Smartphones are taking over our daily lives August 3, 2011 THE latest iPhone or Blackberry may be a must-have fashion accessory but a new survey suggests smartphones are now shaping the way we behave. Over a quarter of adults and nearly half of all teens own a smartphone, with uptake increasing at a blistering rate, according to a study by media regulator Ofcom. When asked [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 26, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES LAW FIRM STOPS WORK ON INQUIRY INTO PHONE HACKING BCL Burton Copeland, the law firm, is no longer advising News International about an investigation into phone hacking. The firm stopped working for NI, which publishes Rupert Murdoch’s UK newspapers, last week, insiders familiar with the situation said, after it was called in at [...]
News Corp is not a fit or proper owner of a British broadcaster, says our panel July 24, 2011 VOICE OF THE CITY NEWS Corp is not a “fit and proper” owner of a UK television broadcaster following the phone hacking scandal, according to the City A.M./PoliticsHome Voice of the City panel. Under the Broadcasting Act 1990, media watchdog Ofcom must ensure that owners or shareholders of broadcasting companies are “fit and proper” to [...]
OFCOM CROWNS T-MOBILE TOP OF THE POLLS July 21, 2011 T-MOBILE yesterday topped a poll of customer satisfaction with their network operators, with a 72 per cent approval rating, according to watchdog Ofcom (led by Ed Richards, pictured). O2 finished a close second, with Orange, Virgin Media and Vodafone all within three per centage points. BT was voted the top landline provider. Orange topped the [...]
BT forced into making cuts on broadband rate July 20, 2011 BT will have to cut the wholesale prices it can charge Internet Service Providers (ISPs) using its broadband network by 12 per cent on top of inflation each year, under a decision made yesterday by the regulator Ofcom. The price reduction, which will be in place by mid August of this year and continue until [...]
Hysteria made me drop Sky bid: Murdoch July 19, 2011 RUPERT Murdoch yesterday blamed “hysteria” for his decision to drop a takeover bid for satellite broadcaster BSkyB. In comments that underlined his anger at having to drop New Corp’s offer for the 61 per cent of Sky it does not already own, the media mogul suggested his competitors and detractors had capitalised on the public [...]
WHAT NEXT FOR NEWS CORP (AND HOW HOT COULD IT GET)? July 13, 2011 RETURNS FOR BID IN A YEAR Murdoch didn’t build the world’s most powerful media empire without overcoming some major hurdles along the way. Calling time on the bid when he did stopped a parliamentary vote that would have rendered green-lighting any future approach politically untenable. Cameron has called on him to “clean his own house” [...]
News Corp puts Sky bid on hold July 11, 2011 ■ Competition Commission probe to last up to a year ■ Gordon Brown says sick son was target of News Int NEWS CORP yesterday made the shock decision to effectively put its bid for BSkyB on ice for up to a year. Rupert Murdoch’s firm withdrew concessions made to the media watchdog over the takeover, triggering [...]
Bargain hunters should start fishing – but broadcaster is not without risks July 11, 2011 THE sell-off in BSkyB continued apace yesterday, as arbitrage traders piled out of the stock faster than you could shout “the deal is off”. The satellite broadcaster is still a brilliant company, however – one of Britain’s best: bargain hunters should take note. Analysts at Citi point out that BSkyB was trading at 600p a [...]
Phone hacking scandal widens to other Murdoch papers July 11, 2011 Former prime minister Gordon Brown is the latest alleged victim of phone hacking by newspapers – but it is believed to be the Sunday Times that used his personal details in press reports. The allegations mark an explosive turning point in the phone hacking scandal that has to date focused solely on the paper’s stablemate [...]