Simon & Schuster to let £2bn Penguin deal fall through November 21, 2022 Simon & Schuster owner is set to let its $2.2bn (£1.9bn) sale to Penguin Random House collapse today after the deal was blocked by US regulators. Sources told Reuters that German media group Bertelsmann, which owns Penguin, has been unable to convince Paramount Global, Simon & Schuster’s owner, to launch an appeal of the decision. [...]
The year the music died? What energy bills and recession will mean for gigs November 21, 2022 Gigs have always been a great way to escape from the toils of everyday life – a few friends, usually a few drinks and great bands. But, what does a live music scene look like once you factor in spiralling inflation and rocketing energy bills for venues and consumers who can no longer afford to [...]
Exclusive: Brits ready to splash £300m in World Cup flutter November 18, 2022 BRITISH punters are set to splash over £300m during the Qatar World Cup, according to new data from gambling titan Flutter. As owner of Paddy Power, Sky Bet and Betfair UK, Flutter said the tournament would undoubtedly be the biggest betting event of the year – on track to surpass the 2018 World Cup figures, [...]
Twitter HQ in chaos as mass exodus of staff picks up after Musk sets ‘hardcore’ deadline November 18, 2022 After Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk gave workers a choice to pledge to “hardcore” work or resign with severance pay, the social platform is bleeding engineers. Some took to Twitter to announce they were signing off after Musk’s deadline to make the pledge. A number of employees took to a private forum outside of the [...]
Posties to walk out over Christmas season in new Royal Mail strike dates November 17, 2022 Posties are set to strike on six days next month, including on Christmas Eve, in a fresh wave of industrial action. Workers at the Royal Mail will take action on six days between 9 and 24 December, in addition to the four days of strikes already called. The Communication Workers Union announced the new dates [...]
Embracer slashes earnings forecast amid ‘darker’ economic landscape November 17, 2022 Swedish video gaming group Embracer cut its earnings forecast and admitted it was looking at spinning off some divisions. Shares plunged some 19 per cent after the holding firm said it was reviewing its business and mulling a spin off of a number of its companies. The largest European gaming group acknowledged that the macroeconomic [...]
Royal Mail calls for less letter days as it claws way out of strike action November 17, 2022 Royal Mail has asked the government to cut its letter delivery service from six to five days as the beleaguered firm attempts to claw itself out of financial crisis. The former state-owned company, also known as International Distributions Services (IDS), called on ministers to reduce the letter numbers to ensure the “long-term sustainability” of the [...]
Top Whitney Houston hits snapped up by Brookfield’s music investment vehicle November 16, 2022 WHITNEY Houston has become the latest music legend to see her copyrights snapped up as the fight for catalogues continues across the industry. Brookfield Asset Management has acquired around 60 songs written by Shannon Rubicam and George Merrill for an estimated value of $50m and $100m. According to reports from the FT, the deal includes [...]
Locals slam Sky Studios new Elstree movie hub November 14, 2022 Locals have slammed Sky Studios’ plans to expand its Elstree film and TV hub, which could create 2,000 new jobs for the local area according to the media giant. Dubbed Sky Studios Elstree North, the plans – which are subject to planning permission – would take the total number of soundstages onsite to 23, and [...]
S4 Capital revenues jump despite tech slowdown November 14, 2022 Investors in S4 Capital saw a much-needed boost in share price today after the London-listed firm appeared to dodge the wider tech turmoil. The brainchild of WPP founder Sir Martin Sorrell revealed that like-for-like gross profit climbed over 29 per cent to £249.9m in the third quarter, with “whopper” client projects bolstering the company’s results. [...]