Murdoch swoops: 21st Century Fox agrees Sky takeover deal December 15, 2016 Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox today agreed a takeover deal for UK broadcaster Sky. Fox, which already owns 39 per cent of Sky, has made a £10.75-per-share offer, worth £11.7bn. The approach values the whole of the UK media giant at £18.5bn. Fox said it would be using a scheme of arrangement, meaning it would need 75 [...]
Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox set to make firm offer for Sky as early as tomorrow December 14, 2016 Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox is set to lodge a firm offer for Sky as early as tomorrow morning, City A.M. understands. Fox is not expected to stray from the £10.75-per-share value that it had previously agreed to informally with Sky. Read more: More pressure on Murdoch's Fox-Sky deal as pensions lobby group wades in [...]
Football’s new arms race: leading clubs looking to sell shirt sleeve sponsorship for £10m a year ahead of Premier League rule change December 14, 2016 They routinely adorn the biceps of Lionel Messi and Neymar and flutter on the jerseys of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, yet until now they have been forbidden in the Premier League. Sponsors’ logos on football clubs’ shirt sleeves are on their way to England’s top division from next season, however, as teams look to [...]
Shortlist narrows for BBC chairmanship December 14, 2016 The shortlist for the new BBC chairmanship has narrowed to around six, with the government aiming to name the successful candidate early next year. Former Prudential chairman and Bank of England deputy governor Sir David Clementi, who was one of the architects of the new system under which the position has been created, is reported to [...]
Le Col: Can this premium cycling brand designed by riders be the next Rapha? December 14, 2016 "I'm convinced that cycling isn't going to go away," says Yanto Barker, a retired British pro cyclist now whose ambitious apparel brand Le Col is currently looking to secure £1m worth of funding from investors via Crowdcube. Le Col is entering the home straight of its crowdfunding campaign with 23 days left for budding investors to join the 117 people who [...]
Here’s when and where the best 2016 Christmas TV programmes are being shown December 14, 2016 Gathering around the television with the family is now one of the great Christmas traditions. It's the perfect time of year to snuggle up with a mince pie or four and indulge in some of the best British TV. Use our list to plan your viewing. Our top picks: The Great British Bake-Off BBC1: Christmas [...]
Move over Trump and Brexit: These are the things we Googled most in 2016 December 14, 2016 It wasn't Donald Trump and the EU referendum which elicited our curiosity the most in 2016, it turns out (despite how it might have felt). While the two biggest political events of the year ranked highly in Google's year in search, which compiles the top most searched trends, neither were the biggest topic that occupied our [...]
Spreadbetting giant CMC Markets to consider London HQ move over FCA crackdown December 13, 2016 Spreadbetting giant CMC Markets will consider moving its HQ away from London if the City watchdog pushes ahead with a clampdown on the industry. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) last week revealed plans for stricter rules for firms selling “contract for difference” (CFD) products such as spreadbets for retail customers. Read more: Spreadbetters respond to [...]
Can Ofcom force through Openreach split? BT trustees believe it could bust pension scheme December 13, 2016 A BT Openreach separation could tip the telecoms giant's pension scheme into insolvency leaving a £10bn black hole, its pension trustees fear. Trustees voiced concerns in a redacted note responding to Ofcom’s proposals to legally separate the company that runs Britain’s telecoms infrastructure from the wider BT group. Because, according to the trustees’ note, a [...]
British Gas is blaming ultra high definition 4K TVs for adding £82m to energy bills by 2019 December 13, 2016 They may be turning into a must-have item, but energy inefficient 4K TVs are set to add £82m to UK consumers’ electricity bills by 2019, British Gas has warned. The ultra high definition (HD) TV sets have this year single-handedly caused the first rise in household energy bills from watching TV since 2011, preliminary findings [...]