Coronavirus: BBC overhauls broadcast plans to tackle outbreak March 18, 2020 The BBC today unveiled a raft of new measures aimed at keeping the public informed during the “unprecedented” coronavirus outbreak. Director general Tony Hall said the public service broadcaster would launch special programming on TV and radio to provide audiences with the latest information on the Covid-19 pandemic. As part of the wide-ranging changes, the [...]
Coronavirus: BBC suspends Eastenders filming March 18, 2020 The BBC has suspended filming on Eastenders until further notice due to the coronavirus outbreak. Soap rivals Casualty and Holby City will also be on hold as the broadcaster shuts down its production arm. “In light of the spread of Covid-19, after much consideration, it has been decided that filming on Eastenders will be postponed [...]
Tencent posts rise in profit as pandemic drives surge in Wechat use March 18, 2020 Tencent today said the coronavirus outbreak had driven a huge surge in usage for its social media platform Wechat. The Chinese tech giant said Wechat had racked up 8bn visits since February as people logged in to access so-called health codes that allow them to travel during the outbreak. It came as Tencent posted fourth [...]
UK mobile networks suffer outages as virus sparks surge in demand March 18, 2020 Mobile phone users across the UK have reported problems with calls as operators battle to keep up with a boom in demand sparked by the coronavirus outbreak. The UK’s four network operators — O2, EE, Vodafone and Three — yesterday confirmed they were experiencing problems with some voice calls. It comes as millions of Brits [...]
Glastonbury 2020: What do I do if I booked a ticket? March 18, 2020 Glastonbury Festival 2020 has become the latest victim of the coronavirus crisis, with organisers this morning announcing that the iconic summer event had been cancelled. In a joint statement, Worthy Farm owners Michael and Emily Eavis said cancellation was the “only viable option” after the government urged people to stay at home. The festival will [...]
Glastonbury Festival cancelled due to coronavirus March 18, 2020 Glastonbury Festival has been postponed due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, the event’s organisers confirmed today. The festival, which was due to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year, said cancelling the event was its “only viable option” after the government urged people to stay at home. The world-famous music festival was scheduled for 24-28 [...]
ITV shares drop despite £50m saving from Euro 2020 cancellation March 17, 2020 ITV today said the cancellation of the Euro 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak will save the broadcaster as much as £50m. Uefa this morning announced that its flagship national football competition will be pushed back by a year due to health concerns. ITV, which jointly holds the rights to the tournament alongside the BBC, [...]
Carphone Warehouse to axe 3,000 jobs as it shuts all standalone stores March 17, 2020 Carphone Warehouse today said it will axe 2,900 jobs under plans to close all 531 of its standalone stores. Parent company Dixons Carphone said the radical move was caused by changes in the mobile market, rather than the coronavirus outbreak. The firm said 40 per cent of impacted colleagues were expected to take new roles [...]
Airbus ‘may need government help’ if crisis continues March 17, 2020 European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has suggested that some government support may be needed if the coronavirus crisis lasts several months. The aerospace giant could seek measures to improve liquidity such as state-guaranteed credits, Reuters reported, citing three people familiar with the matter. The prospect of a worse-case scenario is said to have been discussed in [...]
M&C Saatchi bolsters board as bidders line up after accountancy crisis March 17, 2020 M&C Saatchi today said it has appointed two independent non-executive directors amid reports that potential suitors are lining up bids for the troubled advertising agency. Lisa Gordon and Louise Jackson will join the board with immediate effect, the company said. Gordon currently holds non-executive director positions at foreign exchange specialist Apha FX and children’s TV [...]