UK ad spend defies economic gloom to hit £6bn as online radio drives growth July 30, 2019 UK ad spend defied economic uncertainty and fraught political tensions to grow to £6bn in the first quarter, new figures have revealed. Advertising spend rose 4.2 per cent year-on-year thanks to strong growth in the video on-demand, online display and online radio sectors. Read more: Social media ad spend growth plummets amid decline in trust [...]
Facebook fact checkers stumped by satire amid crackdown on harmful content July 30, 2019 Third-party fact checkers tasked with flagging misinformation on Facebook have been forced to reconsider how they handle humorous posts due to the number of people misinterpreting satire as fact. Full Fact, which carries out fact checking services on Facebook in the UK, has urged the social media firm to introduce a new rating for humorous [...]
Ofcom sets out new rules for reality TV after Jeremy Kyle Show death July 29, 2019 Ofcom has proposed new rules to protect participants in TV and radio shows, weeks after ITV bosses were slammed over the death of a guest on The Jeremy Kyle Show. The regulator today unveiled plans for new rules requiring broadcasters to protect the welfare and dignity of participants in shows, and to ensure participants are [...]
Media group Future buys US publisher Smartbrief for up to $65m July 29, 2019 Media firm Future today said it has snapped up US-based news curation site Smartbrief for up to $65m (£53m) as it looks to beef up its business-to-business (B2B) offering. Future, which owns magazine titles including Four Four Two and Tech Radar, said it has paid an initial sum of $45m for the firm through a [...]
Shares in Sorrell’s S4 Capital get boost as rapid expansion continues July 29, 2019 Shares in S4 Capital rose more than four per cent this morning after the digital advertising firm reported strong trading for the first half. S4, which is run by ad veteran Sir Martin Sorrell, said like-for-like revenue and gross profit were up roughly 40 per cent over the period. Read more: Sorrell’s S4 Capital to [...]
London Stock Exchange share price hits record high on Refinitiv takeover talks July 29, 2019 Shares in the London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) jumped 14 per cent this morning after it emerged the company is in talks to buy data analytics firm Refinitiv for $27bn (£22bn). Read more: London Stock Exchange in talks to buy data analytics firm Refinitiv for $27bn The company confirmed that it is in discussions with [...]
Reach boss Simon Fox to step down as publisher posts strong digital growth July 29, 2019 The chief executive of Daily Mirror publisher Reach is stepping down after seven years, as the company unveiled significant growth in its digital division for the half year. Simon Fox will leave the firm on 16 August and will be replaced by Jim Mullen, who is currently chief executive of gambling giant Ladbrokes Coral. Read [...]
London Stock Exchange in talks to buy data analytics firm Refinitiv for $27bn July 28, 2019 The London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) is in discussions to buy data analytics firm Refinitiv for $27bn (£22bn) in a blockbuster deal that could see the company take on Bloomberg. The exchange group confirmed it is in talks with Thomson Reuters and a consortium of funds linked to private equity firm Blackstone to acquire the [...]
Sadiq Khan’s approval ratings drop to lowest level ever amid knife crime crisis July 28, 2019 Approval ratings for Sadiq Khan have fallen to their lowest levels in his three-year tenure as Mayor of London amid growing concern about crime rates in the capital. Khan has an approval rating of -3, with 30 per cent of Londoners saying they are satisfied with his leadership and 33 per cent dissatisfied, according to [...]
City bigwig Michael Spencer blasts ‘politically motivated’ regulators July 28, 2019 City grandee Michael Spencer has launched a scathing attack on “politically motivated” regulators after his firm successfully challenged a €15m (£13.5m) fine over the Libor rate-rigging scandal. The former Tory party treasurer urged banks to stand up to regulators after his brokerage firm Icap won its court battle against the European Commission earlier this month. [...]