ITV in talks to take stake in BT Sport April 30, 2021 ITV is one of the parties in talks to buy BT Sport, a move that could bring major football back to free-to-air television if the sale went ahead. BT yesterday confirmed it was in talks with major streaming platforms to offload a stake in its television arm as it focuses on its broadband division. ITV [...]
Facebook’s value tops $1 trillion after judge throws out US lawsuits June 29, 2021 Facebook last night joined an exclusive club of companies worth more than $1 trillion after a US judge dismissed two antitrust lawsuits brought against the social media company. A federal judge ruled that the legal challenges, which were brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a coalition of states, were “legally insufficient” and did [...]
Biden willing to compromise on plans to hike US corporate tax April 8, 2021 US President Joe Biden said last night he is open to compromise on his $2tn (£1.45bn) infrastructure plan amid fiery criticism from businesses over a proposed $2.5tn increase in corporate taxes. Biden faced furious backlash from Republicans, large corporations and members of his own Democratic Party to elements of the proposal he laid last week including major [...]
Wildfire film review – an understated family affair September 3, 2021 Generating some buzz through last year’s festival circuit, Wildfire comes to cinemas followed by sadness both on and off screen. Just as the sisters in the story live with loss in their lives, a dedication at the end alludes to the passing of star Danika McGuigan shortly after the film’s completion, aged just 33. There’s [...]
Jeff Bezos sells $1.8bn worth of Amazon shares August 1, 2019 Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos has sold roughly $1.8bn (£1.5bn) worth of shares in his company over the last three days. Read more: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos unveils plans to send Blue Origin rocket to the moon Filings to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revealed Bezos offloaded more than 900,000 shares [...]
Budget: Scrap £159 BBC licence fee and sell Channel 4, urges TaxPayers’ Alliance October 26, 2021 The TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) has called for the sale of Channel 4 and the scrapping of the BBC licence fee ahead of the Budget this week. The campaign group has also proposed that most of the BBC should be sold off and the corporation cut down to one television channel, radio station and online service. [...]
Hospitality operators pessimistic of any staff shortage resolution September 29, 2021 Restaurant bosses have complained that ministers are actively choosing not to intervene in staff shortage issues with immigration changes and instead are focusing on longer-term training plans. Sector leaders – including Nando’s boss Colin Hill and UK Hospitality CEO Kate Nicholls – will form a new hospitality council, business minister Paul Scully announced today. The [...]
Labour’s Anneliese Dodds hints at support for online sales tax on tech giants March 1, 2021 Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds has called for the government to level the taxation playing field between digital and bricks and mortar retail in a potential call for new online taxes. Dodds said at a pre-Budget address on Bloomberg that there was a “big gulf on how businesses based in bricks and businesses based on clicks [...]
Stream team: How Discovery and Warner Media plan to take on Netflix May 18, 2021 It was a plot hatched in the utmost secrecy. After striking up a rapport over their shared interest in golf, Discovery chief executive David Zaslov and AT&T boss John Stankey devised a plan to merge their media assets, shaking up the world of streaming in the process. Following a few whirlwind months of negotiations, which [...]
Co-op follows in footsteps of Amazon Go with ‘pay-in-aisle’ service July 31, 2019 The Co-op is trialling a new ‘pay-in-aisle’ plan that will allow customers to scan and buy for their products as they shop. The supermarket chain has teamed up with payment software firm ACI Worldwide to bring in the new system across 30 Co-op food stores in England, Scotland and Wales by early next month. Customers [...]