Sky Sports attracts record viewing figures for second time in two months December 8, 2020 Sky Sports has thrived during the second national lockdown, breaking its audience records for the second time in two months. Sunday 29 November saw an average of 1.17m viewers and a peak of 4m tune in to the Sky Sports portfolio of channels. Drawing the record audience were a triple header of live football that [...]
Banning betting companies from sport sponsorship will create a huge void that may never be filled December 7, 2020 A few months ago, football club Swansea City announced its university namesake as its new shirt sponsor and thereby broke ties with a betting company. They may be just the first of many football clubs to break away from gambling and, like Swansea City, they will take a financial hit from the switch. This year’s [...]
Are supermarkets right to return their business rates relief to the Treasury? December 7, 2020 Are the big supermarkets right to return their business rates relief to the Treasury? Josh Williams, speechwriter and managing director at The Draft, says YES. Doing well in a crisis is a risky business. There is a thin line between those who turn a profit and those who profiteer. The supermarkets have had a good [...]
Trevor Steven: Born again Tottenham are genuine Premier League title contenders December 4, 2020 As Tottenham prepare to host Arsenal this weekend, the north London rivals could hardly be in more contrasting form. Spurs sit top of the Premier League after 10 games, 13 places above their neigbhbours, so the momentum is firmly with them. And I put that down to three main factors: Harry Kane, Gareth Bale and [...]
Successful Indian Premier League 2020 underlines that competition remains king December 3, 2020 Cricket’s Indian Premier League ended with the Mumbai Indians beating the Delhi Capitals in a rather one-sided and lacklustre final last month. Yet while the showpiece event failed to deliver, it couldn’t take the gloss off a remarkably successful tournament in the UAE. Uday Shankar, president of Disney Asia Pacific, which owns broadcaster Star Sports, [...]
Premier League agrees £250m bailout package to help EFL clubs survive pandemic December 3, 2020 The Premier League has agreed a £250m bailout for struggling clubs outside the top division. The aid package for the English Football League (EFL) includes £50m in grants for teams in Leagues One and Two. A further £200m in interest-free loans will be made available to clubs in the Championship. The long-awaited deal to mitigate [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Yashenkov makes fan pledge ahead of election; global golf tour moves step closer; and Cazoo trumpets Hundred deal December 3, 2020 It’s a big weekend for rugby in Europe, and not just because of the final round of Autumn Nations Cup fixtures. On Friday, Russian challenger Kirill Yashenkov is hoping to topple incumbent Octavian Morariu and be named president of Rugby Europe. Yashenkov has vowed to double the organisation’s budget and create more opportunities for elite [...]
Chris Tremlett: England and Dawid Malan soar to new heights in T20 series whitewash of South Africa December 2, 2020 England, inspired by Dawid Malan in phenomenal form, overpowered South Africa in the Twenty20 series that finished yesterday. As expected, they looked a class above the hosts and used all of their experience to overpower them with their batting. South Africa weren’t bad at all and showed fight, but it was a comprehensive 3-0 victory [...]
Square Mile comes back to life as second lockdown ends December 2, 2020 As London emerges from the second lockdown there are tentative signs that life is returning to the City. London today entered Tier 2, representing a slight easing of lockdown restrictions, just as news of the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine approval landed in the Square Mile. City leaders breathe a sigh of relief Gyms, barbers and beauty salons [...]
From today London is in Tier 2: Do you know all the new rules? December 2, 2020 The covid-19 restrictions have been strengthened since before the lockdown, so what are the new rules for work, home and socialising now that London's in Tier 2