Take off in the blue with aviation equity growth August 16, 2010 WITH tour operators struggling, strikes looming and the spectre of wildcard events like May’s volcanic ash cloud, contracts for difference (CFD) traders might be justifiably nervous about the aviation industry. But this caution flies in the face of the figures: globally, the sector is growing at a healthy pace and even the major European carriers [...]
BT has signed up as few as 60,000 to its sports package, say insiders August 15, 2010 BT’S offering of Sky Sports 1 and 2 was hailed as a lynch-pin of the firm’s transformation into a big player in the pay-TV market. But industry insiders estimate that it has only signed up around 60,000 sports customers, despite spending tens of millions promoting the service. BT Vision has struggled to compete with the [...]
Aviva rebuffs £5bn bid from RSA August 13, 2010 INSURER RSA has approached rival Aviva about buying its general insurance operations in the UK and elsewhere for £5bn, Sky News has reported. Aviva declined to comment, while RSA was not immediately available. The approach was immediately rejected by the Aviva board, and there are no ongoing discussions between the companies, accoring to the report. [...]
Spurs can continue fine record against Man City August 12, 2010 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR vs MANCHESTER CITY TOMORROW, 12.45PM, SKY SPORTS HARRY REDKNAPP would love to have the funds that Roberto Mancini has at his disposal, but the financial gap between the managers meant nothing last season as Tottenham pipped Manchester City for fourth spot. He also has the psychological edge over his Italian counterpart, knowing that [...]
Desmond’s Channel Five revolution August 11, 2010 THE inevitable bloodbath occurred at Richard Desmond’s newly acquired Channel Five yesterday as seven directors and more than a quarter of the 300 employees were given their marching orders. The Northern & Shell and Express Group owner has promised further cost savings at the loss-making broadcaster but also an expansion of the programming budget to [...]
GUARDIAN DRAGS ITS HEELS OVER RENEWING HAY SPONSORSHIP DEAL August 11, 2010 WHAT with an enthusiastic push into online investment, a string of ill-advised private equity deals and a move to swanky new offices at Kings Cross, it appears more traditional stalwarts of the Guardian’s extra-curricular programme could be coming under threat. A little bird tells The Capitalist that the newspaper’s long-standing sponsorship of the Hay literary [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING August 10, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES HIGH COURT RULES INVESTOR BROKE BUY-OUT FUND CONTRACT An important precedent for the private equity industry has been set by a High Court ruling that Robert Adair, chairman of oil group Melrose Resources, breached a contract by refusing to put more money into Advantage Capital’s buy-out fund. Adair, who owns more than half [...]
Taking on Sky is a risky Vision for BT August 9, 2010 INthe run up to the new football season there is a fascinating encounter taking place off the field as BT Vision tries to take on the might of BSkyB in the showing of live football. BT Vision, boosted by a ruling from the regulator on the price that Sky can sell its sports channels to [...]
BT says sports package has a good take-up August 9, 2010 FIRST blood was drawn by Manchester United against bitter rivals Chelsea in the new football season last weekend. But a battle of equally epic proportions is heating up off the pitch, with BT claiming its new sports package, which is significantly undercutting Sky, is building momentum. BT Vision chief executive Marc Watson told City A.M. [...]
Sky has already seen off challenges from rivals Setanta and ITV Digital August 9, 2010 BT SAYS its sports offering is the first step in an aggressive expansion into pay-TV it hopes will eat away at Sky’s dominance of the market (at last count Sky was tantalisingly close to 10m subscribers, while BT is languishing with less than 500,000). But BT would do well to bear in mind the cautionary [...]