Why the government should take outsourcing a radical step further August 17, 2015 Government raids on the methodology of business are commonplace. Some are more successful than others. But as the challenge of George Osborne’s edict to contemplate departmental cuts of as much as 40 per cent sinks in, the search will intensify. As I sat recently in the splendidly refurbished BT Tower – a guest of [...]
FTSE levels out on better news from Beijing – London Report August 14, 2015 BRITAIN’S top index ended flat yesterday as easing concerns over China’s economy helped to offset the impact of falling oil prices and a large number of ex-dividend companies. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed down 2.86 points – effectively flat in percentage terms – at 6,568.33, trimming the gains seen earlier in the session and [...]
Xherdan Shaqiri: Stoke transfer is just latest in European exodus to Premier League’s middle class August 12, 2015 Leading players are increasingly quitting top continental clubs to play for some of the Premier League’s least glamorous outfits as England’s top-flight middle-class flexes its new-found financial muscle. Graphic by Chris Parmenter Stoke’s £12m capture of Switzerland star Xherdan Shaqiri from 18-time Italian champions Inter yesterday is just the latest example of the trend, which [...]
BT and Sky square up in battle to win over Premier League football fans August 12, 2015 The new Premier League season has kicked off to the usual fanfare, but another battle is raging off the pitch, between rival broadcasters Sky and BT. Both companies have launched high profile advertising campaigns in order to win over new subscribers. Sky Sports has opted for a nostalgic look back at seasons gone by, integrating [...]
Freesat unveils 200 pc boost to Freetime customers August 6, 2015 Subscription-free satellite TV service Freesat boosted subscribers to its Freetime TV service by 200 per cent in the first half of this year, it said this morning The figures In results posted this morning the company said sales of its Freetime service grew 48 per cent year-on-year in the first six months of the year, with [...]
Windfall due next year but clubs can’t wait to spend their billions August 6, 2015 PREMIER League clubs are ramping up their spending this summer in anticipation of the television cash bonanza on the horizon next year, according to a new survey. The findings, from accountants BDO’s annual survey of financial directors at English football clubs, comes after it emerged this week that spending by top-flight sides in this transfer [...]
World Economic Forum Tech Pioneers: Transferwise and Mike Lynch’s Darktrace among four UK firms chosen August 5, 2015 Four UK companies have been named among the most pioneering tech companies in the world by the World Economic Forum (WEF), following in the footsteps of Google and Twitter. Billion-dollar FinTech startup Transferwise and Mike Lynch's cybersecurity startup Darktrace are two of the high-profile UK companies selected by a panel of judges identifying the startups [...]
Real Madrid and Barcelona head to BT as Sky pulls out of bidding for La Liga TV rights August 1, 2015 BT Sport has struck the latest blow in its battle with Sky Sports for football broadcasting supremacy, as it closes in on securing the rights to Spanish football. Read more: Sky’s costs soar as battle with BT Sport weighs Sky is believed to have pulled out of the bidding process for rights to La Liga fixtures [...]
Strong results push FTSE 100 to one-week high as energy shares rally – London Report July 31, 2015 THE FTSE 100 rose for a third straight day yesterday, with energy shares leading the way as oil prices gained and Royal Dutch Shell rallied after it announced jobs and spending cuts. InterContinental Hotels climbed 4.8 per cent after the Financial Times reported that it had held talks with rival Starwood Hotels on a deal. [...]
BT’s profits rise ahead of sports pay-TV launch July 31, 2015 BT Group yesterday posted a solid rise in first-quarter profits and said it is on track to meet full-year expectations, thanks to strong demand for its superfast fibre broadband and a flurry of customers signing up for its new pay-TV football coverage. The telecoms company pulled in 217,000 new super-fast fibre broadband customers and 60,000 [...]