YouView launch set to hit Sky January 17, 2011 BSKYB will come under pressure from new BBC-backed on-demand TV venture YouView, according to a new report by Evolution Securities. Media analyst Steve Malcolm also says Sky’s encroachment into its rivals’ broadband market – particularly BT and TalkTalk’s – is “overstated”. Malcolm estimates the digital switchover will soon bring Freeview and BBC and ITV-backed YouView [...]
Unions ready for return to 1970s strikes January 16, 2011 UNIONS are preparing to plunge Britain into a period of 1970s-style industrial unrest with a spring general strike. The general secretaries of Britain’s unions will attend a Trade Union Congress (TUC) meeting on 28 January to discuss the possibility and mechanics of bringing Britain to a halt through coordinated industrial action. The unions hope to [...]
BILL OF THE WEEK January 16, 2011 A HAPPY couple took to the skies over the Thames recently, followed by a sumptuous meal in a restaurant adjoining London’s only heliport, Patrisey Restaurant. After their 20-minute tour of the capital’s air-ways, they sat down to a feast of caviar, foie gras, chateaubriand and lobster. And there was no skimping on desserts, as our diners [...]
Intelligent luxury under a hot blue sky January 16, 2011 ABU Dhabi sounds like a heady jumble of car, construction and human. In the daytime, the air is thick with noise as it is thick with the pervading haze of dust blown in from the sandlands to the south and thrown up by the never-ending construction. It softens the otherwise relentless sunshine, rendering everything (including [...]
Competition Commission called on bid for BSkyB January 13, 2011 MARKET regulator Ofcom has recommended a full Competition Commission enquiry into the approach for British Sky Broadcasting by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp should take place, according to reports. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport received the regulator’s report on the impact on media plurality the £7.5bn deal could have on the 31 December last [...]
United set for another away day stalemate January 13, 2011 TOTTENHAM vs MANCHESTER UNITED SUNDAY – 4.10PM SKY SPORTS 1 SOMETHING is going to have to give at White Hart Lane on Sunday afternoon if either Tottenham or Manchester United are going to walk away with a victory. United are still unbeaten in the league this season, while Spurs have lost just once on home [...]
Mecom turns down merger suggestion January 12, 2011 MECOM, the European regional newspaper group, has turned down a takeover approach from Trinity Mirror, publisher of the Mirror titles. The approach, which came in a telephone call from Trinity chairman Sir Ian Gibson a few weeks ago, according to Sky News, was rejected by his opposite number at Mecom. No announcements were made to [...]
Filtrona to name new chief exec January 12, 2011 Speciality plastic and fibre products supplier Filtrona is set to unveil high profile accountant Colin Day as its new chief executive today. The FTSE 250-listed company will announce the appointment of Day, currently finance director at Reckitt Benckiser, alongside its trading update, according to Sky News. Reckitt announced last October that Day would be leaving [...]
Sky Deutschland rises on subs growth January 12, 2011 LOSS-MAKING pay-TV broadcaster Sky Deutschland reported a big jump in subscriber growth in Germany, sending its shares to a one-year high. The company, in which News Corporation owns a 49.9 per cent stake, has suffered from sluggish growth because of Germans’ reluctance to pay for premium TV content. During the last three months of 2010, [...]
What the other papers say this morning January 11, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES LAWYERS URGE HUNT TO BE CAREFUL OVER SKY BID Jeremy Hunt must act carefully to avoid legal challenge to his role in regulating News Corp’s proposed bid for British Sky Broadcasting, after his department sent Rupert Murdoch’s company a key document, lawyers said. Three competition experts yesterday said the culture secretary’s move could [...]