UK entertainment and media industry to lead western Europe by 2025 July 13, 2021 The UK’s entertainment and media industry is forecast to become the largest in western Europe by 2025 following a rapid rebound in the aftermath of the pandemic. The sector has suffered a major setback due to Covid, with total revenue falling five per cent in 2020 due to the impact of lockdowns on cinema, live [...]
France hits Google with €500m fine in news copyright row July 13, 2021 The French competition watchdog has hit Google with a €500m (£427m) fine for failing to comply fully with temporary orders handed down in a copyright row with news publishers. News outlets including Agence France-Presse (AFP) accused the tech giant of failing to open talks “in good faith” to reach an agreement on remuneration for online [...]
England footballer Tyrone Mings slams Priti Patel over racism response July 13, 2021 England footballer Tyrone Mings has launched a blistering attack on Priti Patel over her response to racist abuse after the home secretary previously described taking the knee as “gesture politics”. Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jordan Sancho have been subjected to racist hate on social media after they missed penalties in the Euro 2020 final [...]
British anti-fraud startup Quantexa nears unicorn status after $153m funding round July 13, 2021 Quantexa, a British tech startup specialising in anti-fraud software, is closing in on unicorn status after raising $153m (£110m) in fresh funding. The Series D funding round, led by private equity firm Warburg Pincus, values Quantexa at more than $900m. Existing investors including Dawn Capital, Albion VC, HSBC, and ABN AMRO Ventures also contributed to [...]
Cybersecurity firm ECSC grows revenue as pandemic boost continues July 13, 2021 Cybersecurity group ECSC today reported a double-digit rise in revenue for the first half of the year as it continues to cash in on higher demand during the pandemic. The Aim-listed firm said revenue from its managed detection and response division rose 17 per cent to £1.45m in the six months to the end of [...]
Rothermere family prepares £810m bid to take Daily Mail group private July 13, 2021 The Rothermere family is weighing up a bid to take the parent company behind the Daily Mail private following a potential sale of one of its business divisions. In a statement yesterday Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) said the family, which founded the newspaper, was preparing a takeover offer that would value the slimmed-down [...]
Billionaire blues: Tesla’s Elon Musk says he hates his job July 13, 2021 He is one of the richest people in the world and has a vast following on social media, but Tesla boss Elon Musk has revealed he does not like his job. Appearing in a US court the Tesla tycoon said: “I rather hate it and I would much prefer to spend my time on design [...]
US firms poised to ramp up investment in Britain July 13, 2021 Top American companies are set to increase their investment in Britain in the coming years despite the impact of the pandemic and Brexit. A survey of large US multinationals that together employ around 275,000 staff in the UK found the majority were confident in Britain as a place to do business. Around 60 per cent [...]
US semiconductor firm Achronix scraps $2bn Spac listing July 12, 2021 US semiconductor company Achronix has scrapped its planned $2.1bn (£1.5bn) blank-cheque listing after the deal was held up by regulators. The California-based company inked an agreement in January to merge with a special purpose acquisition company (Spac) named Ace Convergence Acquisition Corp. The deal was subject to meeting certain closing conditions, including gaining regulatory approval. [...]
Euro 2020: TV audience hits 31m as England lose on penalties July 12, 2021 Just under 31m people tuned into England’s Euro 2020 final loss last night, making the heart-wrenching fixture one of the largest TV audiences ever recorded. Viewer numbers peaked at 30.95m during the tense penalty shootout against Italy at Wembley, which was broadcast on both the BBC and ITV. An average of 29.85m people watched across [...]