ITV warns on ‘challenging’ ad market as pandemic hits profit March 9, 2021 ITV today warned that the advertising market remained “challenging” as it reported sharp falls in revenue and profit due to the impact of the pandemic. The London-listed firm, which last night aired Oprah Winfrey’s eagerly-awaited interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, posted a 16 per cent drop in total revenue to £2.8bn in 2020. [...]
For the continued growth of esports, local and accessible venues are key March 9, 2021 In the summer of 2020, a monumental deal for the wider esports space was announced, and whilst it made some noise in financial, esports and gaming circles, it went by largely without much fanfare. The acquisition of Belong by GAME by esports infrastructure company Vindex, and the associated news that the US-based firm plans to [...]
Technology on stage: How becoming bionic will boost my acting career March 9, 2021 We are often told how brand-new technology is changing humanity, but we rarely hear enough about how it is impacting individual humans. In December 2020 I joined a unique club of individuals who have been fitted with a 3D-printed bionic arm. The robotic arm is designed and manufactured by Bristol-based Open Bionics and mine was [...]
We need a humanitarian vision for AI and robotics March 9, 2021 Robotics and artificial intelligence are beginning to transform a broad spectrum of industries, and I believe that in time, given its near-endless applications, omnipresent AI will contribute $150 trillion to the global economy. I also believe that humanitarian efforts all over the world will be greatly advanced by emerging artificial intelligence and robotics technologies as [...]
Bitcoin highlights the opportunity for sustainable data processing March 9, 2021 The price of Bitcoin is not the only thing that is surging. According to an analysis by Cambridge University and reported on by BBC News, the computer processing power that is now required to “mine” the cryptocurrency is 126.35 terawatt-hours each year. Or put another way: if Bitcoin was a country, it would be in [...]
Impact-Weighted Accounting: the missing ingredient? March 9, 2021 Sustainable investment capital increasingly demands evidence that positive impact is produced alongside positive financial return. Once adopted by investors, transparent impact metrics will initiate a rotation in portfolios that moves them away from ‘impact negative’ and toward ‘impact positive’ investments. This impact-driven rotation should produce environmental, social and governance (ESG) Alpha for investors. Impact is [...]
Goldman Sachs-owned Japanese renewables firm up for sale March 9, 2021 Japanese renewables group JRE has been put up for sale by its owners, in a deal expected to draw interest from European firms eager to enter the country’s green power market. Japan Renewable Energy Corporation (JRE) is co-owned by Goldman Sachs and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, which took an undisclosed stake in 2017. Interest [...]
IWG swings to £650m loss but sounds optimistic note on future of offices March 9, 2021 Office space provider IWG swung to a £650.2m loss last year due to the impact of coronavirus on working habits, it announced this morning. Revenue fell from £2.65bn to £2.48bn and the company posted a loss of more than half a billion pounds, down from profit after tax of £77.3m in 2019. It reported a [...]
Cairn Energy to sell interests in North Sea oil fields for $460m March 9, 2021 Cairn Energy has agreed to sell its interests in the UK Catcher and Kraken oil fields in the North Sea. Waldorf Production Ltd will acquire the interests for $460m in cash, the company said on Tuesday. Cairn said both oil fields are now entering into a natural decline phase and the sale will help it [...]
WH Smith reduces cash burn after beating lockdown trading expectations March 9, 2021 WH Smith said this morning reduced its monthly cash burn forecasts, saying its trading performance had beaten its expectations during lockdown. The firm reported to stronger than forecast revenue across its high street stores and “significant” online growth. The newsagent chain said revenue in its high street business in January 2021 reached 74 per cent [...]
