Coronavirus: British advice to leave China ‘excessive’, says ambassador February 6, 2020 The government’s advice for British citizens to leave China because of coronavirus is excessive, the Chinese ambassador to the UK has said. Liu Xiaoming said the number of cured patients was rising, adding that his country was “fully confident” of beating the virus. The comments came after the Foreign Office urged all Brits to leave [...]
Nationwide to refund customers £900,000 for overdraft text failures February 6, 2020 Nationwide will repay £900,000 to customers after it failed to correctly warn them that they would be charged for entering an unarranged overdraft. The move follows an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which ruled that the building society fell foul of rules stating customers with personal current accounts must receive a text [...]
Airbnb bans under-25s from booking ‘party houses’ after violence February 6, 2020 Airbnb has launched a crackdown on young people booking entire properties in a bid to prevent house parties from descending into violence. The new rules have been rolled out in Canada as part of a trial programme, though the company did not say whether it will be extended to other countries. It comes after a [...]
Commercial radio listening dips despite rise of smart speakers February 6, 2020 Commercial radio stations suffered a decline in audience numbers in the fourth quarter, despite a surge in listening through smart speakers. A total of 35.1m people tuned in to UK commercial radio each week, down from 35.9m in the previous three months, according to the latest figures from industry body Rajar. The sector also lost [...]
Sun editor heads to the Times in News UK shake-up February 5, 2020 Tony Gallagher has stepped down as editor-in-chief of the Sun after four years at the helm of the UK’s top-selling newspaper. Gallagher, who has been appointed deputy editor of the Times, will be replaced by current Sun on Sunday editor Victoria Newton. Keith Poole, currently digital editor at the Sun, will become deputy editor-in-chief at [...]
Brands told to turn to Youtube ads as young TV viewers tune out February 5, 2020 Brands targeting younger consumers can best boost their reach by advertising on Youtube as viewers desert traditional TV, according to a new report. Research published today by media consultancy Ebiquity revealed the number of people viewing ads on linear TV fell 4.4 per cent last year — worse than the predicted decline of 3.6 per [...]
Digital sector contributes £149bn to UK economy amid tech boom February 5, 2020 Digital companies contributed £149bn to the economy in 2018 as the UK retained its position as a leading tech superpower. The figure, which equates to £400m per day, means the digital sector accounts for 7.7 per cent of the UK economy as a whole. Growth in the thriving tech sector was also six times larger [...]
Culture secretary denies attack on BBC as she hints at wider broadcaster review February 5, 2020 Culture secretary Nicky Morgan has denied the government is launching an attack on the BBC as she hinted at a wider review of public service broadcasters. Morgan today launched a public consultation on whether to decriminalise non-payment of the TV licence fee amid a shift in viewing habits fuelled by the rise of streaming services [...]
Coronavirus: Huawei and ZTE to exclude Chinese staff from MWC 2020 February 5, 2020 Two of China’s largest mobile companies are set to sideline employees from their home country at a major upcoming tech conference amid fears over coronavirus. Huawei and ZTE have both put measures in place ahead of Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona later this month to minimise risk from the outbreak, which originated in the [...]
Spotify boosts subscribers amid surge in podcast listening February 5, 2020 Spotify today reported a sharp growth in subscriber numbers as the music streaming giant cashed in on its recent investment in podcasts. The Swedish firm boosted its monthly active users to 271m in the four quarter, up 31 per cent year on year, with paid subscribers up 29 per cent to 124m. Total revenue for [...]
