UK’s online anti-vaccine movement growing rapidly February 16, 2021 The number of people who follow social media accounts that promote anti-vaccine messages is rising sharply. On Instagram alone, major anti-vaccination accounts grew nearly fivefold in 2020, reaching over 4m followers in the UK, according to new research by BBC Monitoring, shared in BBC Panorama last night. On Facebook, anti-vaccination pages grew by 19 per [...]
Vivendi plots €30bn stock market listing for Universal Music Group February 13, 2021 Vivendi is planning to list Universal Music Group and distribute 60 per cent of its capital to investors by the end of the year as it looks to cash in on the rising value of music assets. The French media group today said it has set a minimum target of €30bn (£26bn) for the listing, [...]
Screenshot: Should online harms laws take on the hackers and pirates? February 12, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Ya boi in Hanoi **Who’s taking on the online hackers and pirates? **Will Big Tech finally cough up for news? Media Moment of the Week: Ya boi in Hanoi Tempted as I was to feature *that* cat lawyer this week, I think perhaps, to borrow Michael Gove’s words, [...]
Demand for streaming service helps narrow Disney’s losses February 11, 2021 Disney’s nascent streaming platform has helped to offset some of the impact of the pandemic on its wider entertainment business. The House of Mouse beat analysts’ expectations posting $16.25bn in overall revenue down from $20.86bn in the previous quarter. Disney’s parks, experiences and products segment have been closed since the second quarter and predicts additional [...]
BBC World News banned in China in broadcast retaliation February 11, 2021 BBC World News has been banned from airing in China in an apparent act of retaliation after the UK withdrew the licence of the country’s state broadcaster. China’s National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) today said it was pulling the service off air due to “serious content violations”, CGTN reported. The regulator claimed the BBC [...]
Mail on Sunday loses privacy case against Meghan Markle February 11, 2021 The Mail on Sunday has lost its privacy case against Meghan Markle after it printed extracts of a letter she sent to her estranged father. A judge at the High Court today granted Markle a so-called summary judgement in her case against Associated Newspapers, part of Daily Mail and General Trust. The Duchess of Sussex [...]
Vue chief executive Tim Richards named as new BFI chair February 11, 2021 The founder and chief executive of cinema chain Vue has been named as the new chair of the British Film Institute (BFI). Culture secretary Oliver Dowden today confirmed that Tim Richards will take up the position from next week and serve a term of up to three years. Richards founded Vue in 1999 and has [...]
Publisher Future given bloody nose over executive pay as profit surges February 11, 2021 Publishing group Future has suffered an investor revolt over executive pay, even as the magazine giant shrugged off the pandemic to post a sharp rise in profit. The board of Future, which owns titles such as Four Four Two and Country Life, has pushed through a controversial new pay scheme that could see chief executive [...]
Relx hikes dividend but warns on exhibitions recovery February 11, 2021 Relx today said it plans to lift its full-year dividend by three per cent after growth in its core analytics business offset a sharp decline in exhibitions. The FTSE 100 group said it had enjoyed continued growth in its science, legal and risk divisions, which make up 95 per cent of its revenue. This mitigated [...]
BBC makes editorial director Kamal Ahmed redundant in board overhaul February 10, 2021 The BBC has made editorial director Kamal Ahmed redundant in a major overhaul of its leadership that has also left the corporation in breach of its own diversity rules. Fran Unsworth, director of BBC News, today said the number of board members will be cut from 11 to eight as part of plans to “modernise” [...]