BT defends £897m deal for Champions League rights November 11, 2013 THE BATTLE between Sky and BT for dominance in televised sport came to a head this weekend with the surprise announcement that Champions League matches will be shown exclusively on BT Sport from 2015 as part of a £900m investment by the telecoms giant. New chief executive Gavin Patterson defended the huge price tag, more [...]
Bottom Line: The war between BT and Sky gets vicious November 11, 2013 WHEN you move, fall like a thunderbolt.” BT’s new chief executive Gavin Patterson has clearly been reading his Sun Tzu. BT’s massive bid for Champions League broadcast rights came out of the blue, scoring a key victory in its war with BSkyB for TV sports dominance. But the best generals have to consider if the [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 08 November 2013 November 7, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Currencies probe shifts to the US A global probe into alleged manipulation of the multibillion-dollar currencies market has widened its focus to include the US, with Barclays putting three New York-based traders on leave. They included foreign exchange spot traders Russell Katz and Jerry Urwin, two of these people said. Mr Katz and [...]
AA wins licence to enter legal services sector November 6, 2013 THE AA has become the latest company to enter the legal market after being granted an alternative business structure (ABS) licence. The motoring services giant announced today it has won approval from the Solicitors Regulation Authority to operate its own legal services arm, AA Law. The new business, a joint venture with solicitors Lyons Davidson, [...]
Virgin Media boosts Tivo users after deal for BT’s sport channels November 5, 2013 NEARLY half of Virgin Media’s customers are now using Tivo, with hundreds of thousands signing up to the service in the past year, according to the company’s first results as part of Liberty Global. The telecoms giant has added 679,000 new subscribers to the service since the third quarter last year, and 165,000 between July [...]
AA wins licence to enter legal services sector November 4, 2013 THE AA has become the latest company to enter the legal market after being granted an alternative business structure (ABS) licence. The motoring services giant announced today it has won approval from the Solicitors Regulation Authority to operate its own legal services arm, AA Law. The new business, a joint venture with solicitors Lyons Davidson, [...]
Sky high costs expected as key football bid due November 4, 2013 EUROPEAN Champions League television rights could be a case of winner-takes-all between rival bidders BT, Sky and ITV, according to analysts. Bids for the prized football broadcast rights from 2015-18 are due to be filed today, and the bidding could be the most competitive, and expensive, ever. “We believe Sky could go for complete exclusivity, [...]
BT is accused of making £5bn in excess profits November 4, 2013 VODAFONE and TalkTalk will hit out at BT and Ofcom today, accusing the regulator of being asleep on the job while BT’s stranglehold on Britain’s digital infrastructure has allowed it to make £5bn in excess profits over the past eight years. BT called the report “ludicrous” and disputed the accusation that it had made profits [...]
BT Sport scores strong result in battle with Sky October 31, 2013 BT DECLARED its £1bn investment in sports a huge success yesterday, as the company stemmed customer losses for the quarter and enticed the majority of new broadband customers to sign up its new service. “BT Sport has made a confident start and is already delivering for viewers,” said chief executive Gavin Patterson. The investment in [...]
Analyst Views: What did you make of BT’s second quarter financial results? October 31, 2013 JERRY DELLIS | JEFFERIESUnchanged outlook suggests new chief executive plans an evolutionary approach. Early impact from BT Sport is encouraging. Consumer line loss reduced more sharply than expected, retail broadband net adds nearly double the second quarter last year. ROBIN BIENENSTOCK | BERNSTEINThese are the first set of results presided over by new chief executive [...]