Royal Mail shares slump to two-year low as union accuses it of ‘all out attack’ September 22, 2022 Royal Mail shares hit a two-year low today after it confirmed no union pay deal had been reached and that an agreement to protect jobs would be terminated. The delivery giant told the Communication Workers Union (CWU) that it would scrap a nine-year deal to protect jobs and conditions, pushing the CWU to back down [...]
Lord Rothermere to become new chief of Daily Mail publisher following privatisation push September 22, 2022 Lord Rothermere is set take over as chief executive of the Daily Mail publisher in what appears to be the crescendo of the media group’s tumultous few years. Paul Zwillenberg confirmed this morning that he would be stepping down as CEO of Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), with the great-grandson of the newspaper’s founder [...]
HMV back in the studio as High Street giant returns to making music for first time in 43 years September 22, 2022 HMV said this morning it will return to making records for the first time in more than four decades. The High Street giant is launching its own music label. The entertainment retailer, which runs 115 stores across the UK, has signed Newcastle-based singer-songwriter India Arkin to the new label, called 1921 Records. The label has [...]
Ofcom widens net for Big Tech probe September 22, 2022 Ofcom will be widening the scope of its probe into Big Tech, digging into competition concerns surrounding the cloud services space. The media regulator said this morning that it would launch a market study into the sector to ensure that markets are working well for people and businesses in the UK. Cloud services have exploded [...]
UK music biz struggles to keep up with pre-pandemic economic boom September 22, 2022 The UK music industry is still struggling to keep up with pre-pandemic levels, as the sector calls for more support. According to fresh data from industry body UK Music, the sector’s contribution to the UK economy in 2021 was £4bn – up 26 per cent on the £3.1bn figure for 2020, but still down 31 per [...]
Investors back Sorrell’s aggressive growth for S4 Capital despite heavy losses September 21, 2022 Sir Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital felt the bite of its own aggressive hiring strategy this morning, with losses more quadrupling in the first half of the year to £75.4m. The loss included £100m of primarily combination payments, some linked to “continued employment”, and the associated expense and amortisation totalling £93.9m versus £41.6m in the first [...]
Queen’s funeral: Sky News has biggest single day on YouTube with 42m views September 20, 2022 Sky News had its biggest single day on YouTube during the Queen’s funeral, with more than 42m views. The broadcaster’s digital offering included 5.2m million users on Sky News’ app and website, as the nation watched Her Majesty the Queen laid to rest. Sky News said it had more than 23m views of its coverage [...]
Govt looks at ‘business case’ for Channel 4 privatisation and scrapping BBC licence fee September 20, 2022 The UK Government is currently reconsidering its plan to privatise Channel 4 as well as scrapping the BBC licence fee. Culture secretary Michelle Donelan said she was currently “looking at the business case” for the sale of the state-owned broadcaster. “I’m the type of politician that bases their decisions on evidence, that bases their decisions [...]
Exclusive: UK retailers should copy TfL or they miss out on advertising cash, argues City bigwig September 15, 2022 Are UK retailers missing a valuable opportunity to earn money from advertising? A City insider thinks most big brands do, as he urges the High Street’s biggest names to look at TfL and copy their model by rolling out a retail media network. So-called retail media networks are one of the hottest emerging trends in [...]
The Week owner Future says full-year results to top expectations despite challenging backdrop September 13, 2022 The Week owner Future has said full-year results are expected to top expectations despite increasing pressure being put on the media firm from inflation and supply chain woes. The firm said it had seen return to organic audience growth in the second half of the year, “as Covid comparators were fully lapped, combined with continued [...]