Sky’s rivals want to punish it for being a success October 29, 2009 BACK in 1997, Japanese carmaker Toyota took a gamble and spent $1bn (£603m) developing the Prius, its hybrid fuel vehicle. At the time, the panic over global warming had yet to develop and there was little call for a mass-market green car. In its first year of production, it sold just 300 units. Now the [...]
Sky rivals call on Ofcom to speed up its probe into the pay-TV market October 28, 2009 Broadcasters have urged Ofcom to speed up its review of the pay-TV industry, calling on it to implement rules to force Sky to wholesale premium sports and movies content to rivals at fixed prices. The watchdog yesterday published submissions to its third consultation on the pay-TV review, which showed that Sky’s rivals are becoming increasingly [...]
FOOTBALL-CRAZY PWC GETS STUCK IN ON ENGLAND’S WORLD CUP BID October 28, 2009 GOOD news for the multitude of football fans in the City: the team behind England’s bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup have secured themselves a powerful ally. PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accountancy giant, today announces it is the first sponsor to officially back the bid, responsible for working on crucial aspects of the proposal such [...]
RAPPER TALKS CRIME, DRUGS AND THE CUT AND THRUST OF BUSINESS October 27, 2009 FRESH from interviewing Warren Buffett, otherwise known as the “Sage of Omaha” or one of the most successful investors the world has ever seen, the Beeb’s Evan Davis yesterday turned his microphone on a different type of guest: rapper 50 Cent. “Fifty”, who’s recently co-authored a business book called The 50th Law, was happy to [...]
Former GCap boss Richard Eyre is in the race for Channel 4 chairmanship October 26, 2009 FORMER GCap chairman Richard Eyre has been short-listed for the role of Channel 4 chairman, a position Ofcom said yesterday it intends to fill within the next couple of weeks. The communications regulator is in the final interview stages to find a replacement for Luke Johnson, whose tenure as chairman of the state-owned broadcaster comes [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPER SAY THIS MORNING October 11, 2009 THE SUNDAYSThe Sunday TelegraphBORIS JOHNSON WARNS EU TO KEEP OUT OF THE CITYBritain’s financial sector, which creates billions of pounds in revenue for the Treasury, is under threat from European legislation and an increasing tax burden on high-earning individuals, a report from the Mayor of London’s office says. The report, released this week, says that [...]
Virgin and BT join forces in BSkyB attack October 4, 2009 Virgin Media and BT have hit out at BSkyB’s pricing mechanism for its premium channels, saying that its “near monopoly” restricts consumer choice and keeps prices high. The attack came in a joint submission to Ofcom, which is consulting over its proposals to control the wholesale pay-TV market, that would mean BSkyB having to sell [...]
Ofcom warns that regional news will cost ITV network 64m from 2012 September 22, 2009 OFCOM warned yesterday that regional news programming across ITV’s networks could be hemorrhaging up to £64m a year by 2012. The watchdog’s estimate means that new funding is needed to ensure the continued provision of regional news on Channel 3, because the costs of paying for the license would outweigh the benefit. The Channel 3 [...]
Music body tries to deny industry rift September 16, 2009 THE BODY representing the UK music business yesterday attempted to quash talk of an industry split over the government’s plans to disconnect people caught illegally downloading music. The controversial issue has polarised the music industry, with some artists supporting business secretary Lord Mandelson’s proposals to disconnect persistent illegal filesharers, but others attacking them. But UK [...]
ITV execs in the frame for C4’s top job September 16, 2009 TWO ITV executives were yesterday being hotly tipped to succeed Andy Duncan as chief executive of Channel 4 (C4) when he steps down later this year. Peter Fincham, ITV’s director of television, and John Cresswell, the commercial broadcaster’s chief operating officer, are both believed to be favourites for the high-profile role. C4’s Duncan ended months [...]