Soundcloud bags $75m funding from Pandora owner Sirius XM February 11, 2020 Veteran music streaming site Soundcloud today announced it has received a $75m (£58m) cash injection from Sirius XM, the owner of US streaming giant Pandora. Soundcloud said it will use the funding to speed up its product development and enhance services for its users. The investment follows an ad sales partnership between Soundcloud and Pandora, [...]
Government ‘considers taking stake’ in struggling airline Flybe February 11, 2020 The government is said to be mulling taking a stake in struggling airline Flybe, despite concerns about state aid rules and a fierce backlash from the budget firm’s rivals. Ministers are in talks with Flybe and the European Commission to ensure any rescue deal did not contravene rules about government intervention, the BBC reported. While [...]
William Hill boosts US reach as it strikes media deal with CBS Sports February 11, 2020 Betting firm William Hill today confirmed it has struck a deal with CBS Sports as it ploughs ahead with its US expansion plan. The deal means the British bookmaker will be the exclusive provider of betting odds across CBS Sports’ digital platforms. The tie-up will kick off in March, with a full rollout planned for [...]
Top BBC boss apologises over £12,000 banking conference fee February 11, 2020 The BBC’s editorial director Kamal Ahmed has apologised to staff for accepting £12,000 to speak at a banking conference last week. Ahmed, who was previously the broadcaster’s economics editor, accepted the fee for a 40-minute appearance at Aberdeen Standard Investments’ Investing for the Future event. In an email to staff, shared with the Financial Times, [...]
Merkel’s party set to rule out Huawei 5G ban in Germany February 11, 2020 Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party is set to throw its weight behind a new proposal that stops short of banning Huawei from building Germany’s 5G network. Top ministers in the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) last night signed off on a four-page paper following weeks of discussions with hardline ministers who want to exclude the controversial [...]
Kantar appoints former ITV boss Adam Crozier as chairman February 11, 2020 Kantar today announced it has appointed former ITV chief executive Adam Crozier to chair the market research firm after it was spun out of WPP last year. Crozier, who currently chairs Asos, Whitbread and cinema chain Vue, has previously held the top jobs at Saatchi & Saatchi, the Football association and Royal Mail. The appointment [...]
Revolut launches open banking for retail and business customers February 11, 2020 Digital bank Revolut today announced the launch of open banking for all UK retail and business customers as it ramps up its challenge against money management rivals. The new feature allows UK customers to connect their external bank accounts to Revolut’s platform, allowing them to view all their balances in one app. Open banking was [...]
London tech salary growth outstrips global rivals February 11, 2020 Salary growth for UK techies outstripped all other locations last year as the country retained its status as a global tech hub. London software engineers enjoyed a salary hike of 13 per cent from 2018 to 2019, taking the average wage to £74,000, according to new figures from job search firm Hired. The fastest increase [...]
Former Sun editor Kelvin Mackenzie calls for radio licence overhaul February 10, 2020 Former Sun editor Kelvin Mackenzie has urged the government to auction the UK’s analogue radio licences to the highest bidder, arguing that market forces should dictate their value. The government has launched a consultation into the renewal of commercial FM and AM licences for national stations Classic FM, Talksport and Absolute Radio, which are set [...]
BBC calls for ‘demonstrable resilience’ as it launches search for new boss February 10, 2020 The BBC has fired the starting pistol on its search for a new director general, calling for applicants with “demonstrable resilience” as it tries to head off fierce political pressure. The broadcaster today published a job advert for its top position after current director general Tony Hall announced plans to step down in the summer. [...]