Profit hopes at Royal Mail pave way for float November 11, 2012 ROYAL Mail Group is expected to post a bumper set of profits tomorrow led by strong growth in its parcel delivery business – opening the door for a possible float of the state-owned business by government next year. The postal group, which increased operating profit after costs to £211m last year from £39m the year [...]
Wiggins coach Sutton injured in bike crash November 8, 2012 BRITISH Cycling has called on the government to do more to protect riders after head coach Shane Sutton suffered bleeding on the brain in an accident yesterday, just hours after Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins broke ribs in a separate bike crash. Sutton, who leads a team of coaches who work with Wiggins, is [...]
Wiggins hospitalised in crash with van November 7, 2012 BRITISH Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins suffered suspected broken ribs in a collision with a van while training last night. Wiggins was thrown from his saddle in the crash in Wrightington, near the north London-raised star’s Lancashire home, at around 6pm and taken by ambulance to hospital, where he stayed overnight. He is said [...]
Murdoch’s News Corp profits up threefold thanks to TV channels November 6, 2012 NEWS CORP revealed a trebling in profits last night thanks to growth in its lucrative cable networks division. Rupert Murdoch’s media giant said its US channels, such as Fox News, Fox Sports and the FX Network, saw a 33 per cent year-on-year increase in operating income in the third quarter. This was driven by higher [...]
Universal movie deal keeps Sky in the front row November 5, 2012 BSKYB has signed an exclusivity deal with the company behind Hollywood giant Universal Studios, maintaining its lead in movie channels as it fends off increasing competition from the likes of Netflix and BT. The renewed agreement with NBCUniversal (NBCU), due to be announced today, allows Sky’s movie channels to screen films including recent hits Anna [...]
HSBC to face up to $1.5bn in US fines November 5, 2012 BANKING giant HSBC will today announce that it is having to put aside another half a billion pounds to pay fines for breaking anti-money laundering regulations. The bank’s lax security controls failed to stop drug dealers laundering money through the bank’s Mexican operations. In July it set aside $700m (£437m) to pay the anticipated fines, [...]
Thrill seekers put one foot in La Grave November 4, 2012 I am teetering on the edge of a cliff at the top station of Les Deux Alpes. I normally feel confident on my carving skis but this feels like no ordinary black run. Around me are some of the most spectacular views of the French Alps known to man, but all I can do is [...]
Comet’s passing brings a brief celebration for rivals’ shares but the challenges they face haven’t gone away November 1, 2012 COMETS are said to burn across the sky on the death of a prince. The passing of this Comet was marked instead by the rise of its rivals’ share prices, with Dixons Retail Group doing especially well on the assumption that its chains will pick up business. But no one can pretend that kind of [...]
James Murdoch eases through BSkyB meeting November 1, 2012 JAMES Murdoch sailed through a shareholder vote over his future on BSkyB’s board at the broadcaster’s annual meeting yesterday, on the same day that it posted results above expectations thanks to moving more customers onto its “triple-play” contracts. BSkyB said it now has a third of its 10.7m customers taking pay-TV, broadband and home phone [...]
Analyst Views | Have Bskyb’s results affected your outlook for the company? November 1, 2012 THOMAS SINGLEHURST CITI We expect full-year dividends up three to five per cent based on these numbers. This reinforces our fundamentally positive view on BSkyB which is predicated on the view that growth is much more solid/predictable than investors might expect. We are buyers with an 850p target. PATRICK YAU PEEL HUNT BSkyB’s numbers were [...]