Economists lambast BBC over ‘misleading’ UK debt coverage November 30, 2020 A group of the country’s leading economists have written to the director-general of the BBC to complain about the broadcaster’s “misleading” financial coverage. Two-dozen finance wonks told Tim Davie that the BBC’s reporting on UK borrowing “misrepresented” the constraints facing the government and the economy due to the Covid-19 crisis. The complaint related to the [...]
Stocking filler: London Stock Exchange backs virtual charity carol concert November 27, 2020 London Stock Exchange has teamed up with music royalties firm Hipgnosis to support a star-studded virtual carol concert that will raise funds for charity. Chic legend Nile Rodgers, who acts as an adviser to Hipgnosis, will host the festive gig on Tuesday 15 December. The programme will feature appearances from a string of music icons, [...]
Screenshot: Is price comparison the Future of publishing? November 27, 2020 A weekly column from Morning Wire bringing you all the biggest stories and trends in technology, media and telecoms This week **Media Moment of the Week: A baking bonanza **Future’s flirtation with Go Compare: Insane or inspired? **Baby boomer radio beats Media Moment of the Week For many of us, The Great British Bake Off [...]
Mirror publisher reports 14 per cent slump in revenue as print sales plummet November 27, 2020 Daily Mirror publisher Reach has reported a 14 per cent in revenue for the five months to November, after lockdowns across the UK hammered print sales. Reach, which owns 240 regional news titles, booked a 19.6 per cent decline in print revenue for the period. The group is now consulting on proposals to permanently close [...]
Disney increases layoffs to 32,000 as pandemic hits theme parks November 26, 2020 Disney has increased the number of workers it plans to lay off to roughly 32,000 as the coronavirus pandemic continues to batter its theme park business. The US media giant plans to make the job cuts — which equate to roughly 15 per cent of its total workforce — in the first half of 2021, [...]
Chernobyl effect drives British TV exports to record high November 26, 2020 The value of UK TV exports hit a record high last year as blockbuster dramas such as Chernobyl sparked a boom in international demand. Hit TV shows generated £1.48bn in the year to March, a six per cent increase year on year, according to figures from industry body Pact. Scripted drama was the key driver [...]
Johnny Depp blocked from appealing Sun libel case and must pay paper £630,000 November 26, 2020 Johnny Depp has been blocked from appealing against a High Court ruling which deemed that he had assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard. The Hollywood A-lister will also be forced to pay the Sun nearly £630,000 in legal costs for his failed libel action against the paper. The film star brought the case against the paper [...]
Fake news: How to fight the Covid infodemic November 26, 2020 With tensions on the rise towards the latest vaccine developments and the winter months looming large, remaining vigilant of fake news in relation to the virus is critical. As the country toils with life under lockdown for the second time this year, we are once again confined to spending more time indoors, looking at our [...]
Bertelsmann snaps up Simon & Schuster in $2.2bn deal November 25, 2020 The German media group behind Penguin Random House has acquired US publisher Simon & Schuster for $2.2bn (£1.6bn). Bertelsmann today confirmed it had secured the deal with owner Viacom CBS following a closely-fought bidding war. The takeover cements Bertelsmann’s position as the world’s largest book publisher, and strengthens its footprint in the US — its [...]
Selling like hot cakes: Bake Off final smashes Channel 4 ratings record November 25, 2020 Channel 4 last night smashed its ratings records after millions of Brits tuned in to the final of The Great British Bake Off. The final baked up a storm with a record-breaking average audience of 9.2m viewers, taking an almost 40 per cent slice of the audience pie. Viewing numbers for the baking bonanza peaked [...]