TalkTalk gains despite falls November 13, 2012 TELECOMS operator TalkTalk said yesterday it expected to reverse a decline in revenue growth in this financial year as it expands its product range and adds more customers onto its own network. Although the company said first-half revenue slipped two per cent to £828m and its broadband customer base fell slightly in the second quarter [...]
Universal movie deal keeps Sky in the front row November 5, 2012 BSKYB has signed an exclusivity deal with the company behind Hollywood giant Universal Studios, maintaining its lead in movie channels as it fends off increasing competition from the likes of Netflix and BT. The renewed agreement with NBCUniversal (NBCU), due to be announced today, allows Sky’s movie channels to screen films including recent hits Anna [...]
BT savings plan offsets blows from recession November 1, 2012 A COST-CUTTING drive boosted BT’s profits in its second quarter, despite regulation and the economic downturn hitting sales. The telecoms giant put the fall in turnover down to “regulation, recession and rain” after a wet summer meant more engineers repairing infrastructure instead of rolling out new services. It also booked an £85m payment due to [...]
Strong corporate results cause the sharpest FTSE jump for four weeks November 1, 2012 B RITAIN’S blue-chip index made its biggest single session gain in four weeks yesterday as a number of firms posted solid results and investors took on fresh bets at the start of a new month. The FTSE 100 index closed up 79.22 points at 5,861.92, a rise of 1.4 per cent, the biggest gain since [...]
FTSE 100 up on earnings boost November 1, 2012 The leading share index was higher in early deals this morning, buoyed by upmarket manufacturing data from China and blue chip earnings. Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Dutch Shell, BT Group, BSkyB and Legal & General all flattered the FTSE 100 in early trading. On the FTSE All-Share, credit card insurer CPP Group continued its rise [...]
Correction October 29, 2012 In our edition on 29 October, City A.M. wrote that ESPN had sold the British TV rights to football leagues including the Italian Serie A, the American MLS and the French Ligue 1 to BT ahead of the launch of BT’s new sports channel. What we should have said is that BT has purchased the [...]
ESPN may shut off TV channel after chief exits October 29, 2012 THE HEAD of ESPN’s European TV operations has quit the broadcaster, in a move that may pave the way for the company to shut down its UK sports channels from next summer. Jeroen Oerlemans, ESPN’s vice president in charge of TV in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has recently stepped down without a successor [...]
Do you think the UK economy is improving? October 24, 2012 ROMANA MURPHY | BT I think the economy has improved in the sense that it is more stable. But I think we have to get used to this being the new reality in terms of not expecting huge growth year-on-year and in terms of people seeking value for money. MATT BERG | SHAREFORCE LTD I [...]
Leading firms support supply chain finance October 23, 2012 LEADING British firms including Tesco, BAE Systems and BT yesterday gave their backing to the government’s “supply chain finance” scheme, which aims to boost working capital for small businesses. David Cameron hosted business leaders at a Downing Street roundtable, where 38 leading firms agreed to actively consider implementing the scheme. Rolls-Royce and Vodafone, who already take [...]
Who’s switching jobs October 23, 2012 BT Dan Fitz has been appointed company secretary of BT Group. He is currently group general counsel, and replaces Andrew Parker. Fitz has also previously served as group general counsel at Misys, and held the same position at Cable & Wireless. BlueBay Asset Management Erich Gerth has been appointed global head of business development at [...]