BP plans UK’s largest hydrogen plant in Teesside March 18, 2021 Energy giant BP today said it aims to build Britain’s largest hydrogen plant by 2030 as part of the UK’s push to boost fuel use and cut greenhouse gas emissions. The Teesside plant in northern England will have capacity of up to 1GW of so-called blue hydrogen, a fifth of Britain’s 5GW target for the [...]
Ofcom gives BT green light to charge more for full-fibre broadband March 18, 2021 Ofcom has given BT the green light to continue charging higher prices for its full-fibre broadband services in a bid to encourage investment in the network across the UK. The media watchdog today said BT’s Openreach will be free from price caps on its wholesale offering for at least a decade. The long-awaited announcement forms [...]
Why the Premier League TV rights bubble really might be about to burst this time March 18, 2021 The Premier League TV rights for 2022 to 2025 will go under the hammer in the next few months. The outcome of that process could put the competition’s very existence at risk. In 2018, the UK segment of the Premier League TV rights sold for £4.5bn, down from a £5.1bn high in 2015. The rights [...]
Ofcom allows BT pricing flexibility to encourage fibre broadband rollout March 18, 2021 Communications watchdog Ofcom said this morning it will create new conditions for telecom giant BT to make significant investments in nationwide full-fiber broadband by allowing the company pricing flexibility for its fastest services. “We aim to allow all companies the opportunity to achieve a fair return over their whole investment period, and do not expect [...]
Deep Verge shares jump on upbeat 60-second Covid breath test trials March 17, 2021 Shares in Deep Verge jumped today after the science tech firm revealed upbeat data from clinical trials of its rapid Covid breath test. The London-listed firm hailed a “major milestone” after initial results from phase three clinical studies showed its test could recognise Covid infections in under 60 seconds. While the company is still awaiting [...]
BT and Vodafone shares rise on cut-price 5G spectrum auction March 17, 2021 Shares in BT and Vodafone pushed higher today after the mobile networks secured bargain deals in the latest auction of 5G airwaves. Regulator Ofcom this morning said that it had raised £1.4bn from the sale of additional capacity to support 5G mobile coverage. The figure was well below analyst forecasts, leaving the telcos with more [...]
City Moves: Who is switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? March 17, 2021 Snakes and Ladders provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. IoD appoints new chair The Institute of Directors (IoD) has appointed a new chair after a thorough search process, who will step into the role next Monday. Patrick Macdonald is set to take [...]
FTSE slips ahead of US Fed meeting March 17, 2021 The FTSE 100 dipped slightly this morning as investors awaited the outcome of the US Federal Reserve’s policy meeting for signs about upcoming interest rates. London’s blue-chip index opened 0.25 per cent down, with mining stocks including Rio Tinto, Anglo American, Evraz and BHP Group falling between 0.5 per cent and 2 per cent. BT [...]
E-commerce firm Bango sees profit soar in online lockdown boom March 16, 2021 Data-driven commerce company Bango saw revenue and profit soar last year as the group celebrated a boom in online payments during the pandemic. Revenue at the company rocketed 70 per cent to £12.2m last year as it inked new deals with Google and Amazon — up from £7.2m the year before. Bango also recovered from a [...]
Screenshot: Does the UK media have a racism problem? March 12, 2021 This week: **Media Moment of the Week: GMB gets a new frontman **Does the UK media have a racism problem? **Deliveroo’s IPO giveaway; BT gets in a bind Media Moment of the Week: GMB gets a new frontman What a week it’s been for ITV. In the space of 24 hours it racked up bumper [...]