US stocks climb to record high on positive economic growth July 29, 2021 Wall Street climbed to record highs on Thursday as investors piled into stocks after new figures revealed the US economy is recovering quickly from the Covid crisis. The S&P 500 hit record levels in opening trading, but scaled back to rise 0.53 per cent to 4,424 during the morning session. Likewise, the Dow Jones and [...]
Dazn inks landmark deal to stream Women’s Champions League June 30, 2021 The Women’s Champions League will be streamed live for free around the world for the next four seasons following a landmark deal with sports platform Dazn. The streaming service, dubbed the “Netflix of sports”, has acquired the rights to the tournament from UEFA until 2025. It has also agreed a partnership with Youtube to host [...]
The Analyst: What could the future hold for Channel 4? July 10, 2021 Ian Whittaker has been a City analyst for more than two decades, and what he doesn’t know about media, advertising and the creative services industry isn’t worth knowing. Here’s his second monthly column for City A.M. The UK Government recently announced a consultation on the future of state-owned Channel 4. Theoretically all options remain but [...]
No respite for BT investors as shares sink again August 6, 2019 By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. BT shares continue to fall after first quarter results do little to dispel fears over its dividend. After a torrid year for followers of Britain’s best-known stocks, first quarter results from BT Group (LSE:BT.A) have done little to ease their fears that the telecom group’s dividend is next for the chop. While last week’s figures [...]
Competition watchdog clears £31bn O2-Virgin Media merger April 14, 2021 The competition watchdog has provisionally cleared the £31bn merger between O2 and Virgin Media following an in-depth investigation. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a probe into the tie-up amid concerns it would harm competition in the wholesale market. Virgin Media provides leased lines to mobile operators such as Vodafone and Three, while O2’s [...]
Anton Ferdinand: England should be barred from hosting 2030 World Cup July 13, 2021 England’s Euro 2020 final against Italy on Sunday evening was marred by scores of ticketless fans trying to break into Wembley, while Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were subjected to racist abuse on social media. Following the debacle, Anton Ferdinand said this evening he believes England should be barred from hosting another major [...]
ITV outlines Love Island duty of care measures amid safety fears June 17, 2021 ITV has outlined stringent duty of care protocols for the upcoming series of Love Island after media watchdog Ofcom tightened safety rules for reality TV. The hit dating show, which was cancelled last year due to the pandemic, will return to screens later this month for its seventh series. But producers have now introduced a [...]
FTSE 100 climbs despite mounting concerns over Delta variant June 29, 2021 London’s FTSE 100 climbed on Tuesday despite mounting concerns over the spread of the Delta variant of coronavirus. The capital’s premier index rose 0.39 per cent to 7,100 in afternoon trading. The gains come as data from the Bank of England shows households recorded positive net consumer borrowing for the first since August, fuelling hopes [...]
BT Group ‘leads push for timetable’ on Britain’s big broadband switch September 18, 2019 BT Group and other broadband infrastructure firms are said to be holding talks with the government about a timetable for switching off copper broadband services. In a move that would echo the switch-off of analogue TV signal in 2012, BT is reportedly spearheading the initiative, which has been under discussion with other firms, regulators and [...]
Big Tobacco’s takeover of Vectura shows the holes on our Companies Act September 17, 2021 There’s little dispute that companies ought to aim to return money to shareholders. Dividends sustain our pension pots and are vital to keep our economy growing. But when this pursuit becomes single minded it fails even by its own logic. PMI’s takeover of Vectura will generate the greatest shareholder value in the short term, but [...]