Football deal until 2028 July 20, 2026 Gary Lineker’s The Rest Is Football podcast will continue on Netflix for the next two seasons following the success of its run during the World Cup. The hit show, which also stars former England internationals Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, will focus on the Premier League and Champions League in twice-weekly episodes on the streaming [...]
Music tycoon Simon Cowell sued by prominent City lawyer July 9, 2026 City lawyer Ian Rosenblatt has launched legal action in London’s High Court against music mogul Simon Cowell over alleged withheld fees. The lawsuit stems from the lawyer stepping down as director of Syco Entertainment, Cowell’s production company, and as an adviser to the talent show judge. Quinn Emanuel’s partner Gregory Pantlin and senior associate Emma [...]
Sky’s ITV takeover could be tonic for Premier League media rights value July 9, 2026 Sky’s proposed takeover of ITV is widely expected to mean more sport on free-to-air channels in the UK, but wider consolidation in the media market could also have a significant impact on the value of sports broadcast rights. A combined Sky and ITV would, if approved by regulators, create an even more powerful player in [...]
Hacking scandal? Inside Prince Harry’s costly legal battle over privacy July 9, 2026 The phone hacking scandal, which first emerged 15 years ago, has cost the owners of Britain’s most prominent newspapers over a billion pounds in legal damages, keeping law firms and the courts busy for more than a decade, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. The phone hacking saga returned to the headlines in spectacular style this week after [...]