Businesses are bracing for trans policy rewrites April 30, 2025 Campaigners and watchdogs say the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on trans inclusion in the Equality Act brought clarity. But for bosses, the topic is likely to become even more of a minefield, says Ali Lyon. Ever since her appointment as chair of the UK’s human rights watchdog in 2020, Baroness Falkner has been convinced that [...]
TNT Sports loses almost £190m since BT Sport rebrand April 25, 2025 TNT Sports, the broadcasting giant co-owned by BT and Warner Bros Discovery, lost almost £190m during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The business, which rebranded from BT Sport in 2023, has posted a pre-tax loss of £187.5m for the 12 months to 31 July, 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House show. [...]
Weak dollar restricting market rebound, say Barclays analysts April 16, 2025 A weakened dollar may prohibit the full recovery of global markets, analysts have warned, as investors continue to suffer the fallout from the Trump tariff mayhem. The DXY index, which tracks the dollar’s value against a basket of currencies, sank to its lowest in three years during Monday trading. This came after markets plunged following [...]
ECB facing pressure to drop prices in Hundred franchise sale April 2, 2025 The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) could be asked to accept less than the £520m offered by new investors for 49 per cent of the eight Hundred franchises if they refuse to hand over control of the competition’s next television contract, which will begin in 2028. The ECB wants to continue its successful policy [...]
Three’s ‘best value’ ads probe cleared after Vodafone complaint April 2, 2025 The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled in favour of Three UK, rejecting Vodafone’s challenge that the mobile operator’s ads for its iPhone 16 Pro deal were misleading. Vodafone had argued that the telecom rival’s claim of offering ‘The UK’s best value unlimited iPhone deal’ could mislead consumers into thinking it was based on more [...]
Eat, drink, sleep, repeat: London’s best dog-friendly restaurants March 26, 2025 Last week Franco Manca announced that they have become ‘dog friendly’. This a welcome turnaround for the restaurant group that turned away a guide dog from one of their venues in 2018. Fortunately, this shameful incident led to my meeting with Dave Kent, the blind gentleman who required his trusty friend Chad to lead him [...]
Premiership Rugby pundit Brian O’Driscoll under fire by Irish competition watchdog March 25, 2025 Premiership Rugby pundit Brian O'Driscoll is under notice by the Irish competition watchdog over a “misleading” social media post
Sky, BT, IMG, ITV and BBC: Broadcasters caught in freelancer pay fixing scandal March 21, 2025 The UK’s sports broadcaster heavyweights have been fined for unlawfully colluding to fix freelancer pay rates, leading to over £4m in penalties. BT, IMG, ITV and the BBC have all admitted to illegally sharing sensitive payment information and details to suppress wages for production staff. Sky, which also participated, avoided a financial penalty by reporting [...]
Fast broadband ‘revolution’ in final phase, Ofcom says March 20, 2025 The roll-out of ultrafast broadband across the UK is in its “final phase” and could reach nearly all homes by 2027, Ofcom has said. The industry regulator said data it had compiled from telecoms firms indicated 96 per cent homes and businesses would have access to full-fibre by 2027 with the right investment and regulation. [...]
Indian billionaire mulls expanding BT stake March 18, 2025 Indian telecoms billionaire Sunil Bharti Mittal is reportedly considering boosting his stake in BT, according to a report in the Financial Times. Mittal already holds a 24.5 per cent stake in BT, which he bought from Luxembourg-based telecoms giant Altice – previously owned by Patrick Drahi. The expanded stake would continue to be held through [...]