Former No 10 spin doctor Robbie Gibb joins BBC board April 29, 2021 Sir Robbie Gibb, a former Downing Street head of communications, has been appointed to the board of the BBC. Gibb will take up a three-year term as nations director for England on the board, which is responsible for ensuring the BBC fulfils its mission and public purposes. The spin doctor, who served under Theresa May [...]
UFC owner Endeavor hits $11.6bn valuation on stock market debut April 29, 2021 Talent agency group and UFC owner Endeavor has secured a valuation of $11.6bn (£8.3bn) after taking its second shot at floating on the stock market today. The company, which was founded by Hollywood mogul Ari Emanuel, opened at $27 on the New York Stock Exchange, 12.5 per cent its offer price of $24. Emanuel founded [...]
Sky owner Comcast beats forecasts on pandemic broadband boost April 29, 2021 Comcast today posted better-than-expected revenue for the first quarter after cashing in on higher demand for its broadband services during the pandemic. The US media giant booked a two per cent rise in revenue to $27.2bn (£19.5bn) in the first three months of the year, ahead of analyst forecasts of $26.7bn. The upbeat figures came [...]
Secretive billionaire Kenneth Dart builds £5bn stakes in Big Tobacco April 29, 2021 A reclusive billionaire known for so-called vulture fund investments has built stakes worth nearly £5bn in two of the world’s largest tobacco companies. Cayman Islands-based Kenneth Dart, who is heir to a US foam cups empire, has built a seven per cent stake in British American Tobacco and snapped up three per cent of rival [...]
Martin Sorrell blasts ‘petty’ WPP after share awards cut over leak claims April 29, 2021 Sir Martin Sorrell has become embroiled in a bitter row with WPP after his former company cut his share awards over accusations he leaked confidential information to the media. In its annual report published today, the advertising behemoth said the five-year payout for 2016 and 2017 awarded to Sorrell would lapse. The FTSE 100 group [...]
Number of Brits on furlough falls by 1m as lockdown eases April 29, 2021 The number of UK workers on furlough fell by more than 1m this month following the first easing of Covid-19 lockdown measures. Official figures published today showed the proportion of the workforce on furlough dropped from 17 per cent to 13 per cent as of 18 April. This equates to roughly 4.3m workers on furlough [...]
Jon Snow to leave Channel 4 News after 32 years April 29, 2021 Jon Snow is stepping down as a Channel 4 News presenter after more than three decades at the helm. The veteran broadcaster, who is the longest-serving presenter on the channel’s flagship news programme, will leave his role at the end of the year. Snow will continue to work with Channel 4 in 2022, fronting long-form [...]
Exclusive: Scrapping paper documents could boost UK trade by £25bn April 29, 2021 Digitising business and removing tens of millions of paper documents would boost small British businesses’ overseas trade by £25bn over the next four years, according to new research. A report by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), seen by City A.M., argued that UK firms were trapped in the “bureaucracies of the 16th century” and [...]
Brand London: How will the capital change after Covid and Brexit? April 29, 2021 As the UK gradually emerges from lockdown, the deserted streets of London are beginning to show hints of their former vibrancy. But a return to normality will be far from straightforward. Not only has London been left reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic, it is still working through the fallout from Brexit, which has sparked a [...]
UK advertising sector on track for strongest global recovery April 29, 2021 The UK advertising sector is on track to achieve the strongest recovery of any major global market this year as the vaccine rollout fuels improved confidence among brands. Ad spend is forecast to grow 15.2 per cent this year to £27bn, clawing back the £1.8bn decline suffered during the pandemic in 2020. Further improvement is [...]
