Tony Hall to step down as BBC director general January 20, 2020 The BBC has announced that Tony Hall will stand down as director general this summer after seven years in the role. In a email to staff, Hall said it had been “such a hard decision”, adding: “If I followed my heart I would genuinely never want to leave.” “However, I believe that an important part [...]
Podcast firm Audioboom boosts revenue on advertising rush January 20, 2020 Podcast company Audioboom has posted a sharp rise in revenue for the year after ramping up its share of advertising spend in the rapidly growing audio market. The Aim-listed firm reported a 91 per cent increase in revenue to $22.2m (£16.9m) in the year to the end of December, while its loss before interest, tax, [...]
BBC pays Sarah Montague £400,000 in equal pay dispute January 20, 2020 Radio presenter Sarah Montague today revealed that she won £400,000 and an apology from the BBC for being paid “unequally” over many years. Montague, who hosts Radio 4’s World at One, said she secured the settlement last year after a “long period of stressful negotiations”. In a series of tweets this morning, the veteran journalist [...]
CMA launches probe into Future’s TI Media merger January 20, 2020 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced today that it is investigating whether Future’s proposed acquisition of TI Media could harm competition. In October 2019, the publisher said it planned to acquire magazine printer TI Media, which owns popular titles Country Life and Marie Claire, for £140m in cash. The CMA said it was considering [...]
Former BBC boss warns licence fee overhaul would ‘delegitimise’ service January 19, 2020 The former director general of the BBC has warned that any move to overhaul the licence fee would “delegitimise” the broadcaster. Mark Thompson, who left the BBC in 2012 to take over as chief executive of the New York Times, said proposals to decriminalise no-payment of the licence fee would have a “pretty negative” impact [...]
Former ITV boss Adam Crozier in talks to chair Kantar January 19, 2020 The former chief executive of ITV is in discussions to take over as chairman of market research giant Kantar. Adam Crozier, who led the broadcaster for seven years to 2017, has been approached about the role by Bain, which bought a majority stake in Kantar from WPP for $4bn (£3.2bn) last year. A source close [...]
Netflix shows to remain on Sky after media firms ink new multi-year content deal January 19, 2020 Sky today said it has signed a new multi-year agreement with Netflix to keep the US streaming service’s programming on its pay-TV network. The two companies said the extended deal builds on a “successful partnership built over the past two years”, with Sky customers already able to access Netflix hits such as Sex Education through [...]
Sky boss calls for ‘urgency’ over social media regulation January 16, 2020 The UK should “inject some urgency” into its plans for a new internet regulator due to the societal damage caused by unchecked internet platforms, the boss of Sky has said. Jeremy Darroch called for ministers to tackle so-called online harms, warning that the “promise of self-regulation hasn’t worked”. “We only need to look back to [...]
BBC unveils plan to double global audience to 1bn by 2030 January 15, 2020 The BBC today announced plans to double its global audience to reach 1bn people per week by the end of the decade. Director general Tony Hall today said the corporation aimed to build its global brand and expand its audience in a bid to pull in more revenue from outside the UK. “If we’re strong [...]
UK box office revenue tops £1.25bn as cinemas fend off streaming giants January 15, 2020 UK cinemas pulled in more than £1.25bn last year as film fans continue to flock to the big screen despite the growing popularity of streaming services. Cinema admissions exceeded 176m in 2019 as punters were drawn in by blockbuster hits such as Avengers: Endgame, The Lion King and Joker. It marks the third consecutive year [...]