BBC equal pay cases cost taxpayer £1m in legal fees January 22, 2021 MPs have hit out at the BBC over revelations the broadcaster spent more than £1m of taxpayer money on legal fees fighting equal pay and race discrimination cases against its own staff. In a letter to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee, published today, the BBC said it had forked out £1.1m between July [...]
Glastonbury Festival cancelled for second year running due to coronavirus January 21, 2021 Glastonbury has been cancelled for the second year running due to the coronavirus pandemic, organisers confirmed today. The iconic music festival was scrapped last year due to the outbreak of Covid-19, with tickets automatically rolled over to 2021. But this year’s event will also not go ahead due to continued restrictions in place to halt [...]
Hipgnosis adds Metallica and Michael Buble rights as it launches share sale January 21, 2021 Music royalties fund Hipgnosis has acquired the producer rights to a string of tracks by Metallica and Michael Buble as it announced a new share issue to help fund its non-stop buying spree. The London-listed firm has acquired 100 per cent of a catalogue of songs made by Canadian record producer and mixer Bob Rock. [...]
Outgoing Trump official warns of China telecoms threat January 21, 2021 A top official in the departing Trump administration has issued a stark warning over the threat of Chinese espionage to US telecoms networks and internet freedom. Ajit Pai, who stepped down as chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this week, said Beijing-backed spying was the biggest threat to national security facing regulators over the [...]
Ten Entertainment revenue slumps amid Covid ‘confusion’ January 21, 2021 Bowling alley chain Ten Entertainment today forecast a sharp decline in revenue for the full year as coronavirus lockdowns and confusion over changing restrictions battered sales. The London-listed firm said it expected total sales to fall 60 per cent to £36.3m in 2020 after its venues were forced to close for roughly half the year. [...]
Hipgnosis boss: Music industry at risk from ‘gluttonous’ record labels January 21, 2021 The music industry is under threat from “gluttonous” record labels taking royalties away from artists and songwriters, the boss of music investment firm Hipgnosis has said. Merck Mercuriadis accused the major record companies of “trying to take everything for themselves”, warning that some artists were unable to survive off royalty income as a result. “The [...]
UK marketing budgets slump as Covid impact lingers January 21, 2021 UK marketing budgets continued their sharp decline in the fourth quarter as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the economy. Advertising spend suffered a record drop last year, with the sharpest fall reported in the wake of the first nationwide lockdown in the second quarter. While activity has picked up from lows earlier [...]
Biden mulls creation of competition tsar amid tech probes January 20, 2021 The administration of incoming US President Joe Biden is said to be mulling the creation of a new White House role focused on competition issues amid a string of probes into tech giants. The Biden administration is still weighing up the role, which could be based in the White House or focus on coordinating actions [...]
EU chief Von der Leyen calls for ‘democratic limits’ to Big Tech power January 20, 2021 European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen has called for a crackdown on the “untrammelled” power of tech giants following violent riots at the Capitol earlier this month. In a speech marking the inauguration of Joe Biden, Von der Leyen welcomed the new US president, adding: “After four long years, Europe has a friend in [...]
Teacher’s pet: Pearson shares lead the FTSE gainers after return to sales growth January 20, 2021 Teacher's pet: Pearson shares lead the FTSE gainers after return to sales growth
