High definition lifts earnings at BSkyB July 30, 2009 SHARES in BSkyB rose yesterday after the broadcaster posted a surge in full-year pre-tax profit, driven by record levels of new subscriptions as cash-strapped customers stayed at home. The dominant pay-TV firm said that its customer base had grown at its fastest rate for five years – with the addition of 462,000 subscribers over the [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: HAS BSKYB IMPRESSED THE MARKET WITH ITS FULL-YEAR RESULTS? July 30, 2009 RICHARD HUNTER HARGREAVES LANSDOWNBSkyB has again confounded its doubters by posting numbers which belie the current environment. The spectres of fierce competition and rising unemployment both drag on prospects, but Sky continues to deliver in a marketplace in which it has pre-eminent experience, and the share price performance has reflected this. PAUL RICHARDS NUMIS SECURITIESWe [...]
Weather could have biggest say in the pivotal third Test July 29, 2009 ENGLAND vs AUSTRALIATODAY 11AM – SKY SPORTS 1 AFTER a thrilling Test in the capital the series is Birmingham-bound, returning to the scene of perhaps the most memorable Ashes encounter of all time. Unfortunately the key protagonists from Edgbaston 2005 – as captured in one of the most iconic sporting images ever – look unlikely [...]
Virgin nets a key deal with Disney’s ESPN July 29, 2009 ESPN, the Disney-owned media group that has picked up live Premier League football rights from the defunct Setanta, yesterday agreed a carriage deal with Virgin Media, the cable company. The deal is similar to Virgin’s previous deal with Setanta, whereby Virgin customers paying for the highest television package will get the channel, which will show [...]
SPREAD BETTING PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW July 23, 2009 THE BIG question for any football punter prior to this season is ‘can Man City break into the Big Four?’. Mark Hughes has spent millions and although it looks like he’s been unsuccessful in his bid for John Terry, people are starting to sit up and take notice. Sporting Index are predicting that City will [...]
Ashes blow for England as Pietersen is ruled out July 22, 2009 ENGLAND’S sky-high hopes of reclaiming the Ashes plummeted yesterday when star batsman Kevin Pietersen was ruled out of the rest of the series. The decision came after the Hampshire player underwent surgery on a long-standing Achilles injury that deteriorated during the first two Tests against Australia. Pietersen, who will be sidelined for six weeks, had [...]
TV rights deal sends Arena shares racing July 22, 2009 SHARES in Arena Leisure, the largest racecourse operator in Britain, soared by over 30 per cent yesterday after it announced a deal with Satellite Information Services (SIS) for the provision of horse racing coverage to licensed betting offices in the UK and Ireland. Arena said that it will receive total revenues of around £106m over [...]
Canis to sell off Setanta slots July 22, 2009 PAY-TV channel consultancy Canis Media has been appointed to sell the nine slots left available on the Sky digital platform after the collapse of Setanta’s British operations. Deloitte, which is handling the administration, asked Canis to handle this latest stage of winding down Setanta’s business, which could raise up to £1m. Canis will also handle [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 16, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES CLARKE WARNS CAMERON NOT TO CHALLENGE ‘PRO-BUSINESS’ STANCEKen Clarke, the outspoken former Conservative chancellor, has warned David Cameron not to translate his “standing up to big business” rhetoric into policies in government. However, the shadow business secretary said he “overwhelmingly approved” of Cameron’s transformation of the Tory party. “So long as Mr Cameron [...]
New stock value for Facebook July 13, 2009 Digital Sky Technologies (DST), the Russian investment firm that invested $200m in Facebook this spring, is offering $14.77 (£9.09) a share for stock in the social network, in a deal that values it at around $6.5bn. The new valuation is lower than the $10bn valuation at which DST originally invested, as well as the $15bn [...]