Online blunder puts Hester’s bonus under threat again June 25, 2012 As the computer meltdown at NatWest entered another week, pressure mounted yesterday to make senior management pay the price for the disruption. Liberal Democrat peer Lord Oakeshott told Sky News that there was “no question that [RBS boss] Stephen Hester should not be eligible for a bonus after this fiasco.” Interviewed yesterday, Hester said management [...]
LOVEFILM SIGNS FIRST CLASS DEAL WITH FOX June 25, 2012 Lovefilm, the Amazon-owned movie rental service, yesterday unveiled a deal which will give its users exclusive access to Twentieth Century Fox films – such as X-Men: First Class and Black Swan (above) – in the so-called second pay window, with Sky owning rights to the first pay period. Fox joins Warner Bros, Universal and Sony in [...]
Carr apologises for ‘terrible error of judgement’ June 21, 2012 COMEDIAN Jimmy Carr said he made “a terrible error of judgement” in using a legal offshore tax scheme to reduce his payments to HMRC. “I appreciate as a comedian, people will expect me to ‘make light’ of this situation, but I’m not going to in this statement,” Carr said on Twitter. “Although I’ve been advised [...]
Australian rules may dent Murdoch’s home advantage June 20, 2012 AFTER the calamitous failure of its BSkyB bid, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation has decided to advance its pay TV ambitions in his birth country, bidding A$1.97bn (£1.27bn) for Australia’s Consolidated Media Holdings. If the deal is accepted and gains the necessary regulatory approval, it will double the media giant’s stake in Foxtel, the island continent’s [...]
The City gains seven sculptures June 18, 2012 A NUMBER of City of London-based businesses, including Hiscox, Aviva, British Land, IVG UK and Aon, have clubbed together with the City of London Corporation to create Great St Helen’s: Sculpture Space in the heart of the City. Set among London’s iconic architectural landmarks, including the Gherkin and the Lloyd’s building, a free curated exhibition [...]
Hideaway in the Highlands June 17, 2012 For non-members, visiting Skibo Castle, home of the ultra-exclusive Carnegie Club, is bittersweet. Allowed just one stay pre-membership, those who are invited to sample the castle’s delights and the lifestyle offered by the Club, named after Skibo’s former owner Andrew Carnegie, are exposed to such a confluence of pleasures that the predominant feeling on departure [...]
Cavendish wins Tour warm up June 17, 2012 TOUR de France hopeful Mark Cavendish secured a morale-boosting victory in the run up to the epic event yesterday, grabbing his first-ever general classification win. Cavendish, Britain’s world champion cyclist, took the Ster ZLM Toer for Team Sky, holding onto the yellow jersey. Radobank’s Lars Boom came in second, eight seconds behind Cavendish. “I wanted [...]
Investors call foul to Sky and BT’s footy deal June 14, 2012 UNIMPRESSED investors yesterday drove down the price of shares in BSkyB and BT after the companies announced they had agreed to pay a collective £3.018bn for the right to broadcast the Premier League’s games. At an average £6.53m per match, the deal will plough an extra 70 per cent into the Premier League’s pockets. Shares in [...]
Sky under threat as BT takes fight to football rights June 14, 2012 BSKYB’S delight at remaining the primary broadcaster for live football in the UK is not unreserved. Increased competition from the likes of Al Jazeera and ESPN has forced it to pay handsomely for the privilege, and the entry of BT into the market threatens its pre-eminence more powerfully than any of its previous competitors have [...]
Eurozone concerns and football bid war keep FTSE pinned back June 14, 2012 The FTSE 100 fell back in early trading, reversing the previous session’s gains, with Eurozone concerns dominating after Spain’s debt rating was downgraded and Italy faces up to a crucial bond auction. Last night credit ratings agency Moody’s slashed its rating on Spanish government debt by three notches to ‘Baa3’ from ‘A3’, saying the newly-approved [...]