Heseltine-founded media giant snaps up trio of marketing titles September 25, 2025 A magazine group founded by Michael Hesteltine has snapped up a trio of marketing titles from Aim-listed Centaur Media, bolstering its portfolio of advertising and communications outlets. Haymarket, which owns over 70 specialist magazines including the likes of Autocar, Campaign and Management Today, revealed it had acquired Marketing Week, Creative Review and Festival of Marketing [...]
Podcast giant Acast’s UK losses slashed in half September 22, 2025 The UK arm of podcast giant Acast slashed its losses in half during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The division is behind the likes of That Peter Crouch Podcast, Shagged Married Annoyed with Chris and Rosie Ramsey and Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster. New accounts filed with Companies House [...]
FCA hires influencers to raise awareness of motor finance compensation scheme September 12, 2025 In its attempt to stop people using claims management companies or law firms to access the motor finance compensation scheme, the City watchdog has kicked off a £1m media campaign. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is launching a £1m campaign to inform people that they don’t need to use a CMC or law firm to [...]
‘I’ve had too many lunches to remember the best’: City AM co-founder Lawson Muncaster on 20 years in the Square Mile September 4, 2025 To mark 20 years of City AM, we spoke to the man who’s been there from the start, our managing director and co-founder Lawson Muncaster.
From fake AI journalism to very real lives: An anatomy of a scoop September 2, 2025 Last week I wrote a wild story that began with an AI-generated pitch about warring London chicken shops and ended with a video call to Nairobi with the man who had willed it into existence. Wilson Kaharua – working under the alias Joseph Wales – was not a criminal mastermind but a small-time SEO writer [...]
Social Chain: Steven Bartlett’s first company returns to the black September 1, 2025 Social Chain, the media agency which was co-founded by Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett, has made its first profit since 2021, it has been revealed. The business, which was also set up by Dominic McGregor, has posted a pre-tax profit of £645,667 for 2024. New accounts filed with Companies House show that Social Chain’s return [...]
Mass hallucinations: How I caught a rogue AI reporter August 27, 2025 The ‘customer’ in the fried chicken shop didn’t touch his meal. Instead, he photographed the kitchen door’s keypad and left. ‘Corporate spy,’ muttered the cashier before showing me three identical incidents caught on his security cameras. This is the opening line of a pitch I received from a writer called Joseph Wales, entitled “London’s Fried [...]
Businesses face wave of AI smear campaigns August 15, 2025 Businesses are facing an uptick in smear campaigns as AI is making it quicker, easier, and cheaper to spread misinformation, which will get worse
The 24-second news cycle has killed off silly season August 12, 2025 In a media landscape fuelled by outrage, the news cycle has no more room for fun or nuance, writes Adam Taylor
WPP shares plunge again on halved dividend and strategic review August 7, 2025 Shares in advertising giant WPP dropped by as much as 4.7 per cent on Thursday morning after it revealed it would launch a strategic review and halve its interim dividend amid falling profit and stagnant revenue. The embattled media group, which owns major agencies like global PR shop Burson and creative juggernaut Ogilvy, revealed its [...]