Screenshot: Who’s invited to the UK’s summer of fun? March 19, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: No 10’s power vacuum **Who’s invited to the UK’s summer of fun? **BT gets a broadband boost Media Moment of the Week: No 10’s power vacuum There are two main things to remember when unveiling your grand £2.6m briefing room to the world: make sure it doesn’t look [...]
FTSE 100 recovers after Bank of England holds interest rates March 18, 2021 London stocks recovered this afternoon after suffering a drop following the Bank of England’s decision to hold interest rates indicated the pace of Britain’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The BoE kept its stimulus programme unchanged this afternoon ahead of an expected recovery in Britain’s economy later this year, helped by the fast rollout [...]
BP plans UK’s largest hydrogen plant in Teesside March 18, 2021 Energy giant BP today said it aims to build Britain’s largest hydrogen plant by 2030 as part of the UK’s push to boost fuel use and cut greenhouse gas emissions. The Teesside plant in northern England will have capacity of up to 1GW of so-called blue hydrogen, a fifth of Britain’s 5GW target for the [...]
Ofcom gives BT green light to charge more for full-fibre broadband March 18, 2021 Ofcom has given BT the green light to continue charging higher prices for its full-fibre broadband services in a bid to encourage investment in the network across the UK. The media watchdog today said BT’s Openreach will be free from price caps on its wholesale offering for at least a decade. The long-awaited announcement forms [...]
Ofcom allows BT pricing flexibility to encourage fibre broadband rollout March 18, 2021 Communications watchdog Ofcom said this morning it will create new conditions for telecom giant BT to make significant investments in nationwide full-fiber broadband by allowing the company pricing flexibility for its fastest services. “We aim to allow all companies the opportunity to achieve a fair return over their whole investment period, and do not expect [...]
BT and Vodafone shares rise on cut-price 5G spectrum auction March 17, 2021 Shares in BT and Vodafone pushed higher today after the mobile networks secured bargain deals in the latest auction of 5G airwaves. Regulator Ofcom this morning said that it had raised £1.4bn from the sale of additional capacity to support 5G mobile coverage. The figure was well below analyst forecasts, leaving the telcos with more [...]
SSP plots £475m rights issue to patch up battered balance sheet March 17, 2021 Upper Crust owner SSP today said that it would raise £475m through a rights issue to shore up its battered finances amid the ongoing pandemic. The travel food provider announced the raise as part of a suite of measures to tackle problems on its ailing balance sheet, warning that revenue would not return to pre-pandemic [...]
Screenshot: Does the UK media have a racism problem? March 12, 2021 This week: **Media Moment of the Week: GMB gets a new frontman **Does the UK media have a racism problem? **Deliveroo’s IPO giveaway; BT gets in a bind Media Moment of the Week: GMB gets a new frontman What a week it’s been for ITV. In the space of 24 hours it racked up bumper [...]
ITV shares fall after Piers Morgan quits broadcaster March 10, 2021 Investors switched off ITV today after Piers Morgan resigned from breakfast show Good Morning Britain. Shares are down nearly six per cent this afternoon. The controversial broadcaster stepped down from the programme last night amid a furore over his comments about Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Shares in ITV are currently [...]
UK regulators unveil ‘joined-up’ approach ahead of Big Tech crackdown March 10, 2021 Three major UK watchdogs have outlined their “joined-up” approach to digital regulation this morning as authorities prepare to crack down on Big Tech. The Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DCRF), which includes Ofcom, the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), today unveiled its first annual plan for co-ordinating new regulation across online [...]