It’s open season for football’s economic analogies and the sky’s the limit August 27, 2012 EVEN though I’m an Everton fan, I’m enjoying the start of the new Premier league season. Part of the optimism is the latest round of television money that offers a lifeline to clubs that are financially perilous. This season, the Premier League made £3bn selling the rights to screen matches, a surprise 71 per cent [...]
Lancaster relishing decisive Durban Test June 14, 2012 ENGLAND coach Stuart Lancaster insists he cannot wait for their second Test against South Africa, even though defeat would end their hopes of a series victory. The Springboks secured a 22-17 victory in Durban on Saturday but Lancaster has resisted the urge to overhaul his young, experimental side and has made only three changes for [...]
BSkyB and BT spent £3bn to show Premier League June 14, 2012 Shares in BskyB and BT have fallen after markets reacted to their decision to pay £3bn to receive legal rights to broadcast English Premier League football. BSky’s shares fell by seven per cent and BT’s by three per cent. BT is to show 38 games a season in 2013-14 and the remaining 116 games will [...]
Avanti: Profitting from a giant leap in data use September 2, 2012 ON THE wall in the meeting room of Avanti’s London offices – just off Shoreditch high street – hangs a piece of A4 paper in a simple frame. There, in plain text, Avanti’s mission is set out: “To be the world leader in Ka band satcoms, make lots of money and have some fun.” Avanti [...]
Visit Malaysia for the birds, the bees and the leeches October 7, 2012 MY HERO swoops down in the nick of time. I’m perched atop a bare rock, too petrified to move when she flies to my rescue. Barely seven inches tall, the blue-winged pitta flits to the ground and within moments, her beak is filled with what look like needle-thin worms. I’ve never been happier to see [...]
BSkyB signs $15m tie-up with Zeebox January 9, 2012 BSKYB has acquired 10 per cent of social TV network Zeebox in a move that grants the broadcaster exclusive rights to use the two-month-old start-up’s technology in its own apps. While no sum was officially disclosed, Zeebox chief executive Ernesto Schmitt tweeted that BSkyB parted with more than $15m (£9.7m) in the deal. Co-created by [...]
MANCHESTER UNITED LAUNCHES US LISTING July 30, 2012 MANCHESTER United has brushed off market concerns by kicking off a $383m (£243.8m) initial public offering in the United States last night. Just a week after reports said the football club had put the brakes on its float due to lukewarm investor interest, Manchester United said in a filing it hopes to sell 16.67m Class [...]
Murdoch’s plan to divide seen as a path to conquer June 26, 2012 THE Sky’s the limit once again for News Corporation. It took the first step in what looks like a bold new strategy to acquire the remaining 61 per cent of BSkyB yesterday. The media giant confirmed that it is “considering a restructuring to separate its business into two distinct publicly traded companies” – understood to [...]
Mining gains prop up FTSE August 9, 2012 Gains in heavyweight miners kept Britain’s main share index flat this morning, as solid results from Randgold Resources and expectations of fresh stimulus measures from China propped up the equity markets. The FTSE 100 was down 0.08 per cent, as Randgold rose 3.1 per cent after reporting a 10 per cent rise in second-quarter profit. [...]
Mitchells & Butlers profits fall May 18, 2012 Restaurant and pub group Mitchells & Butlers has reported a dip in profits as the rising cost of food and fuel undermined rising revenues. The owner of chains including Harvester, All Bar One and O’Neills, which earlier this year faced a shareholder revolt over management and ownership issues, gave scant details on its search for [...]