Disney Plus: UK launch to go ahead amid coronavirus outbreak March 23, 2020 Disney fans are poised to gain access to hundreds of films and TV shows as the US media giant launches its new streaming service amid the coronavirus crisis. Disney Plus will be available to UK viewers from tomorrow, though the company has said streaming quality will be reduced across Europe amid concerns the pandemic has [...]
New York Times buys audio news platform Audm March 23, 2020 The New York Times today said it has acquired audio news platform Audm as it looks to tap into the growing popularity of on-demand listening. Audm, which was founded in 2016, turns longform written articles into audio tracks, which are then narrated by professional voice actors. The audio app gives subscribers access to hours of [...]
Time Out rebrands to Time In as it closes print edition and markets due to coronavirus March 23, 2020 Time Out has temporarily rebranded to Time In after the coronavirus outbreak forced the media group to close its print edition and food markets. The publisher and events group has closed all six of its food markets, while it is also battling a slowdown in advertising revenue. The firm said it will now launch an [...]
ITV drops dividend and outlook as pandemic hits advertising March 23, 2020 ITV today ditched its dividend and outlook for the year as the coronavirus outbreak continues to decimate advertising revenue. The broadcaster said it would no longer propose a 5.4p per share dividend for 2019 at its upcoming annual general meeting, nor its 8p full-year payout for 2020. ITV said its decision to scrap the dividend [...]
Pearson issues 2020 profit warning on coronavirus closures March 23, 2020 Education publisher Pearson today issued a profit warning for 2020 and paused a £350m share buyback as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The firm, already suffering from a difficult transition from print to digital, warned it expects a “negative impact” on 2020 profit from closing its testing centres. The postponement of US state exam [...]
Facebook and Instagram cut streaming quality amid broadband surge March 22, 2020 Facebook today said it will cut streaming quality for videos posted to its platform to help reduce the strain on broadband networks during the coronavirus outbreak. The measures will be rolled out across Europe, and also apply to Facebook-owned social media app Instagram. “We are committed to working with our partners to manage any bandwidth [...]
ITV’s Saturday Night Takeaway bags record 9.5m viewers as Brits flock to traditional TV March 22, 2020 ITV’s Saturday Night Takeaway pulled in a record 9.5m viewers last night as housebound Brits flock to traditional broadcasters during the coronavirus outbreak. The hit sketch show secured 45 per cent of all live TV viewers as hosts Ant and Dec presented the programme without a studio audience for the first time as a result [...]
GBP / EUR update March 20, 2020 | City Talk As everywhere across the world, everything in the UK has been accelerating at pace and the pound has paid the price. Whilst not always at the bottom of the pile, sterling has been struggling and hit a 35-year low against the US dollar. Measures to address all aspects of the crisis were well-received by investors [...]
Coronavirus: Netflix downgrades streaming quality after EU plea March 19, 2020 Netflix has said it will downgrade video streaming qualities on its platform in a bid to save network space. The US streaming giant said it will cut bitrates in Europe for 30 days, which is expected to reduce traffic by 25 per cent. It comes after the EU asked Netflix to restrict high definition (HD) [...]
Coronavirus: Broadcaster viewing figures surge as Brits flock to TV news March 19, 2020 The UK’s public service broadcasters have reported a huge surge in viewer numbers as Brits flock to TV news to find out the latest information on the coronavirus outbreak. Almost 8.7m people tuned into the BBC Six O’Clock News last night — the highest figure recorded since Christmas Day 2008 and more than twice the [...]