McIlroy is ready to banish memories of Augusta nightmare April 4, 2012 U.S. MASTERS From today, 3.45pm – Sky Sports 1, from 7pm TALK of the 76th US Masters being the best ever before a ball has even been struck is a tad optimistic but the ingredients are nevertheless all there for a classic tournament. All the big names seem to have peaked at precisely the right [...]
Sun setting on Murdoch’s time at family firm April 4, 2012 JAMES Murdoch’s departure from the top job at BSkyB will have little effect on the broadcaster’s business, analysts said yesterday. Jeremy Darroch, the chief executive, and Nicholas Ferguson, who has stepped up to head the board, will provide continuity so the strategy is unlikely to change. Murdoch will remain on the board, representing News Corporation’s [...]
PROFILE: NICHOLAS FERGUSON MOVES TO THE HOT SEAT April 4, 2012 AS an art-loving City veteran who has held a series of senior positions in private equity, Nicholas Ferguson’s pedigree could not be more different to that of James Murdoch, the transatlantic former whiz kid. Ferguson (right) is, however, trusted by the Murdoch family and that partly explains why he has been elevated at Sky. He [...]
Sky falls in on James Murdoch April 4, 2012 JAMES Murdoch yesterday resigned as chairman of BSkyB with immediate effect, just weeks after stepping down from News International to concentrate on his television businesses. After almost a decade on the Sky board, Murdoch yesterday announced to fellow directors that he felt “this is the right time to step aside… as attention continues to be [...]
Watching the skies for signs of another Swiss franc intervention April 3, 2012 EVER since the Swiss National Bank (SNB) steamrollered the FX market in September last year, traders have been nervously watching for signs that it is preparing another move. But just how likely is this? As European financial woes rumbled on, investors took flight into the safety of the Swiss franc, rapidly strengthening it against the [...]
Honeymooning for one in the Maldives April 1, 2012 GOING on holiday alone is one thing. Going on holiday alone to the world’s foremost couples’ destination is rather another. I wasn’t off to backpack around the villages of the Himalayas or go down and out in Bangkok and Hanoi, bumping into new people and places every five minutes. No: I set off on a [...]
Hotel for all seasons at idyllic South Sands in Salcombe April 1, 2012 Twenty minutes’ walk from Salcombe, the year-old South Sands hotel sits on its own beach: a perfectly secluded spot and just what posh old Salcombe needs. There’s a New England charm to the hotel – white-picket chic but unstuffy and airy – alongside a friendly laid-back feel from the Antipodean staff, who are unassumingly and [...]
Limping Liverpool look set for another defeat at Newcastle March 29, 2012 NEWCASTLE vs LIVERPOOL Sunday 1.30pm, Sky Sports 1 WITH at least one addition to the Anfield trophy cabinet, the history books will record that the 2011/12 season was a successful one for Liverpool. However, lifting the Carling Cup and a return to Wembley with at least an FA Cup semi-final against Everton fail to mask [...]
Mad Men fails to boost Sky March 28, 2012 Fewer than 100,000 people saw series five of Mad Men, a drama about advertising executives, debut on Sky Atlantic on Tuesday night and only half of viewers tuned in to the second episode of the double-bill. While the ratings figure is likely to grow as not all Sky subscribers will have watched the show live, [...]
Mad Men fails to attract new Sky subscribers March 27, 2012 ONE of the most hotly-anticipated TV debuts of the year is expected to fail to attract new customers to Sky’s subscription service, which has seen its new customer growth plateau in recent quarters. Series five of Mad Men launched on Sky Atlantic last night, after the broadcaster paid big bucks for the popular US show [...]