Murdoch’s plan to divide seen as a path to conquer June 26, 2012 THE Sky’s the limit once again for News Corporation. It took the first step in what looks like a bold new strategy to acquire the remaining 61 per cent of BSkyB yesterday. The media giant confirmed that it is “considering a restructuring to separate its business into two distinct publicly traded companies” – understood to [...]
BT Vision gamble might be costly June 26, 2012 Group’s football move must win customers from BSkyB BT VISION’S surprising capture of the rights to 38 live Premier League matches from the beginning of the season after next is described as “the largest thing we have done in television to date” by the group’s chief executive Marc Watson. The problem for BT Vision is [...]
Ofcom takes new steps to crack down on piracy June 26, 2012 ILLEGAL downloaders could be reported to copyright owners under a new system unveiled yesterday by communications regulator Ofcom. The draft code – still subject to a consultation period, European approval and the governmental green light – requires the major internet service providers (ISPs) to notify their customers of allegations that their internet connection has been [...]
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 [...]