A new Frontier for Atari games October 29, 2013 Atari signed an agreement yesterday to allow Frontier Developments, a Cambridge-based video games firm, to distribute its games online. Frontier will receive a licence to develop and publish versions of Atari’s existing game catalogue on other platforms such as the Mac and smartphones. “These agreements represent excellent progress as we continue to implement our… online [...]
Blinkx in Epic sport video deal October 29, 2013 Online video search engine Blinkx has partnered with EpicTV.com, an online sports outlet, to show first person video clips of extreme sports athletes to Blinkx users. London-listed Blinkx saw its share price jump 5.39 per cent on news of the partnership, its shares closed at 156.5p yesterday. “Sports clips are consistently one of the most [...]
Vodafone wants to own India unit October 29, 2013 Vodafone Group has sought approval from the authorities to raise its stake in the India unit for 101.41bn rupees ($1.03bn) it said yesterday, after India allowed foreign companies to take full ownership of local carriers. Vodafone, which entered India in 2007 by buying Hutchison Whampoa’s local cellular assets in an $11bn deal, directly and indirectly [...]
St Jude storm could cost British insurance industry up to £500m October 29, 2013 MONDAY’S storms could cost British insurers up to £500m in claims, a leading broker claimed yesterday. Willis Re said the figure only covered damaged caused in the UK. The storm has since caused extensive damage across France, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. “Based on our research we believe insured losses in the UK for the St Jude’s [...]
Sainsbury’s to take Tesco ad fight to court October 29, 2013 J SAINSBURY has announced it is to take Tesco to court to seek a judicial review, after the UK’s advertising watchdog twice rejected the retailer’s complaint against Tesco’s price comparison campaign. Tesco’s Price Promise scheme, launched in March, compares the cost of thousands of own-branded products against Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s and offers a money-off [...]
Hyperion Insurance purchases Florida underwriting business October 29, 2013 LONDON-based insurance broker Hyperion yesterday announced that is has bought US company PGI Commercial, substantially expanding its presence in North America. PGI currently controls $200m (£124.7m) of premiums and the combined business will control around $600m worth of premiums. “The opportunity for the group in North America is significant, but it has always been vital to us [...]
Harder to start a business in UK than Mongolia October 29, 2013 BRITAIN is a harder place to start a business than Mongolia, Afghanistan and Armenia, according to a comprehensive business study released yesterday by the World Bank. The international lender’s annual Ease of Doing Business study found the UK slipped 10 places to 28th on its measure of easiest places to launch a new company. Britain also [...]
Bernie Ecclestone faces $100m legal challenge in London court October 29, 2013 FORMULA One boss Bernie Ecclestone was accused in a London court yesterday of making a“corrupt bargain” that cost a German media firm millions, one of multiple legal challenges that threaten his control of the sport. Constantin Medien is seeking more than $100m in damages from Ecclestone, arguing that he and three other defendants deliberately undervalued [...]
Britons inherit £37bn a year from relatives October 29, 2013 BRITONS inherit more than £37bn every year, according to a study released yesterday by the Office for National Statistics that sets out the scale of inter-generation wealth transfers. Half of the inheritances came from parents, while a fifth came from grandparents and a tenth from aunts or uncles. One in 20 received money from non-relatives. More [...]
Brand Index: Heinz could be the victor of the global burger battle October 29, 2013 THE BATTLE of the burgers got saucier this week when McDonald’s announced it was severing its 40-year relationship with Heinz after the ketchup-maker hired a former head of Burger King as its new CEO. Perhaps adding salt to the wound, Burger King revealed better-than-expected third-quarter profits. McDonald’s profits also narrowly topped expectations, but its sales [...]
