Louis Theroux leaves BBC Studios to launch his own production company October 23, 2019 Louis Theroux has parted ways with BBC Studios to set up his own production company, sparking speculation that the documentary maker could be eyeing deals with streaming rivals. Theroux, who has worked with the broadcaster’s commercial arm for two decades, has set up a new firm called Mindhouse Productions alongside his executive producer Arron Fellows. [...]
Samira Ahmed takes BBC to court in row over unequal pay October 21, 2019 Top BBC presenter Samira Ahmed is taking the broadcaster to an employment tribunal over claims she was paid less than her male colleagues. Ahmed is due to appear at a central London tribunal on Monday next week over an alleged “failure to provide equal pay for equal work”, filings show. Read more: Government must reach [...]
Vodafone apologises after customers charged thousands for roaming October 14, 2019 Vodafone has issued an apology after customers were incorrectly charged as much as £11,000 for using their phones abroad. Mobile users took to Twitter to complain about thousands of pounds worth of roaming charges on their bills, with many saying their phones had been disabled and they were unable to contact customer services. Read more: [...]
KKR acquires majority stake in broadband provider Hyperoptic in £500m deal October 14, 2019 Global investment firm KKR has acquired a majority stake in the UK’s largest residential gigabit broadband provider. KKR bought the stake from funds managed by investment firm Newlight Partners and Mubadala, the UAE sovereign wealth fund. The companies have not announced the details of the deal, but it is understood to be worth £500m. Read [...]
Government must reach funding deal with BBC over free TV licences, say MPs October 11, 2019 MPs have urged the government and the BBC to reach a funding arrangement to restore free TV licences for people aged over 75. In a damning report the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee slammed the government of 2015 for trying to “bounce” the BBC into accepting measures that left it liable to [...]
Dialling down: A quarter of mobile phone users make fewer than five calls a month October 10, 2019 A quarter of mobile phone users in the UK make fewer than five calls per month, while six per cent made no calls at all, new figures have revealed. Moreover, around 60 per cent of those people who did pick up the phone ended the call in under 90 seconds. Read more: Mobile shopping platform [...]
BBC tried to block Ofcom probe into Naga Munchetty impartiality row October 7, 2019 Ofcom has slammed the BBC’s “lack of transparency” after the broadcaster attempted to block the regulator’s investigation into an impartiality row. BBC director general Tony Hall last week reversed the corporation’s decision to partially uphold a complaint into Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty over her comments about US President Donald Trump. Read more: BBC plots iPlayer [...]
How BBC plans to overhaul iPlayer for the Netflix age October 7, 2019 The BBC is gearing up to overhaul its on-demand iPlayer service as it braces for an onset of newcomers in the crowded streaming market. The corporation is planning to reposition the iPlayer as the main access point for its services amid a decline in traditional TV viewing among younger audiences. Read more: Ofcom gives green [...]
Openreach shelves board overhaul amid concerns over BT links October 6, 2019 Openreach is said to have shelved plans to overhaul its board amid concerns the move would erode its independence from BT. Read more: Ofcom gets the green light for new Openreach broadband regulation The telecoms network business, which was spun off from BT last year, has been looking to appoint BT’s strategy chief Michael Sherman [...]
John Lewis to axe a third of senior managers to save £100m October 1, 2019 The John Lewis Partnership is slashing its senior management layer by one third in a shock £100m bid to cut costs at the struggling retailer. Around 75 senior managers will get the axe from the current total of 225 in head office, John Lewis said. As part of the shake-up, the embattled chain also revealed [...]