ITV in talks to take stake in BT Sport April 30, 2021 ITV is one of the parties in talks to buy BT Sport, a move that could bring major football back to free-to-air television if the sale went ahead. BT yesterday confirmed it was in talks with major streaming platforms to offload a stake in its television arm as it focuses on its broadband division. ITV [...]
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 [...]
Premier League set for TV cash boost after it agrees to renew £4.7bn contracts with Sky, BT and Amazon on same terms April 27, 2021 The Premier League is close to renewing its £4.7bn domestic broadcast contracts with Sky, BT and Amazon, according to reports. It has chosen a private sale to current partners on the same terms as existing deals rather than a traditional auction of the rights for 2022-2025, according to SportBusiness Media. The arrangement must still be [...]
Former BT boss Gavin Patterson approached over Super League top job April 19, 2021 The former chief executive of BT is said to have been approached about heading up a controversial new football competition dubbed the European Super League (ESL). Organisers made an informal overture to Gavin Patterson, who left the telecoms giant in 2019, over becoming the inaugural boss of the venture, Sky News reported. His name is [...]
BT frontline workers to bag £1,500 bonuses and shares March 24, 2021 BT has offered its frontline workers a bonus of £1,500 in recognition of their efforts to keep its customers connected during the pandemic. The bonus, equivalent to around five per cent of their average salary, is being made to 59,000 workers despite the broadband provider freezing pay across the company. The company is in discussions [...]
Screenshot: Who’s invited to the UK’s summer of fun? March 19, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: No 10’s power vacuum **Who’s invited to the UK’s summer of fun? **BT gets a broadband boost Media Moment of the Week: No 10’s power vacuum There are two main things to remember when unveiling your grand £2.6m briefing room to the world: make sure it doesn’t look [...]
Ofcom gives BT green light to charge more for full-fibre broadband March 18, 2021 Ofcom has given BT the green light to continue charging higher prices for its full-fibre broadband services in a bid to encourage investment in the network across the UK. The media watchdog today said BT’s Openreach will be free from price caps on its wholesale offering for at least a decade. The long-awaited announcement forms [...]
BT denies boardroom rift led to chairman’s resignation March 8, 2021 BT has hit back at reports that a boardroom row led to its chairman’s resignation, insisting there was “no misalignment” over the company’s strategy. Sky News last week reported that chief executive Philip Jansen threatened to resign unless Jan du Plessis stepped down as chairman. The veteran South African director announced his departure a week [...]
EE to extend 4G coverage in rural not-spot crackdown February 24, 2021 EE today said it will improve its 4G coverage in more than 500 areas across the UK as part of a government initiative to stamp out so-called signal not-spots in rural areas. The mobile operator, which is owned by BT, has already upgraded its network in 110 areas since March last year and plans a [...]
Former EE boss Olaf Swantee joins Vodafone February 11, 2021 Vodafone has appointed former EE CEO Olaf Swantee as a non-executive director. He will take up the post at the end of July. Swantee comes from Sunrise Communications, where he was CEO. The ex-EE boss will use his experience in the sector to benefit Vodafone’s Audit and Risk Committee. Vodafone chairman Jean-Francois van Boxmeer said: [...]