Major Tory donor, head of Garden Bridge and Brexit advisers receive top gongs in Queen’s Birthday Honours list October 9, 2020 One of the largest Conservative party donors, the head of the failed £40m Garden Bridge and 10 Brexit advisers were among the senior figures to receive awards in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Tony Gallagher, who has donated almost £4m to the Conservative party over the last 13 years, was awarded a knighthood for [...]
Exclusive: London film firm secures Hollywood backing for animated blockbuster October 9, 2020 A London-based film company has secured backing from two major Hollywood names to produce one of the largest UK-financed feature films in recent years. Film and TV financing group GCI Film has pumped $37.5m (£29m) into Ozi, an animated environmental film telling the story of the ongoing destruction of the Sumatran rainforest in Indonesia. City [...]
TalkTalk: Will a go-private deal ring the changes for the troubled telecoms firm? October 8, 2020 TalkTalk announced earlier today it had received a takeover bid from investment management firm Toscafund. The offer paves the way for a go-private deal for the London-based telecoms group. Investors reacted positively to the news, with shares in the company rising more than 19 per cent. The bid came as little surprise to analysts, who [...]
Minister flags potential extension of England curfew to 11pm October 8, 2020 A government minister has floated the idea of potentially extending England’s hospitality curfew to 11pm – the same as Northern Ireland. London minister Paul Scully told a virtual event today that a curfew extension would be a lifeline to the hospitality sector, but that the government needed to examine how effective Northern Ireland’s 11pm lock [...]
UK broadcasters call for new regulation amid threat from streaming rivals October 8, 2020 The UK’s public service broadcasters have doubled down on their calls for tighter regulation of the media landscape amid growing competition from deep-pocketed streaming rivals. The heads of the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 were today united in their pleas to bring British broadcasting rules up to date to contend with modern viewing [...]
Welcome to the Age of Boycotts, where controversy can be a brand’s best friend October 8, 2020 This summer’s hectic news agenda made corporate boycotts the latest hot fashion accessory — and it’s not a trend that looks likely to die any time soon. But rather than panicking and getting ready to fold to the demands of the online (and offline) mob, companies should reframe the risk of being subject to a [...]
Big tech faces break-up as Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google accused of ‘monopoly power’ October 7, 2020 Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google have all abused their market power and could face a potential break-up, according to a damning new report backed by US Democratic politicians. In a 449-page recommendation released yesterday, the US House Antitrust Committee set out a roadmap for cracking down on the tech giants. The report follows a 16-month [...]
Consumer survey sees Netflix on top of Covid-19 satisfaction rankings – with Ryanair grounded October 7, 2020 A consumer ranking of how businesses performed for their customers during the Covid-19 pandemic has seen Netflix and Amazon take first and second spot. At the other end of the scale, power companies were seen to be thoroughly underperforming – with more of the bottom five responsible for gas and electricity. Read more: The businesses [...]
Media minister warns Channel 4 could be privatised in fresh broadcasting row October 6, 2020 Media minister John Whittingdale today said the government was mulling a sale of Channel 4 as he launched a fresh salvo on the publicly-owned broadcaster. Speaking at a virtual event during the Tory party conference, Whittingdale said ministers were debating the Great British Bake Off broadcaster’s future amid competition from streaming services such as Netflix [...]
Licence to kill: Will the Bond debacle be fatal for the UK’s cinema sector? October 6, 2020 It was a plot twist that would have made Ian Fleming proud. For decades James Bond has been a leading light of cinema, delivering a reliable string of blockbuster hits to line pockets in Hollywood. But overnight the suave spy has been transformed into a villain, and has left cinemas fighting for survival. The decision [...]