Cellnex snaps up Arqiva’s telecoms division in £2bn deal October 8, 2019 Spanish infrastructure firm Cellnex has agreed to buy the telecoms division of British rival Arqiva for £2bn, making it the largest independent operator of mobile masts in the UK. The deal will add roughly 7,400 sites to Cellnex’s portfolio, as well as the rights to market roughly 900 additional sites across the UK serving all [...]
BT scores sponsorship deal with home nations football teams October 8, 2019 BT has signed a five-year deal to sponsor all four home nations teams as it bolsters its marketing ties with English football. The telecoms giant has netted a series of deals to become the exclusive lead partner of all four teams until 2024, while its newly-revamped logo will appear on the teams’ training kits from [...]
Sorrell’s S4 Capital buys Silicon Valley agency Firewood for $150m as digital drive deepens October 8, 2019 Sir Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital has bought digital marketing agency Firewood for $150m (£122.5m) as the ad veteran gears up for a further wave of acquisitions amid an aggressive growth strategy. Firewood, which is Silicon Valley’s largest independent agency, will merge with S4’s digital content division Mediamonks. Read more: S4 Capital sees earnings slip amid [...]
Lack of clarity over AI definition ‘will confuse’ regulators October 8, 2019 The lack of clarity over what technology is classed as artificial intelligence (AI) poses a major challenge to future regulation in the financial services industry, a new report has warned. Read more: UK must adapt to automation or firms will suffer, MPs warn Research by the International Regulatory Strategy Group (IRSG) found that the lack [...]
NBA slammed for ‘shameful retreat’ over Hong Kong protest tweet October 7, 2019 The National Basketball Association (NBA) has come under fire after distancing itself from comments made by one of its team’s senior executives in support of protests in Hong Kong. Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets, was forced to apologise after his hastily-deleted tweet sparked anger in Beijing. Read more: Hong Kong: Government bans [...]
BBC tried to block Ofcom probe into Naga Munchetty impartiality row October 7, 2019 Ofcom has slammed the BBC’s “lack of transparency” after the broadcaster attempted to block the regulator’s investigation into an impartiality row. BBC director general Tony Hall last week reversed the corporation’s decision to partially uphold a complaint into Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty over her comments about US President Donald Trump. Read more: BBC plots iPlayer [...]
Oh (dough) balls: Twitter’s scared Pizza Express will fold like a calzone October 7, 2019 Pizza Express fans were thrown into panic today following reports the restaurant chain has called in financial advisers over its mounting debt pile. The firm has hired advisers from Houlihan Lokey ahead of talks with creditors, while a group of secured bondholders has tapped Perella Weinberg Partners, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. [...]
How BBC plans to overhaul iPlayer for the Netflix age October 7, 2019 The BBC is gearing up to overhaul its on-demand iPlayer service as it braces for an onset of newcomers in the crowded streaming market. The corporation is planning to reposition the iPlayer as the main access point for its services amid a decline in traditional TV viewing among younger audiences. Read more: Ofcom gives green [...]
UK property investors fear Brexit will push away foreign buyers October 7, 2019 The majority of UK property investors are concerned Brexit will deter overseas buyers from snapping up real estate in Britain, a new survey has revealed. Read more: Housing market uncertainty persists as property transactions remain flat More than half of investors said they were concerned about a decline in transactions from foreign buyers, which in [...]
Natwest launches UK’s first biometric fingerprint credit card October 7, 2019 Natwest has become the first UK bank to launch a biometric credit card that allows contactless payments using a fingerprint for verification. The cards have entered into circulation today as part of a three-month trial with 150 customers. It comes after a successful trial of biometric debit cards. Read more: Natwest customers wrestle with IT [...]
