Spotlight on Financial Fair Play in Football: Uefa forced to defend FFP’s independence April 24, 2014 EUROPEAN football’s governing body Uefa was forced into a PR offensive yesterday after their president Michel Platini appeared to state that no clubs would be banned for breaking new financial fair play (FFP) rules. The suggestion raised significant questions about Uefa’s willingness to get tough on serious offenders, and what influence, if any, Platini might [...]
Sky chief to address Champions League defeat at City conference November 18, 2013 SKY CHIEF executive Jeremy Darroch will address the company’s take on the recent upheaval of TV sport on Wednesday, City A.M. understands, after BT recently won exclusive rights for Champions League football from 2015. Up until now Sky has played down the importance of Champions League content to Sky Sport, as accounting for only three [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 27 November 2013 November 26, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES RBS faces possible criminal probe The Serious Fraud Office is considering a criminal investigation into allegations Royal Bank of Scotland defrauded companies by forcing them out of business, amid growing pressure on the bank over its treatment of SMEs. The SFO has conducted interviews with former executives of UK firms affected by RBS’s [...]
Sponsors line up to steal Barclays’ Premier crown January 27, 2014 THE PREMIER League is bracing itself for a sponsorship bidding war if Barclays decides to pull out of the deal next year, it emerged yesterday. The high street lender, which has sponsored the league since 2001, is mulling plans to end the £40m a year deal when the rights come up for renewal in 2015. [...]
Sky Movies deal pushes TV rivals closer together October 14, 2013 BT FINALLY inked a deal with Sky yesterday to show its premium Sky Movies channels on BT’s TV packages following three years of negotiations. Though talks between the media giants to allow Sky Sports content across all of BT’s TV offerings remain ongoing, the Sky Movies deal could indicate Sky is more willing to negotiate [...]
Downing Street adviser wants tighter oversight of this key Chinese tech firm December 17, 2013 The national security adviser has published a report encouraging tighter oversight at the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC), which tests the Chinese telecoms firm’s equipment for vulnerabilities. Huawei’s technology is deeply embedded in the UK’s telecoms infrastructure after a deal in 2005 with BT led to Huawei providing parts of its extensive broadband network, [...]
Severn Trent sees profits slide but keeps bill increases down November 26, 2013 Water company Severn Trent has reported a 5.8 per cent fall in underlying group profit before tax to £141.3m, but says it's on target to deliver its full year expectations. In the six months ended 30 September, reported group profit suffered a 4.2 per cent loss to £255.7m. When it came to the rise in [...]
London Report: Growth figures set to show UK’s strong recovery January 26, 2014 GROWTH figures for the fourth quarter are expected to give further proof of Britain’s booming recovery. Economists predict expansion of 0.8 per cent in the final three months – giving the UK its strongest yearly growth since 2007. Jonathan Loynes, of Capital economics, said: “We think that the preliminary estimate of GDP in the fourth [...]
Huawei’s technology to receive closer scrutiny from government December 17, 2013 THE NATIONAL security adviser published a report yesterday encouraging tighter oversight at the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC), which tests the Chinese telecoms firm’s equipment for vulnerabilities. Huawei’s technology is deeply embedded in the UK’s telecoms infrastructure after a deal in 2005 with BT led to Huawei providing parts of its extensive broadband network. The [...]
Bottom Line: Costs bite but Premier commitment pays off October 17, 2013 NO MATTER who wins, wars are always expensive. When BT kicked off its bid to take on rival BSkyB with its own dedicated sports channels earlier this year, it sparked a bidding battle for Premier League football rights that sent prices soaring. Sky acknowledged the hit in its first quarter results yesterday as programming costs rose [...]