The Rest Is… for the Treasury: Gary Lineker backs wealth tax for rich July 23, 2026 Gary Lineker has urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to introduce a wealth tax on himself and other millionaires. The former England football player, synonymous with crisps, is one of over 100 millionaires to sign an open letter to No 10 calling for a 2 per cent tax hike on people with assets worth at least [...]
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 [...]
England semi pulls in 24m on BBC but falls short of Euros final July 16, 2026 BBC coverage of England getting dumped out of the World Cup broke 2026 records but fell short of other football matches in historical rankings. Around 24m watched Argentina’s late 2-1 win in Atlanta, making the match the most-watched live television moment of the year. The broadcast averaged 22.1m viewers on the BBC with the channel’s [...]
England 2am World Cup victory smashes records for BBC on iPlayer and website July 7, 2026 England’s dramatic World Cup victory against Mexico led to a record-breaking broadcast across the board for the BBC. Over 11m BBC iPlayer requests contributed to the largest ever day on record for the streaming service, hitting 48m requests in total on Monday, while the 3-2 win at the Estadio Azteca attracted a peak live audience [...]
Wimbledon to stay on BBC as grand slam bucks paywall trend June 25, 2026 Wimbledon will remain on the BBC until 2033 after the public service broadcaster announced a deal extension with the All England Club. The Wimbledon Championships fortnight, which this year begins next Monday, is, in part, in cahoots with the government’s so-called Crown Jewels list – officially called the Ofcom Code on Sports and Other Listed [...]
Government is set to deal major blow to Big Tech’s moves into sports rights June 23, 2026 The government is set to deal a major blow to Big Tech’s moves into sports rights after launching a consultation on the future of broadcasting. A green paper – an exploratory consultation – was announced by the minister for creative industries, media and arts, Ian Murray, on Tuesday, proposing to prevent streaming platforms such as [...]
Government to take on big tech in bid to boost British news June 20, 2026 The government is preparing to force social media platforms to boost the presence of British news providers to counter misinformation, in a move likely to ruffle the feathers of big tech firms. Ministers are preparing to consult on rules which would require platforms like YouTube and Meta to make UK news sites like the BBC, [...]
F*** f*** f***: Tennis star Moutet fined £4k per F-bomb for Queen’s Club outburst on BBC June 19, 2026 French tennis player Corentin Moutet has been fined 90 per cent of his prize money – or £4,322 per swear word – for saying “f***” seven times in a post-match interview at Queen’s Club. Moutet turned the air blue during the BBC’s live coverage of the HSBC Championships when interviewed on court by Jenny Drummond [...]
Hydration breaks: World Cup ad cost could eclipse Super Bowl’s $7m price tag June 17, 2026 Ads during hydration breaks at the Fifa World Cup final could cost more than a Super Bowl commercial, according to one of the world’s biggest advertising groups. This year’s World Cup in North America and Mexico has introduced a drinks break during each half of football, effectively cutting the game into quarters, like many US [...]
BBC News faces hundreds of job cuts in major downsizing drive June 15, 2026 The BBC is expected to announce hundreds of job cuts across its core news division next week, as the broadcaster begins a sweeping cost-cutting programme ahead of crunch talks with ministers over its future funding. The corporation’s news operation is set to be the first part of the BBC to reveal detailed redundancy plans, according [...]