Flybe infected by aviation sector’s malaise March 6, 2020 As ministerial tweets go, the mid-January proclamation by the business and transport secretaries that Flybe’s future had been salvaged will surely endure as among the most ill-judged of Boris Johnson’s government. Barely 54 days later, Flybe has become just another corporate carcass, joining Monarch and Thomas Cook among the airlines which failed to cope with [...]
Entertainment sales hit £7.8bn as streaming growth continues March 6, 2020 Sales of video, music and games grew 2.4 per cent last year to hit an all-time record of £7.8bn, according to figures published today. The Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) said the rising sales, which mark the seventh consecutive year of growth, was once again driven by the popularity of digital streaming. In 2019 streaming accounted [...]
The Simpsons WILL be on Disney Plus: Here’s the streaming service’s full list of shows March 6, 2020 Springfield super fans breathed a sigh of relief this morning after Disney revealed that The Simpsons will feature on its full list of content. The US media giant sparked outrage last month when the cartoon classic was omitted from an initial list of titles for its upcoming streaming service in the UK. But Disney today [...]
Flybe collapse: Virgin Atlantic refused to put more cash into beleaguered airline March 5, 2020 Virgin Atlantic refused to put any more money into collapsed regional airline Flybe due to the effect of the coronavirus outbreak on its own bookings. In a witness statement filed by Mark Anderson, chief executive of Flybe owner Connect Airways, first reported by Sky News, Virgin Atlantic had told the airline on Tuesday evening that [...]
Sky and Virgin Media down: Outages leave customers across UK without broadband March 5, 2020 Sky and Virgin Media are down across the country, leaving customers without broadband. The issue has affected more than 60 towns and cities in the South East, which both companies said had been caused by a “fibre break”. Customers took to Twitter to complain about the issue throughout the day using the hashtag Virgin Media [...]
BBC must avoid ‘narrow urban outlook’, warns new culture secretary March 5, 2020 The BBC must avoid a “narrow urban outlook” if it is to survive in the modern media landscape, the new culture secretary has warned. In his first major attack on the broadcaster, Oliver Dowden took aim at the BBC’s perceived bias and its failure to reflect the whole of the UK. “If we’re all honest, [...]
SheBelieves Cup preview: England aiming to reach the levels of rivals the United States at invitational tournament March 4, 2020 Defending the trophy they won last year is the ultimate goal when England begin their SheBelieves Cup campaign on Thursday night against the United States, but there will be another overarching ambition for Phil Neville’s side in Florida. The trophy England won this time last year was their first at the invitational competition in four [...]
Spitting Image to return after 24 years following Britbox commission March 4, 2020 Spitting Image will return to UK screens 24 years after it was taken off air, as streaming service Britbox named the hit puppet show as its first original commission. The Bafta award-winning TV show, which first appeared in 1984, has earmarked a string of contemporary targets for its satire, including the Duke and Duchess of [...]
Londoners can step it up to tackle the homelessness crisis March 4, 2020 Sleeping on a cold, wet pavement is not a fate anyone should have to face in the fifth wealthiest country in the world. And yet, 4,266 of our fellow citizens were recorded doing just that on a given night last autumn, according to government figures published last Thursday. Each person counted is living through the [...]
Premier League broadcasting: What does Amazon’s initial success with Prime Video mean for the market? March 3, 2020 Amazon broadcast its first live football matches in December, showing 20 Premier League games to subscribers on its Prime Video platform. The decision to make a first foray into the sector was a brave, albeit relatively small, one for the US retail giant. Now that the dust has settled, it looks increasingly like an intelligent [...]