BT in talks with Oneweb over satellite broadband rollout February 2, 2021 BT is in discussions over the potential use of Oneweb satellites to help roll out broadband to the most remote parts of the UK. The telecoms giant is in early stage talks to explore how satellite constellations could be used to beam internet services to rural areas that are too difficult or expensive to reach [...]
Gimme belters: Music rights firm Round Hill snaps up Rolling Stones and Beatles tracks February 2, 2021 Round Hill has made its first acquisition since floating on the London Stock Exchange, snapping up a catalogue of songs from hit artists such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. The music royalties group splashed out $282m (£206m) on the portfolio, representing 86 per cent of the capital it raised after floating in November. [...]
Alibaba beats revenue forecasts as China crackdown looms February 2, 2021 Alibaba beat revenue expectations for the third quarter as the ecommerce giant continued to benefit from higher demand during the pandemic despite a looming crackdown by Beijing. Total revenue hit 221bn yuan (£25bn) in the last three months of 2020, up 37 per cent year on year. This was driven by record revenue of 195.5bn [...]
Forget the BBC, as Ofcom chair Paul Dacre would get his teeth into tech February 2, 2021 Almost a year after Priti Patel vowed to make Ofcom a regulator with teeth, the government looks poised to appoint Fleet Street Rottweiler Paul Dacre as its new chair. No one could accuse her of underdelivering. For many, Dacre’s political leanings (characterised by some as so far to the right as to be almost horizontal) [...]
Rishi Sunak set to maintain triple tax lock despite Covid-19 deficit February 2, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak is said to have agreed to maintain the Tories’ so-called triple tax lock at next month’s Budget, preventing him from raising income, national insurance or value added tax. The chancellor had come under pressure from Treasury officials to shun the commitment made in the Conservative Party’s 2019 manifesto not to increase rates [...]
Amazon earnings: What to expect amid a record-breaking tech boom February 1, 2021 Amazon enjoyed a stellar 2020, so all eyes will be on the ecommerce giant tomorrow night as it reports earnings for the final quarter of the year. Apple last week kicked off tech earnings season with bumper revenue of $111.4 (£81.5bn) — its best ever quarter, while Facebook also beat expectations. Amazon is also expected [...]
Sadiq Khan: London needs post-war plan for Covid recovery February 1, 2021 A post-war-style programme is needed to breathe life back into London following the Covid-19 pandemic, mayor Sadiq Khan said today. The mayor said the government had to accept that London was the “country’s biggest asset”, adding that “ministers can’t take for granted that once restrictions are lifted things will simply return to normal”. He called [...]
George Osborne takes up full-time banking role at Robey Warshaw February 1, 2021 George Osborne is joining boutique investment bank Robey Warshaw, as he shuns a portfolio of wide-ranging roles to become a full-time mergers and acquisitions banker. The former chancellor will step down from his current roles as editor-in-chief of the Evening Standard and a senior advisor to Blackrock at the end of March, taking up a [...]
WPP signs early access advertising deal with Tiktok February 1, 2021 WPP has secured an advertising partnership with Tiktok, marking a key step in the holding group’s efforts to cash in on the wildly popular video app. The tie-up will give WPP’s clients early access to Tiktok’s new advertising services while they are under development, which the ad giant said will ensure they remain “at the [...]
Prince Harry wins ‘substantial damages’ and apology over Mail article February 1, 2021 Prince Harry has been awarded “substantial damages” and an apology over a Mail on Sunday article that claimed he had turned his back on the military after stepping down as a senior royal. The Duke of Sussex sued Associated Newspapers, part of DMGT, for libel over two articles published in October that said he had [...]
