Howden: Insurance giant set for US deal and £23bn stock market float – report March 15, 2025 Insurance giant Howden is reportedly set for a US takeover deal which could lead to a £23.2bn stock market float, according to Sky News. The British insurance broker, founded by David Howden, anticipates finalising a £7.73bn ($10bn) takeover of American private insurance broker and risk management adviser, Risk Strategies, in the next few weeks, the [...]
Mark Kleinman: Football watchdog search approaches injury time March 6, 2025 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column. Today, he tackles the football watchdog search, big pay at GSK and CityFibre’s M&A warchest Football watchdog search approaches final whistle They think it’s all over. To paraphrase the immortal line of Kenneth Wolstenholme, the 1966 World [...]
Mark Kleinman: A reset BP might not have drilled deep enough for activists February 27, 2025 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column. Today, he tackles activist investors drilling into BP, Ratcliffe’s cost-cutting and a big ticket auction A reset BP might not have drilled deep enough for activists Bernard’s Parable or Belated Pivot? These might be the most concise [...]
Defence spending: 2.5 per cent of GDP is ‘ambitious,’ minister says February 23, 2025 Raising UK defence spending to 2.5 per cent of national income is “ambitious”, a cabinet minister has insisted as the government faces pressure to increase investment. It comes amid uncertainty over the future of the war in Ukraine, as the US began negotiations with Russia, excluding Kyiv from talks. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson sought to [...]
Payments regulator reportedly could be scrapped as No10 slashes red tape February 23, 2025 The UK’s payments regulator could be scrapped and folded into another regulator as part of efforts by No10 to slash red tape, according to Sky News. Ministers are mulling whether to abolish the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) and amalgamate it into the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the broadcaster has reported. A decision could come within [...]
Kay Burley: Broadcaster quits Sky News after almost four decades February 5, 2025 Broadcast titan Kay Burley has announced her retirement from Sky News after 36 years at the outlet. The legendary news presenter was part of the original news team which launched in 1989, meaning her career at the broadcaster spanned five decades. Closing her final Sky News breakfast show today, she said : “From a standing [...]
Sky News has set off on a premium-first direction. Will it work? February 3, 2025 As a phalanx of well-tailored media executives sipped on lukewarm white wine and flicked slivers of smoked salmon onto their plates, David Rhodes set out his philosophy for running one of the largest news organisations in the world. “You have to believe that the basic journalistic activity that you’re doing has value,” the Sky News [...]
What do TV audiences really want from news? February 3, 2025 As Sky News announces a seismic overhaul of its newsroom it’s clear that what audiences demand of ‘news’ is changing. Meeting these demands, to a high quality and at a profit, is a huge challenge for journalists, says Eliot Wilson Last week, David Rhodes, the executive chairman of Sky News Group, outlined a new strategy [...]
Sky News to shift focus to ‘premium’ content January 28, 2025 Sky News is planning a seismic overhaul of its newsroom that will see the national broadcaster focus on “premium” paid-for content over its traditional linear news. The channel’s executive chair unveiled the strategy – branded Sky News 2030 – in a speech to staff on Tuesday in an attempt to seek out new streams of [...]
Rachel Reeves eyeing spending cuts in spring January 10, 2025 Rachel Reeves is considering cutting departmental spending as UK borrowing costs soar, despite risks it could “dampen” activity and “further dent anaemic” growth. The Chancellor is said to be eyeing further reductions to unprotected government departments’ budgets after she ruled out additional tax rises or more borrowing to avoid breaking her fiscal rules following the [...]