Why piracy means the sports broadcasting rights bubble is ‘about to burst’ October 8, 2019 The value of sports broadcast rights is on the verge of collapse due to rampant piracy, the head of the world’s largest investor in managed rights has warned. Yousef Al-Obaidly, chief executive of Qatari media network beIN, said the “glorious media rights bubble” was set to burst due to the large-scale piracy of sports competitions [...]
Cellnex snaps up Arqiva’s telecoms division in £2bn deal October 8, 2019 Spanish infrastructure firm Cellnex has agreed to buy the telecoms division of British rival Arqiva for £2bn, making it the largest independent operator of mobile masts in the UK. The deal will add roughly 7,400 sites to Cellnex’s portfolio, as well as the rights to market roughly 900 additional sites across the UK serving all [...]
BT scores sponsorship deal with home nations football teams October 8, 2019 BT has signed a five-year deal to sponsor all four home nations teams as it bolsters its marketing ties with English football. The telecoms giant has netted a series of deals to become the exclusive lead partner of all four teams until 2024, while its newly-revamped logo will appear on the teams’ training kits from [...]
Openreach shelves board overhaul amid concerns over BT links October 6, 2019 Openreach is said to have shelved plans to overhaul its board amid concerns the move would erode its independence from BT. Read more: Ofcom gets the green light for new Openreach broadband regulation The telecoms network business, which was spun off from BT last year, has been looking to appoint BT’s strategy chief Michael Sherman [...]
Premier League appoints Guardian boss as new chief executive October 2, 2019 The Premier League has appointed David Pemsel, head of Guardian Media Group (GMG), as its new chief executive. Pemsel’s candidacy was approved unanimously by Premier League shareholders at a special meeting held today. His appointment follows a 14-month search to fill the position after the departure of former head Richard Scudamore. Read more: Crystal Palace [...]
Boris Johnson set to unveil £5bn full-fibre broadband boost September 29, 2019 Boris Johnson is said to be preparing a subsidy of up to £5bn in a much-needed boost for his plans to roll out full-fibre broadband across the UK by 2025. The Prime Minister could unveil the fresh funding at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester this week, the Sunday Telegraph reported, citing industry and Westminster [...]
Broadband firms pledge to cut prices after Ofcom review September 25, 2019 Major UK broadband providers have pledged to cut prices for out-of-contract customers after Ofcom carried out a review into the market. Sky, BT and Talktalk have all agreed to allow customers whose initial contracts have ended to get the same deals as new customers when they renew their contracts. Read more: BT leads push for [...]
Sterling rises as Supreme Court scuppers Boris Johnson’s Brexit plans September 24, 2019 Sterling has risen around half a cent against the dollar after the Supreme Court ruled that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s move to prorogue parliament was unlawful. GBP rose to $1.2487 after Lady Hale announced the 11 justices’ unanimous decision that “parliament is not prorogued”. Read more: Bercow recalls MPs as Supreme Court rules parliament suspension [...]
BT lines up Champions League bid as it looks to retain lucrative rights September 22, 2019 BT is gearing up to defend its control of Champions League TV rights as the telecoms giant cashes in on price rises in its broadcast division. BT Sport paid £1.2bn in 2017 to secure exclusive rights to Champions League and Europa League matches for three seasons, cementing its control of European football coverage. Read more: [...]
Travelex fraudster who stole £70,000 faces sentencing September 19, 2019 A Travelex employee who stole more than £70,000 from one of the firm’s currency exchange bureaus will today be sentenced for fraud. Dubravko Kuftinec, 52, fraudulently stole £72,186 from Travelex’s Fleet Street branch inside the Goldman Sachs building. Read more: BT’s Italian accounting fraud linked to London, investigation reveals He had been working at the [...]