Everything Everywhere grows as users turn to smartphones May 2, 2012 EVERYTHING Everywhere, the UK’s largest mobile network provider, yesterday reported a strong uptake of smartphones in its first quarter, boosting core growth. Underlying service revenues, excluding the impact of regulatory cuts, grew by 2.9 per cent in the first quarter to £1.5bn. But enforced cuts to mobile termination rates – the amount telecoms companies charge [...]
After accusations he is unfit to run BSkyB, should Rupert Murdoch be forced to sell? May 2, 2012 YES Joe Cox Whether or not Rupert Murdoch is forced to relinquish his dominance over the British media landscape should be more than about whether he is a “fit and proper” person. The important question is whether it is in the public interest for someone to be so dominant in the media market and, by [...]
Media giant under siege as MPs strike May 1, 2012 RUPERT Murdoch was yesterday lambasted by a powerful group of MPs for turning a blind eye to instances of wrongdoing at News International. The House of Commons’ culture, media and sport committee found after its five-year investigation concluded yesterday that “the whole affair demonstrates huge failings of corporate governance at [News International] and its parent [...]
Shares in News Corp rise while Murdoch slated May 1, 2012 AS MPs in London produced the most damning report so far of Rupert Murdoch’s stewardship of his UK newspapers, shares of his global media group somewhat perversely rose. The Commons culture, media and sports committee yesterday concluded that Rupert Murdoch and his son James exhibited a “wilful” blindness towards phone-hacking at the News of the [...]
4G set to boost economy and UK investments April 30, 2012 THE ROLLOUT of superfast mobile broadband will boost the UK’s economy and stimulate a chain of investment, according to Capital Economics. Research commissioned by telecoms giant Everything Everywhere, the UK hybrid of Orange and T-Mobile, suggests that the latest generation of mobile network – called 4G – will necessitate a £5.5bn direct private sector investment in the UK [...]
Murdoch must be stripped of BSkyB stake, says Labour April 29, 2012 HARRIET Harman, the shadow culture secretary, yesterday called for News Corp to be stripped of its 39 per cent stake in BSkyB. Speaking on the Sunday Politics Show, Harman said that Rupert Murdoch was “not a fit and proper person” to own a broadcast licence because of the “widespread criminality” that went on at his [...]
Ofcom deepens probe into BSkyB’s broadcast licence April 26, 2012 OFCOM has stepped up its probe into whether BSkyB remains “fit and proper” to hold a broadcast licence, it emerged yesterday. The investigation into whether News Corp is an appropriate dominant shareholder of the satellite broadcaster has focused so far on publicly available information, such as from newspaper reports and the Leveson inquiry. But last [...]
Hunt pleads ignorance over his office’s News Corp emails April 25, 2012 CULTURE secretary Jeremy Hunt took to the floor of the Commons to fight for his political life yesterday, pleading ignorance of the emails that show his department’s apparent closeness with News Corp. Hunt said his special adviser Adam Smith had “unintentionally overstepped the mark” in his frequent emails, calls and texts with top News Corp [...]
Email trail shows Hunt’s closeness to Murdoch Jr April 24, 2012 E-MAILS showing culture secretary Jeremy Hunt’s close relationship with News Corp during a probe into the firm’s BSkyB takeover were released by the Leveson inquiry yesterday. The 163-page trail of correspondence shows that Frederic Michel, News Corp’s director of public affairs in Europe, was in frequent contact with Hunt’s advisers from before the culture secretary [...]
Sky News faces Ofcom probe over hacking April 23, 2012 OFCOM yesterday announced it has launched an investigation into Sky News after the broadcaster accessed private email accounts. Prompted by Sky News’ admission a few weeks ago that it had “authorised a journalist to access the email of individuals suspected of criminal activity”, Ofcom is investigating fairness and privacy at the news channel. The media [...]