Telefonica shuns security fears as it picks Huawei for German 5G network December 11, 2019 Telefonica Deutschland has tapped Huawei to build its 5G network in Germany, despite concerns that the Chinese telecoms firm could pose a threat to national security. Germany’s second-largest mobile company today said it will slash its dividend almost 40 per cent as it prepares to pump money into the new network, which will also use [...]
Brits ‘wrongly’ told they can vote tomorrow after IT glitch December 11, 2019 Some people who are not on the electoral register have been wrongly told they can vote in tomorrow’s election due to an IT error. The Electoral Commission confirmed that a “small number” of people had been affected by the mistake, but did not specify a number. Read more: Election 2019: Leaders give one final push [...]
Don’t cross the streams: Netflix to make series about the rise of Spotify December 11, 2019 As the streaming wars heat up, media firms are increasingly looking to get ahead of their rivals. But now it appears Netflix may be willing to bury the hatchet – by producing a series about its audio streaming rival Spotify. Netflix today said it will air an untitled scripted show that documents the rise of [...]
Hipgnosis profit surges as song catalogue hits the right notes December 11, 2019 Music royalties investment firm Hipgnosis has posted a huge rise in pre-tax profit after snapping up some of the biggest hits of the decade in an aggressive acquisition spree. The London-listed firm today reported pre-tax profit of £12.6m in the six months to the end of September, more than four times the £3m posted in [...]
JD Sports shares drop after top investor Pentland slims down stake December 11, 2019 Shares in JD Sports fell as much as nine per cent this morning following reports majority shareholder Pentland has slimmed down its stake in the company. Read more: Competition watchdog ploughs ahead with investigation into JD Sports Pentland, a brand management firm and retailer, is said to have offloaded 24m shares priced at 740p each. [...]
Zara owner Inditex boosts profit as it doubles down on tech December 11, 2019 The owner of Spanish retail giant Zara has posted a sharp rise in profit as increased focus on its online platform helped cut costs. Inditex today reported a 12 per cent rise in net profit to €2.7bn (£2.3bn) in the nine months to the end of October, while revenue was up 7.5 per cent to [...]
Podcasts on brink of subscription boom as listeners ready to splash cash on content December 11, 2019 Podcasts could be on the verge of a Netflix-style subscription boom, as the majority of listeners say they would be willing to fork out for premium shows. Just under 60 per cent of podcast listeners said they would be happy to pay for content at an average of £4 per month, or roughly £50 per [...]
Booze boom: UK pub numbers grow for the first time in a decade December 11, 2019 The number of UK pubs and bars grew in 2019, sparking hopes of a turnaround in fortunes for Britain’s boozers after a decade of decline. New figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) revealed that there was a net gain of 320 pubs this year. Read more: UK restaurants and pubs hope for festive [...]
BBC wins battle for social media buzz as streaming giants lag behind December 11, 2019 Traditional broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV are winning the battle to create a buzz around new shows, as they generate more social media chatter than their streaming rivals. Figures published today by market research firm Kantar revealed that the BBC generated more tweets than any other broadcaster in the year to the end [...]
Pub chain censured after ads implied booze could boost confidence December 11, 2019 The advertising watchdog has taken aim at a UK pub chain over adverts deemed to encourage excessive drinking and imply alcohol could cure shyness. Read more: Peloton’s ‘sexist’ advert was so bad it sent shares crashing Blackrose, which operates roughly 40 boozers across the country, posted adverts on Facebook about three of its pubs. In [...]
