‘Constitutional crisis’ as John Bercow blocks another vote on May’s Brexit deal March 18, 2019 Theresa May's bid to win parliamentary approval for her Brexit withdrawal deal has been dealt another dramatic blow after Commons Speaker John Bercow declared he could block any attempt to put the question to MPs again. In a surprise statement, Bercow said he would only allow the government to put its Brexit plan before MPs again [...]
Revamp media regulation to help broadcasters take on Netflix, BBC chairman urges March 18, 2019 The UK’s media regulation must be overhauled to protect public service broadcasters from rivals such as Netflix, the BBC chairman said today. Speaking at the Oxford Media Convention this morning, Sir David Clementi said existing regulation is not fit for the digital age and must be updated to ensure British broadcasters can take on global [...]
Advertising Week Europe begins today, so let’s remember that the creative industries are the unsung heroes of the UK economy March 18, 2019 When people think about television, they probably think of the BBC and UK programmes with global appeal, like Downton Abbey and Killing Eve. And even in literature and film, British characters are at the top of any list of the most memorable and loved creations – from James Bond to Harry Potter. Past and present, [...]
City Moves for 15 March 2019 – Who’s switching jobs at WBD, Deezer and BBC? March 14, 2019 Today's City Moves includes Womble Bond Dickinson, Deezer and the BBC. Womble Bond Dickinson Transatlantic law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) has appointed Audrey Koh as a partner in the firm’s London office. Specialising in white collar crime, Audrey will strengthen the firm’s key sectors of expertise, in particular financial institutions, energy and natural resources, [...]
Capita takes on Brexit work as outsourcer kicks on with ‘radical’ turnaround plan March 14, 2019 Outsourcing giant Capita has admitted it is helping pick up some of the government’s slack in preparing for Brexit, as Whitehall continues scrambling to put contingency plans in place for a possible no-deal scenario. The outsourcer, which specialises in digital and IT-related services, has taken on several contracts, as the 29 March leaving date looms ever [...]
Netflix to set its own age ratings for streaming shows and movies in new partnership with BBFC March 14, 2019 Netflix will be granted powers to set the official age ratings for its film and TV programmes as part of a new partnership with the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). The streaming giant will use an automated rating algorithm, alongside a manual tagging system, to apply official UK age ratings to its original films [...]
Equality regulator launches probe into BBC over equal pay scandal March 12, 2019 The BBC will face a formal investigation by the equality regulator following complaints female employees were not paid as much as men for the same work. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) today said it has opened a probe into the broadcaster’s historical policy and pay practices and will look at formal and informal [...]
BT TV to offer Vice channels in bid to bolster its youth appeal March 8, 2019 BT has secured a deal with Vice Media to give its customers access to the youth channel’s content on live and on-demand TV. The partnership, which comes into effect next week, will give BT TV customers access to Vice on TV, a lifestyle and entertainment channel offering documentaries about popular culture and current affairs. Read [...]
BBC ‘risks irrelevance’ unless it adapts to digital age, says director general March 7, 2019 The BBC risks irrelevance unless it adapts to changing viewing habits, the broadcaster’s director general has said. Speaking at the Media & Telecoms Conference this morning, Tony Hall admitted the BBC faces an uphill struggle to keep up with deep-pocketed rivals such as Netflix and Amazon, but insisted public service broadcasters are as important as [...]
Music streaming revenues overtake ownership for the first time amid shift to ‘rental’ market March 4, 2019 The popularity of subscription services reached record levels in the UK last year as music streaming revenues overtook ownership formats for the first time. Revenues from paid-for music subscription services such as Spotify jumped 39 per cent last year to £829m, meaning subscriptions now account for 62 per cent of all music revenues, according to figures [...]