Netflix raises prices by 20 per cent as it blames $15bn production budget May 30, 2019 Netflix is raising the prices of some of its subscriptions by as much as 20 per cent as it prepares to ramp up investment in new TV shows and films. The streaming service is increasing the cost of its standard plan, which allows users to watch on two screens, by £1 to £8.99, while the [...]
Outsourcer Amey agrees terms for £300m deal to escape Birmingham roads contract May 30, 2019 Contractor Amey is close to reaching a £300m agreement that would see it pay its way out of a maintenance contract for Birmingham’s 1,600-mile road network, it is reported. Read more: Amey 'offers £300m' to Birmingham city council to escape road contract Amey’s deal with Birmingham City Council and the government will see it pay [...]
Chancellor Philip Hammond vows to topple next Prime Minister to avert no-deal Brexit May 30, 2019 Chancellor Philip Hammond has hinted he could try to topple the next government if it meant averting a no-deal Brexit. Read more: Tory leadership race: Who are the leading candidates? Warning that “national interest trumps the party interest”, Hammond told Sky News he would back a no-confidence vote in the next Prime Minister to prevent [...]
Netflix and Amazon cash in on British streaming market with double the revenue of UK services May 29, 2019 Netflix and Amazon’s revenues from UK streaming customers last year was £1.1bn, twice the amount the Britain’s biggest broadcasters made from their own streaming platforms. Netflix made around £693m in revenues from its UK subscriber base of 10m people last year, while Amazon generated £400m from 7.7m subscribers to its Prime Video platform. The figures, [...]
Cash out: Troubled Ladbrokes boss takes a punt on cutting pay in bid to stop investor revolt May 29, 2019 The chief exec of betting firm Ladbrokes is set to forego around £150,000 as he takes a gamble designed to quell shareholder unrest over his pay. Kenny Alexander, boss of Ladbrokes’ owner GVC Holdings, has agreed give up the majority of a recent pay rise from £750,000 to £950,000 after talks with the company’s board, [...]
Solarcentury rules out IPO as search continues for buyer of £250m firm May 29, 2019 The UK’s largest solar company Solarcentury has ruled out a public float as it looks for a new owner in a deal which could reportedly reach around £250m. The firm, which builds solar projects across several continents, has seen interest from oil and gas utilities, large financial firms and other global players. Read more: Ofgem [...]
General Atlantic to sell half its stake in £2bn oil data group Argus Media May 29, 2019 Growth equity fund General Atlantic (GA) is set to sell half its stake in oil data group Argus Media in a deal that will value the firm at roughly £2bn. City A.M. understands GA, which bought a 50 per cent stake in Argus three years ago for around £1bn, is in advanced talks with long-term [...]
Boeing 737 Max unlikely to return to service until ‘at least August’ after recent crashes May 29, 2019 Boeing will likely have to wait until at least August before its best-selling jet can return to the skies, after two deadly crashes forced regulators to ground the model across the globe. Read more: Boeing under investigation by SEC about 737 Max disclosures Speaking in Seoul earlier today, head of the International Air Transport Association [...]
Twitter mocks Dominic Raab’s now infamous Tory election race video May 29, 2019 Tory leadership hopeful Dominic Raab has been roasted online for what viewers claimed was a rather awkward clip setting out his political ambitions for the UK. Read more: Tory leadership race: Who are the leading candidates? The video, filmed in Parliament Square, sees the former Brexit secretary scanning the horizon before turning dramatically to face [...]
High street stalwart Boots mulls more than 200 possible store closures May 28, 2019 Boots, Britain’s largest chain of chemists, looks set to become the latest victim of high street turmoil as its US owner eyes several hundred store closures. Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), the pharmacy retailer's US parent, is reportedly looking at bringing down the shutters on more than 200 Boots outlets across the UK over the next [...]