Stage and stream: Amazon inks broadcast deal for National Theatre productions May 25, 2021 Amazon Prime has inked a deal to stream four productions filmed by the National Theatre this summer, including the original stage version of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag. The tie-up will also include Frankenstein, directed by Danny Boyle and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and Hamlet, which also features the Sherlock star, filmed at the Barbican in 2015. Amazon [...]
Screenshot: Have the streaming wars just gone nuclear? May 21, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: That’ll do, you donkeys **Have the streaming wars just gone nuclear? **Can London close the tech gap on Silicon Valley? Media Moment of the Week: That’ll do, you donkeys Shrek turned 20 this week. Ah lovely, an innocent reminder of youth, I bet you’re thinking. Wrong. It’s actually [...]
Streaming giants: Amazon reportedly in talks to buy iconic MGM Studios May 18, 2021 One of the film industry’s most famous studios MGM may be about to be bagged by online retail giant Amazon for £6.35bn, according to reports. The multi-billion-dollar sale would give Amazon’s Prime streaming service access to a back catalogue of iconic content that spans nearly 100 years of film and television since the studio was [...]
Amazon to create 10,000 UK jobs this year May 14, 2021 Amazon today announced that it would create 10,000 new jobs in the UK in 2021 as the online giant expands its workforce in the country. It said that it would also invest £10m over three years to train up 5,000 of its staff using its “Career Choice” programme. The firm has partnered with the British [...]
Amazon wins €250m in EU back tax battle May 12, 2021 In a fight over back taxes, Amazon will not have to pay €250m to the city of Luxembourg, Europe’s second-highest court heard today. The General Court said that the online retail giant had not received a selective advantage. “The Commission did not prove to the requisite legal standard that there was an undue reduction of [...]
Showboat: Amazon boss Jeff Bezos revealed as owner of $500m superyacht May 10, 2021 As the richest person on the planet, it’s fair to say money is no object to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. But even by the standards of the super-rich, his latest purchase is likely to make waves. The billionaire businessman has been revealed as the owner of a mammoth superyacht worth a reported $500m (£354m) that [...]
Amazon pays no European corporation tax despite record sales last year May 4, 2021 Amazon reportedly did not pay any corporation tax in Europe last year despite reporting record sales, raising fresh questions over the ecommerce giant’s tax planning. The US firm, which has its European headquarters in Luxembourg, recorded sales income of €44bn (£38bn) in the region last year but reportedly not have to pay any corporation tax [...]
Exclusive: Human error and lack of robots threaten booming e-com space April 30, 2021 The pandemic has resulted in changing consumer behaviours which may have crushed many shops and retail businesses, but it also brought about new opportunities for retailers, particularly when it comes to going expanding their reach, diversifying their clientbase and offering products and services online. However, retailers will only succeed in the space if they ensure [...]
Lockdown winner Amazon made $13,000 PER SECOND in first quarter sales as profits hit record $8.1bn April 30, 2021 Amazon cemented its position as one of the biggest winners of the pandemic, posting record first quarter profits of $8.1bn last night off the back of making $13,000 in sales ever second. And it’s far from over yet. The e-commerce giant signalled that consumers would keep spending in a growing US economy and converts to [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Taxman cometh for football (again); BT Sport; Simone Biles; social media boycott; and NHS x NFL draft April 29, 2021 HMRC has cashed in by increasing scrutiny of the football industry, so perhaps it should be no surprise that the taxman has begun a new crackdown on players and clubs. Investigations into footballers almost tripled in 2019-20, while those concerning clubs more than doubled. The result was an increase from £35m to £73m in tax [...]