Murdoch waits for verdict on The Times and The Sunday Times merger April 7, 2019 Media mogul Rupert Murdoch will this week receive the government’s verdict on a planned merger of The Times and The Sunday Times. Earlier this year News UK, which controls the two newspapers, filed an application to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to overturn a law that forces the group to keep [...]
Army launches investigation into video showing soldiers using Jeremy Corbyn picture for target practice April 3, 2019 The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has launched an investigation after footage emerged showing British soldiers firing at a poster of Jeremy Corbyn. The video, first reported by Sky News, shows four soldiers firing weapons into the distance, and later pans round to show a poster of the Labour leader being used as the target. A [...]
The European Union is on the backfoot, but few seem to notice April 2, 2019 There is a very bad habit that many of our broadcasters have of focusing on what might befall us. It reminds me of Frankie Howerd in Up Pompeii bemoaning “woe is me, woe is me” – as if he might warn his master against leaving the Empire without a deal. It would be refreshing were there [...]
BBC takes control of UKTV channels as Discovery lines up new streaming service April 1, 2019 The BBC will take control of UKTV channels as part of a deal with Discovery that will also see the launch of a new on-demand video service for BBC nature programmes. BBC Studios – the broadcaster’s commercial arm – jointly owns UKTV with US media giant Discovery. Read more: BBC removes podcasts from rival Google [...]
Mortgage finance firm Lendinvest taps three banks for £500m London float March 25, 2019 Online property finance marketplace Lendinvest has chosen three banks to lead its planned £500m float on the London Stock Exchange this year. It is understood Lendinvest, which provides funding for property investors, developers and landlords, has tapped Goldman Sachs and Barclays as joint global coordinators. Read more: Mortgage finance hub Lendinvest targets £500m London listing [...]
WPP hunts for replacement as last Chinese board member steps down March 25, 2019 WPP is on the hunt for a new Chinese board member after it emerged a long-serving director from the country will step down, Sky News reported. Ruigang Li, who founded venture capital giant China Media Capital (CMC) and has served on the WPP board since 2010, has reportedly told colleagues he will not stand for [...]
Big Four broadband providers lag behind for customer satisfaction March 25, 2019 Broadband customers using the largest providers are the most likely to be getting a bad deal, a new survey has revealed. Despite collectively supplying almost nine in 10 customers, BT, Sky, Talktalk and Virgin Media consistently rank poorly for customer satisfaction, according to consumer group Which. Read more: Zen named best broadband provider by Which [...]
Zen named best broadband provider by Which as it launches lifetime price guarantee March 25, 2019 Independent telecoms firm Zen has been named best broadband provider in the latest survey by consumer group Which. Zen, which was launched as an alternative to the big four providers Sky, Virgin, BT and Talktalk, has bagged the label of ‘recommended provider’ for the fourth year in a row. Read more: Hyperoptic secures deal to [...]
Openreach calls on providers to set plan for full-fibre rollout March 21, 2019 Telecoms giant Openreach has launched a consultation to agree a plan for retiring the UK’s copper lines as it looks to begin the rollout of a new full-fibre network. Openreach is seeking opinions from broadband and telephone providers such as BT, Talktalk and Sky on how customers can be upgraded from existing copper connections to [...]
Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos buys Team Sky, securing future of Britain’s most successful road cycling team March 19, 2019 Jim Ratcliffe’s chemicals giant Ineos has bought Britain’s most successful road cycling team in recent years, Team Sky. The industrial firm, owned by Britain’s richest man Ratcliffe, will rename the cycling organisation Team Ineos when it takes over on 1 May. Read more: Ineos takes over US white pigment producer in $700m deal Tour Racing [...]