The future of film: Big screen’s make or break moment August 9, 2021 As blockbuster season explodes into action and Cannes finally reconvenes, it may seem like business as usual for cinema. But peek behind the scenes and there are still huge challenges to overcome. Three CAs in the sector tell Christian Koch about the big screen’s make-or-break moment. This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. Hollywood and [...]
Does big tech have a blind spot? August 5, 2021 The giants of Big Tech have emerged as the undoubted corporate victors of the past decade. Throughout that period, companies like Amazon, Facebook, and Google dominated the global marketplace, capturing ever-larger market shares and destroying upstart competitors in their way. These firms built impressive businesses, and investors rewarded their achievements with doubly impressive valuations: the [...]
Lyft announce first profit figure three months ahead of target August 4, 2021 Californian Uber-challenger Lyft saw shares rise six per cent on Tuesday after announcing the first time quarterly profit in the firm’s nine-year history. Three months ahead of target, the company said EBITDA profit hit $23.8m (£17.2m) in the most recent quarter as rider numbers rebound after the pandemic. Lyft has branched out in tandem with [...]
Pizza and shopping discounts to be offered to boost vaccine take-up August 1, 2021 People will be offered discounts on pizza, cinema trips and ride sharing apps if they get vaccinated as a part of a campaign by the government to get more young adults to take the vaccine. The government is reportedly speaking to dozens of companies, including coffee and cinema chains, about rolling out a voucher scheme [...]
Rishi Sunak warns Boris Johnson travel restrictions are ‘out of step’ August 1, 2021 The Chancellor has warned Boris Johnson that the UK’s travel restrictions are “out of step” with its international rivals as he pushes for holiday rules to be relaxed, according to reports. The Sunday Times reports today that Rishi Sunak has written to the Prime Minister about the damage that the current border rules are doing [...]
Deliveroo set to pull out of Spain following gig economy law changes July 30, 2021 Deliveroo is set to shut down its operations in Spain, months after the government announced changes to the legal status of gig economy workers. The British company, which listed in London earlier this year, said it would consult on pulling out of the market due to the high levels of investment needed and uncertainty over [...]
Screenshot: Will the digital advertising boom ever end? July 30, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: You are what you tweet **Will the digital advertising boom ever end? **Esports: Britain’s next big thing? Media Moment of the Week: You are what you tweet You know the scenario: someone says something you don’t like on Twitter and you have an overwhelming urge to rise to [...]
Uber shares slide as SoftBank look to soften blow of Didi NYSE chaos July 29, 2021 Uber shares have fallen after reports that technology investment firm SoftBank is selling a third of its stake in the ride-hailing app. SoftBank is thought to be planning to offload up to 45 million shares, at an overall value of around $2bn. The Japanese investment group bet big on Didi ahead of its New York [...]
Just Eat Takeaway investor calls for merger as it slams stock performance July 27, 2021 A major investor in Just Eat Takeaway has urged the food delivery platform to explore a potential merger as it took aim at the company’s share price performance. Cat Rock Capital, which holds a 4.7 per cent stake in the group, slammed management’s “deeply flawed communication” with investors, which it blamed for a 28 per [...]
Wechat suspends new user registration amid China crackdown July 27, 2021 Chinese social media giant Wechat has temporarily suspended new user registrations as Beijing ramps up its crackdown on domestic tech firms. The messaging platform, which is owned by Tencent, said it was upgrading its security technology “to align with relevant laws and registrations”. “During this time, registration of new Weixin [Wechat] personal and official accounts [...]