Coronavirus: Fifth death in UK as confirmed cases rise to 319 March 9, 2020 A fifth person has died from coronavirus in the UK as the number of confirmed cases in the UK rose to 319. The patient who was in their seventies was being treated at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust. Chief executive Daniel Elkeles said: “We can confirm that sadly, a patient in their [...]
New government cyber unit to grill social media firms over coronavirus fake news March 9, 2020 The government has set up a new cyber team to crack down on the spreading of fake news linked to the coronavirus outbreak on social media platforms. Departments across Whitehall have been brought in to form a new unit aimed at assessing the potential extent, scope and impact of fake news. The team will also [...]
Premier League broadcasting: What does Amazon’s initial success with Prime Video mean for the market? March 3, 2020 Amazon broadcast its first live football matches in December, showing 20 Premier League games to subscribers on its Prime Video platform. The decision to make a first foray into the sector was a brave, albeit relatively small, one for the US retail giant. Now that the dust has settled, it looks increasingly like an intelligent [...]
Is the future of the Big Six advertising agencies under threat? March 2, 2020 Navel-gazing about the future is becoming increasingly fashionable in adland. The last few years have been tricky for the industry, as profits have faltered and clients have demanded more and more of the major players. It has led to concerns that the Big Six, the marketing giants which have dominated the sector for the last [...]
The new Formula One season is almost upon us but McLaren chief Zak Brown has one eye on 2021 March 1, 2020 Last year’s fourth-placed finish in the Formula One constructor’s championship saw McLaren end one of the most turbulent decades in the team’s history on a high. While it was a huge step forward – climbing from ninth and sixth in the previous two seasons – maintaining that trajectory this year looks all but inconceivable. Mercedes, [...]
Debenhams to give councils ultimatum on business rates February 26, 2020 Debenhams is set to give councils an ultimatum in a bid to secure business rate cuts as it works out which of its stores are next for the chop. The beleaguered department store chain will tell councils that a failure to cut its rates bills could cause them to shut the Debenhams in the area, [...]
The Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster is a supercar turned up to 11 February 24, 2020 What is your lottery-win dream car? In my line of work, it’s a common question at social gatherings, usually somewhere between “Should I buy a Volkswagen Golf?” (yes, probably) and before “Have you met Jeremy Clarkson?” (yes, briefly). Anyway, I’ll spare you the suspense, it’s the McLaren F1. Sadly, I need a Euromillions rollover to [...]
UK live entertainment sector poised for £2.3bn 5G boost February 19, 2020 The UK’s live entertainment industry could be given a boost of as much as £2.3bn over the next 10 years thanks to a raft of benefits brought by 5G, new research has revealed. Figures compiled by O2, seen exclusively by City A.M., showed consumer spending on live music and sports events could surge in the [...]
BT unveils new flexible TV packages in bid to beef up content offering February 18, 2020 BT today rolled out a string of new flexible TV packages as it looks to flex its muscles in the increasingly cut-throat content wars. The telecoms giant has unveiled a range of subscription options that allow customers to choose the TV shows, films and sport they want, with the flexibility to change their package each [...]
City grandee Michael Spencer among losers after collapse of startup Laundrapp February 17, 2020 City grandee Michael Spencer has lost millions after a laundry startup he was a key backer for went into administration on Friday. Laundrapp was sold in a pre-pack administration on Friday after running out of cash. Spencer’s private investment group IPGL was a cornerstone investor in a £4m 2015 funding round in Laundrapp in which [...]