UEFA Champions League auction: BT and Sky prepare bids but could others come to the party? February 28, 2017 BT and Sky will go head-to-head in a near billion pound battle over the UK television rights for European Champions League football. A tender process kicks off with bids needing to be in tomorrow to secure the rights that also include the Europa League and will run for three years starting from the 2018/19 season. BT Sport is the incumbent provider [...]
Google Home is about to launch in the UK February 28, 2017 Hey Google! Google Home, the smart home speaker launched by the tech giant last year, is about to become available in the UK. The voice controlled assistant powered by artificial intelligence and which is a rival to the Amazon Echo is scheduled to be available for UK buyers in the second quarter of the year, it's been [...]
Droning on: How drones are transforming marketing February 28, 2017 From publicity stunts to epic and cost-effective aerial photography, marketers are getting increasingly creative with how they use drone technology. Prior to the rise in camera-equipped drones in recent years aerial photography was restricted to those who could afford helicopter support. All that has changed. As City A.M. reported last year, the drone [...]
SpaceX to boldly go where no private company has gone before: The Moon February 27, 2017 Serial entrepreneur Elon Musk will fly two people around the moon next year, boldly going where no private company has gone before. In an announcement late last night Musk said two unnamed private citizens had approached his company, SpaceX, and had paid a “significant deposit” to secure the mission. The announcement could start a new [...]
Tesco is removing 1,700 deputy managers from its stores February 27, 2017 Around 1,700 Tesco employees face an uncertain future as the business eliminates a layer of management and replaces the jobs with lower-paid roles. The UK's biggest supermarket is replacing deputy managers in its "Express" convenience stores and creating 3,300 new, lower-paid "shift leader" jobs. Read more: Why Tesco could be better off leaving Booker on the shelf [...]
Tandem Bank’s chief executive Ricky Knox talks sarongs, dumb pipes, ornithology and why Facebook is scared of banking February 27, 2017 "Would you have called Amazon? I didn’t! We all thought that was just a fad – it was a bookseller. An online bookseller with that valuation? But the internet creates these giants – and it’s not just one or two of them. "Look at music – EMI is basically dead. Google – a little bulls*** [...]
Guess which British stalwart has just been named the UK’s favourite brand again February 27, 2017 British Airways may have hit some turbulence thanks to the weak pound, but when it comes to its brand value, the airline is sailing smoothly on, after it topped a ranking of the UK's favourite brands – again. It's the fourth year in a row BA has topped the Superbrands index, an annual survey of consumers' views [...]
Watch out Alexa: Google’s AI assistant’s been released into the wild at MWC integrating with Nokia, Samsung, Huawei and more February 26, 2017 Google's voice assistant has been released into the wild, making an appearance in several blockbuster smartphones unveiled at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. The Siri-like assistant will feature in the latest flagship phones from Nokia, Samsung, Huawei LG, Sony and HTC. It's the first time the artificial intelligence (AI) powered Google Assistant has featured in any non-Google [...]
Warren Buffett’s annual letter: Star-spangled banners, Gekko, buybacks and insurers February 25, 2017 It's great being right. It's even better when being right makes you bucket loads of money. And for around half a century, Warren Buffett – the world's second wealthiest man – has made a name for himself in being both. Today he sent his annual letter to investors of his behemoth Berkshire Hathaway fund, offering a [...]
FTSE reshuffle: Dixons Carphone, Easyjet, Capita and Intu all face relegation February 24, 2017 It's FTSE 100 reshuffle time again next week – and research suggests Dixons Carphone, EasyJet, Capita and Intu Properties could all be in the relegation zone. The Share Centre said potential replacements include the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust, whose focus on international investments means it is making the most of a stronger pound, and asset [...]