AT&T denies reports it is exploring sale of Game of Thrones producer HBO Europe April 10, 2019 US telecoms giant AT&T has denied reports it is exploring the sale of HBO’s European division in a bid to slash its $170bn (£130bn) debt pile. A Financial Times report stated executives have held internal discussions over the possible sale of HBO Europe, which produces hit TV series Game of Thrones, but have not yet held meetings with potential [...]
Warner Bros files copyright complaint against Trump’s Dark Knight Rises re-election tweet April 10, 2019 Warner Brothers is taking legal action against US President Donald Trump after he posted a video on Twitter that used music from The Dark Knight Rises. Read more: Mueller report to be released 'within a week' Trump yesterday posted the two-minute promotional video, seemingly as part of his 2020 re-election campaign, accompanied by the caption “MAKE [...]
Crowdsourcing platform Limitless secures £5m in series A funding April 10, 2019 Brand ambassador platform Limitless Technology has secured £5m in funding as it looks to develop its machine learning technology. The company, which uses crowdsourcing to help businesses turn their customers into brand ambassadors, said it has bagged the funds in a series A round led by Albion VC. Read more: Grab looks to raise further $2bn [...]
Lastminute.com launches marketing firm Forward to boost in-housing April 10, 2019 Online travel site lLastminute.com has launched a new media company called Forward as it looks to expand its marketing business. Forward will bring together the company’s existing Travel People marketing service with Playbook, a new consultancy firm. Read more: UK's biggest travel booking app Trainline considers £1bn flotation The holiday booking site said Playbook will [...]
Lush ditches social media amid switch to influencer marketing April 9, 2019 Cosmetics retailer Lush is cutting down its social media presence in a bid to encourage one-to-one contact with its customers. The soap specialist has revealed its plan to “switch up social”, saying from next week it will interact with punters over live chat on or its website, or by email or phone. Read more: Social [...]
Music rights firm One Media IP sees profits soar as it cashes in on streaming April 9, 2019 Shares in music rights company One Media IP jumped as much as 15 per cent this morning after it reported a huge rise in profits for the full year. One Media posted a 16 per cent rise in revenue to £2.7m in the year to the end of October, while pre-tax profit soared 63 per [...]
British American Tobacco calls in headhunters as chairman prepares to step down April 9, 2019 The chairman of British American Tobacco (BAT) is set to step down as changes to financial regulations mean he can no longer serve on the board. Richard Burrows, who has chaired the firm since 2009, is the latest victim of new City rules meaning directors can no longer be considered independent after nine years. Read [...]
Gizmodo and The Onion snapped up by private equity firm Great Hill Partners April 8, 2019 US private equity firm Great Hill Partners has snapped up Gizmodo Media Group and The Onion from Spanish-language media giant Univision for an undisclosed sum. The newly-formed group, which will be renamed G/O Media, will be led by media veteran Jim Spanfeller, who previously served as chief executive of Forbes. Read more: Google hands out [...]
EU pips Google to the post as it unveils AI ethics strategy April 8, 2019 The EU has outlined its guidelines for ethical AI development just days after Google was forced to scrap its controversial ethics board. The European Commission today unveiled its recommended steps for achieving “trustworthy” AI as it looks to set up a framework to ensure the new technology is used responsibly. Read more: Google scraps AI [...]
Grab eyes $2bn more funding this year as it looks to create ‘app for everything’ April 8, 2019 Softbank-backed startup Grab is hoping to raise another $2bn (£1.5bn) in funding this year as it embarks on an aggressive expansion plan. The Singapore-based ride-hailing app has already raised $4.5bn in a fundraising round led by Japanese investment giant Softbank. Read more: Lyft takes a wrong turn as shares fall below float price But chief [...]
