Exclusive: O2 exec on the £31bn mega merger with Virgin Media and why mobile is the future June 30, 2021 O2’s recently approved £31bn tie-up with Virgin Media will speed up investment in telecoms infrastructure and bolster the UK’s post-pandemic recovery, the mobile network’s boss said recently. The mega-merger, agreed last year by O2 owner Telefonica and Virgin Media parent Liberty Global, received final approval last month after an in-depth probe by regulators amid concerns [...]
Facebook and Google lobby UK to block Paul Dacre as Ofcom chair May 25, 2021 Facebook and Google are said to have ramped up their lobbying of the UK government amid fears Paul Dacre could be appointed as the next chair of Ofcom. Dacre, the former editor of Daily Mail, has been tipped as the frontrunner to lead the UK’s media watchdog. He is one of four final candidates set [...]
NFTs: Learning lessons from the first steps in the digital collectables world June 17, 2021 Alex Lightman discusses how NFTs exploded on the scene and how they can have a successful future.
Cinema is the clear loser of the pandemic advertising economy January 6, 2021 The clear winner of the pandemic ad economy is online, driven by the huge jump in e-commerce, despite travel-related advertising being impaired by the pandemic’s international scope. According to new data from Enders Analysis, the London-based media research firm led by Claire Enders, more than half of all advertising spend last year was on digital [...]
Ed Warner: Commonwealth Games should consider dropping restrictive colonial ties March 31, 2022 This week, Ed Warner argues that the Commonwealth Games must adapt if it’s to survive, ponders English cricket’s leadership vacuum and hopes Russia remains in exile. Depending on your media outlet of choice, Wills and Kate’s Caribbean sojourn was either a triumph of charming diplomacy or another nail in the coffin of empire – as [...]
Ed Warner: Trans debate has echoes of Semenya legal row but ‘meaningfulness’ may be buzzword April 7, 2022 It’s a pity Emily Bridges was blocked from competing in the National Omnium Championships in Derby last weekend. Yes, the cyclist would have been at the centre of an unsavoury media scrum, but we would have gathered one more valuable data point with which to try and balance the febrile debate about transgender women in [...]
Screenshot: Can GB News survive the ad boycott backlash? June 18, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Richard Madeley goes full Partridge **Can GB News survive the ad boycott backlash? **London’s bumper fintech float: a Wise move Media Moment of the Week: Richard Madeley goes full Partridge It’s always risky when producers attempt a comeback of an old show, so I was sceptical when I [...]
Time Out looks to raise £17m in upcoming fundraise April 1, 2021 Time Out is looking to raise £17m as part of an upcoming fundraise ahead of what it hopes will be a renaissance of culture and going out in the city. The publisher and markets owner will tap markets for £2m more than initially planned following strong demand from institutional investors. The £17m represents 17.1 [...]
Kremlin cronies face more sanctions while furious Putin fires eight generals: ‘Clusterf**k’ invasion not going well’ March 15, 2022 More family members of Russian oligarchs can expect to be targeted with sanctions, a UK official said this afternoon. The official, asked about the potential to sanction family members of Russian elites, said: “Yes, there is actually quite a wide range, out of the 370, who are family members. “There is a number of members, [...]
Shakespeare on advertising: Farage lifeboat attack gives RNLI a boost – CityAM : CityAM August 12, 2021 On July 28, ex-UKIP leader and current GB News host Nigel Farage attacked the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) – describing them as a “taxi service” for illegal trafficking gangs because they rescue migrants at risk of drowning in the channel. If his aim was to discredit the charity, it had the opposite effect. Data [...]