Sports streaming firm DAZN taps former Disney executive Kevin Mayer as chair March 3, 2021 Sports streaming service DAZN has appointed former Disney executive Kevin Mayer as its new chairman. DAZN, which is backed by billionaire Len Blavatnik, said Mayer will lead the nascent streaming platform as it pursues an “aggressive” growth strategy. He replaces John Skipper, who is stepping down to focus on Meadowlark Media, a newly-launched content company [...]
City Moves: Who is switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? March 3, 2021 Snakes and Ladders provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. This week we have seen a flurry of new hires across the capital. From a Ritz chairman joining an intelligence firm, to a former Knight Frank executive taking on a leading residential role [...]
Daily Mirror owner Reach sees profit fall despite stronger second half March 1, 2021 Reach today posted a 12.8 per cent fall in profit as the newspaper publisher reported a stronger second half of the year. The firm, which owns the Mirror and the Express, said that profit fell to £133.8m, in line with expectations. An 18.9 per cent decline in print revenue over the year sent the group’s [...]
BT chair Jan du Plessis steps down to ‘focus on other interests’ March 1, 2021 BT chair Jan du Plessis will step down from the board less than four years after joining the telecoms firm. The former Rio Tinto chair joined BT as a non-executive director in June 2017 and was appointed chair that November. Prior to his role at the telecoms giant, du Plessis was chairman of SABMiller when [...]
Ladbrokes owner Entain hikes Enlabs offer after shareholder resistance March 1, 2021 Ladbrokes owner Entain has today hiked its offer for Swedish rival Enlabs to around £310m, the firm announced this morning. The FTSE 100 firm said that it was raising its bid from 40 Swedish krona per share to 53 Swedish krona per share, giving the firm a valuation of 3.7bn krona (£311m). The decision to [...]
Gambling giant Flutter taps Vice boss Nancy Dubuc in boardroom shake-up February 25, 2021 Flutter Entertainment has appointed Vice chief executive Nancy Dubuc as a non-executive director as part of a boardroom shake-up aimed at redressing the company’s gender balance. Dubuc, a media industry veteran, has led youth-oriented Vice Media since 2018. Prior to this she was chief executive of A&E Television Networks. Flutter, formerly known as Paddy Power [...]
Flutter: Gambling industry is listening, and responding, to addiction concerns February 12, 2021 This week sees the close of the Gambling Commission’s consultation on customer interaction, which includes proposals to set stricter affordability assessments for UK online punters. It is an important issue for anyone with a view on gambling and will be a significant part of the Government’s review into the Gambling Act which is currently calling [...]
Entain doubles down on £250m Enlabs bid despite investor backlash February 11, 2021 Ladbrokes owner Entain has doubled down on its £250m cash bid for Swedish rival Enlabs despite complaints from one of the company’s largest shareholders. In a statement today Entain said it was extending the deadline for its offer of 40 Swedish krona per share until 18 March. The gambling group said it had filed applications [...]
UK’s gambling black market has doubled since 2018: PwC February 5, 2021 The number of British consumers gambling on unlicensed websites has doubled in the last three years, according to a new study by PwC. The report found a steep rise in customers using offshore websites, despite these platforms being less visible on Google and with little evidence of growing public awareness of black market brands. PwC [...]
UK betting giant Entain takes punt on Tabcorp as it eyes up Australian market February 2, 2021 Ladbrokes owner Entain has today announced that it has made an offer for betting firm Tabcorp Holdings’ wagering and media business. The non-binding indicative offer signals a desire from Entain to expand its services in Australia by becoming the country’s biggest betting company owner. Entain already has a small presence in the Australian betting market [...]