UBM buys Allworld for almost $500m December 13, 2016 Event organiser UBM is to buy Asian exhibitions company Allworld for $485m (£382.55m) in cash, in an effort to strengthen its position in Asia and provide an entry into the Middle East. The deal will be debt-funded with a new bridge facility, and is expected to add to earnings in 2017, UBM said this morning. UBM [...]
No, Greg Dyke: There is no justification for government intervention in the FA December 13, 2016 These are not great times for the Football Association (FA). There has been criticism for years over the Premier League’s dominance, wasteful spending on Wembley and the failed Lilleshall School of Excellence, and underfunding of grassroots football. This has been reinforced this year by England’s risible performance in the Euros and new manager Sam Allardyce’s [...]
Successor to John Key is confirmed in New Zealand’s top post December 12, 2016 New Zealand has a new prime minister, with frontrunner Bill English confirmed as the person to succeed John Key after his shock resignation last week. Telling reporters he was "both excited and humbled", English announced Paula Bennett as his deputy and economic development minister Steven Joyce as the person to take over his old job [...]
Banning junk food ads won’t stem the flow of fat kids December 12, 2016 For anyone who grew up in the nineties, advertising and children’s television were one and the same – for every ten minutes of Power Rangers, there would be five minutes of ads for Sunny D and awful American cereal. Invariably some garish, multicoloured cartoon character would jump out of the television, screaming demands like an Isis [...]
Branding a sports star: How Wasserman create social media prodigies December 12, 2016 Sports stars want to be rock stars, and rock stars want to be sports stars,” says Lenah Ueltzen-Gabell, executive vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Wasserman. We’re sitting in its newly refurbished headquarters at Aldwych House, an ultra-modern, open space of reductive design, coated with memorabilia gleaned from years of representing [...]
Blockchain chief executive Peter Smith talks smart contracts, homelessness and starting the world’s largest bitcoin wallet December 12, 2016 When I speak to Peter Smith, he is mid-juggling three events in as many days: a board meeting, moving his entire London team to new offices, and the office Christmas party. “We haven’t even had the office opening yet, but it’s all been fine,” he reflects. The first of these requires a day trip to [...]
Sky seeks to calm shareholder concerns over Fox bid as board independence comes under fire December 11, 2016 Broadcasting giant Sky is vying to convince investors that 21st Century Fox’s £10.75 per share takeover bid is not undervaluing the company. Sky revealed last Friday it had reached an agreement with Fox that values the business at £18.5bn – but some shareholders criticised the approach over the weekend. One big name City shareholder told City [...]
Political opposition to Murdoch takeover of Sky mounts December 10, 2016 Former Labour leader Ed Miliband, former business secretary Vince Cable and influential campaign group Hacked Off have all voiced their opposition to the possibility of a 21st Century Fox takeover of Sky. Although media analysts appear to believe the deal is unlikely to be blocked by regulators, the news has attracted a number of objections in the [...]
US intelligence agencies believe Russia intervened to help Donald Trump win presidential election December 10, 2016 US intelligence agencies have “high confidence” Russia acted covertly to boost Donald Trump’s chances in the US presidential election. Both the Wall Street Journal and New York Times have reported the findings, citing senior US officials. Read more: Donald Trump has beaten Nigel Farage to be named Time's Person of the Year Trump’s transition team [...]
Property market predictions 2017: From Brexit to tenant fee bans, we’ve asked London’s biggest real estate agents to look into their crystal balls December 8, 2016 2017 will see the rise of Build-to-Rent in London Mark Collins, chairman at CBRE Residential Throughout 2017, I hope that SME developers continue to be championed and encouraged by local government, as these housebuilders will play a major role in alleviating the housing crisis. Access to land and financial support as well as flexible planning systems [...]