ITV drops dividend and outlook as pandemic hits advertising March 23, 2020 ITV today ditched its dividend and outlook for the year as the coronavirus outbreak continues to decimate advertising revenue. The broadcaster said it would no longer propose a 5.4p per share dividend for 2019 at its upcoming annual general meeting, nor its 8p full-year payout for 2020. ITV said its decision to scrap the dividend [...]
Work from home: Could coronavirus kill your commute? March 12, 2020 Next time you are sitting on the train, the bus, or the Tube, look around you. You will notice that the carriage is not as crowded as usual. If you are a clockwork commuter like me, you will notice that characters from your morning commute are no longer making their regular appearance. The chap with [...]
Ursula von der Leyen pledges action on artificial intelligence during first 100 days in office November 27, 2019 The European Commission’s incoming President Ursula von der Leyen has called for the EU to draw up rules to regulate the use of artificial intelligence during her first 100 days in charge. The German politician and her commission were coronated in the European Parliament today, winning 461 MEP votes in favour compared to 157 against. [...]
Where Co-op will open 30 new stores before Christmas December 10, 2019 Co-op is aiming to open 30 new stores in the run-up to Christmas, as it invests £25m in sites at transport hubs, residential blocks and key city locations. The new stores are expected to create up to 500 jobs, bringing some festive cheer to the UK retail industry following a challenging year for the high [...]
Essex lorry deaths: Police identify all 39 Vietnamese victims November 7, 2019 All 39 Vietnamese people found dead in a lorry in Essex have been formally identified and their families told. The 31 men and eight women, all of whom were believed to be migrants, were found in the back of a refrigerated lorry in Grays on October 23. Detectives had been working alongside Vietnamese officials in [...]
Gemini Man review: A technical tour de force, but a mediocre action movie October 10, 2019 Ang Lee’s latest film, Gemini Man is remarkable for two reasons. Firstly, it stars regular Will Smith facing off against a digitally de-aged Will Smith, in a feat of cinematic engineering that is genuinely very convincing. Thanks to whatever manner of advanced Snapchat filters Ang Lee brought to bear upon the actor’s motion-captured face, Smith [...]
Boris Johnson likens Brexit to moon landings as Tory leadership voting enters final day July 22, 2019 Tory party members have until the end of the day to cast their vote in the leadership election, with Boris Johnson expected to be crowned the winner. Ahead of his likely coronation as Theresa May’s successor, Johnson issued a renewed call to solve the problem of the Irish backstop, the insurance policy designed to prevent [...]
Essex lorry deaths: Police make two new arrests as Vietnamese woman feared to be among victims October 25, 2019 Police have arrested two more people in connection with the deaths of 39 people found in a lorry container at an industrial park in Essex, it emerged today. A 38-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman from Warrington were arrested in Cheshire. Both have been detained on suspicion to traffic people and on suspicion of 39 [...]
DEBATE: Is it fair to consider ITV’s Love Island the biggest advertising opportunity of 2019? August 2, 2019 Is it fair to consider ITV’s Love Island the biggest advertising opportunity of 2019? Dave Lawrence, planning partner at creative agency Brave, says YES. Whether the show was the “biggest advertising opportunity” depends on what that brand was trying to achieve. While the women’s World Cup earlier this year, for example, had a much larger [...]
United States Grand Prix key part of Liberty Media’s grand plan for Formula One expansion October 29, 2019 Formula One returns to Austin, Texas this weekend for the United States Grand Prix, a race with a growing symbolic significance for owner Liberty Media’s ambitions for the sport. An exciting track designed specifically for F1 by German engineer Hermann Tilke, it is one of only five anti-clockwise circuits on the calendar and has seen [...]