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 [...]
Premier League’s £3bn TV bonanza June 13, 2012 BT shot into the lucrative world of Premier League football yesterday, splashing out £738m to share domestic rights with BSkyB as the cost of broadcasting live games rocketed by an eye-watering 70 per cent. Fierce competition for the rights, believed to have involved channels such as Al Jazeera and current holders ESPN, saw the price [...]
Mazda’s immensely likeable SUV June 12, 2012 Usually when a motoring hack is invited up to Scotland to drive a new car it is to test a sportscar or an SUV. The Scottish Highlands are the perfect combination of twisting roads and dramatic backdrops for sporting road cars, and provide off-road high jinks for rugged off-roaders on some private estate or other. [...]
How the British summer can put your head in the clouds June 11, 2012 Look out of the window. Chances are, it is raining. Just like it was yesterday. The British summer is in full swing, once again failing to live up to its early promise of sunshine and blue skies. The Met Office warns the weather is likely to remain “unsettled” for at least the next month – anyone [...]
TRAVEL NOTES June 10, 2012 Extreme dining, Belgian style Join the trend for “extreme dining” with a meal at a table suspended 50 metres above the ground. The Brussels version of Dinner in the Sky is running throughout June, giving 22 diners at a time the chance to enjoy gourmet food and champagne while suspended near sites such as the [...]
Wiggins defends Criterium title June 10, 2012 Britain’s Bradley Wiggins underlined his status as one of the favourites for this summer’s Tour de France by successfully defending his Criterium de Dauphine title yesterday. In a great race for Team Sky, the 32-year-old’s colleagues Michael Rogers and Chris Froome finished second and fourth overall.
I’d love to get one back on Cav at London 2012, says rival Goss June 6, 2012 AUSTRALIAN cyclist Matt Goss, who looks set to be the biggest obstacle between Mark Cavendish and road race gold at London 2012, has admitted he would love to spoil the Briton’s hopes of glory in his home Olympics Cavendish pipped his former team-mate to the top prize at last year’s world championship and Goss cannot [...]
City joins in with Jubilee pageant festivities June 5, 2012 THE DUST had barely settled and coffee machines had hardly cooled when City workers flocked back to their desks on Sunday to get a better – and drier – view of the Jubilee river pageant. Insurance firm Aspen were one of such group of revellers, hosting a party for more than 100 staff and family [...]