UK nightlife ‘faces extinction’ without government support February 18, 2021 The UK’s nightlife scene is at risk of extinction without urgent financial support, the government has been warned. A group of 40 cross-party MPs today urged the prime minister and chancellor Rishi Sunak to bring forward a sector-specific grant package and lay out a detailed roadmap for reopening venues to avoid “irreversible losses” for businesses. [...]
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp strikes news partnership deal with Google February 17, 2021 Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp has inked a three-year deal with Google that will see the US tech giant pay to use the publisher’s news content. New Corp, which owns titles such as the Times, the Sun and the Wall Street Journal, said it will provide “trusted journalism from its news sites around the world in [...]
Live events could drive UK’s mass Covid testing push, says UK Music boss February 17, 2021 The live events sector could be a key driver of the government’s plans to launch a mass Covid testing blitz in England as lockdown is lifted, the chief executive of UK Music has said. Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, a former aide to health secretary Matt Hancock, said widespread testing using lateral flow tests “has huge potential to [...]
Epic Games files EU competition complaint against Apple February 17, 2021 Fortnite maker Epic Games has filed an EU antitrust complaint against Apple, ratcheting up its battle with the tech giant over app store payments. The two companies have been locked in a dispute since August, when Epic launched its own in-app payment system in a bid to sidestep Apple’s 30 per cent commission on some [...]
Champions League highlights to be screened on London advertising billboards February 17, 2021 Londoners will be able to enjoy highlights from UEFA Champions League matches on digital advertising billboards thanks to a new tie-up between Ocean Outdoor and BT Sport. The deal will see Ocean, which operates major advertising sites including Piccadilly Lights, screen next-day match clips from the last 16 fixtures of the tournament through to the [...]
Rio Tinto to pay record $6.5bn dividend after ‘robust’ year February 17, 2021 Rio Tinto will pay out a record $6.5bn (£4.7bn) dividend to investors as it hailed “robust” results despite the Covid-19 pandemic. The FTSE-listed mining giant said it will pay a final dividend of $3.09 per share and a special dividend of $0.93 per share. Combined with its half-year dividend, this takes the total payout for [...]
Ocean Outdoor swings to loss as pandemic batters advertising sector February 16, 2021 Billboard operator Ocean Outdoor today said it expects to post a loss in 2020 after repeated coronavirus lockdowns devastated the advertising sector. The digital ad firm, which operates sites including Piccadilly Lights, forecast adjusted earnings to fall from £33m to a loss of £400,000. Revenue is expected to drop 38 per cent to £86m. It [...]
Competition watchdog raises concerns over £6.5bn Gumtree takeover February 16, 2021 The competition watchdog has raised concerns over the £6.5bn takeover of Gumtree by Norwegian rival Adevinta, warning it could push up prices and reduce choice for consumers. In July Adevinta struck a cash and stock deal with Ebay that would create the world’s largest online classified ads business. The merger would bring together advertising platforms [...]
Glencore reinstates dividend after slimming down debt February 16, 2021 Glencore today said it will reinstate its dividend for the full year after improved second-half trading helped the mining giant trim its debt pile. The London-listed firm, which last year slashed its dividend in a bid to reduce debt, has proposed a payout of $1.6bn (£1.1bn) for 2020, or $0.12 per share. It follows an [...]
Advisory firm Teneo moves in on Deloitte’s restructuring arm February 13, 2021 Deloitte is said to be preparing a sale of its restructuring arm to PR and advisory giant Teneo, marking a further shake-up of Britain’s Big Four audit firms. Teneo, which is backed by private equity group CVC Capital Partners, is in advanced talks to snap up the Deloitte unit that specialises in business insolvencies, Sky [...]
