UK competition watchdog ‘to probe Amazon buy box’ June 10, 2021 The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority is planning to formally investigate competition at Amazon, according to reports this morning. The investigation comes amid a similar ongoing one by the EU into Amazon. The UK competition watchdog, which has been analysing the online retailer for months, has focused on how Amazon uses data collected on its [...]
A third of gig economy couriers and delivery drivers have no savings June 9, 2021 Around 30 per cent of gig economy drivers, riders and couriers across Europe had no savings in the first half of 2021. Almost half of the 10,000 workers surveyed had experienced a claimable event such as an accident. Of these, only 12 per cent had actually made a claim and 69 per cent had a [...]
Screenshot: Is Channel 4 facing a Great British Sell-Off? June 4, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Baby Musk (Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo) **Is Channel 4 facing a Great British Sell-Off? **Etsy dials into Gen Z fashion Media Moment of the Week: Baby Musk (Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo) It’s fair to say Elon Musk has a bit of a reputation for [...]
New tech regulation mustn’t be allowed to stifle innovation June 3, 2021 There is scarcely any market that could not be described as digital in 2021. In ten years time, the phrase ‘digital market’ will be, effectively, redundant. We should be concerned, then, by the creation of a powerful new regulator with a remit to cover all ‘digital markets’. Read more: UK says any global tax deal [...]
Amazon to dethrone both Tesco and Sainsbury as UK’s largest retailers within four years June 3, 2021 Amazon is to overtake Tesco as the UK’s largest retailer within the next four years, with sales expected to hit more than £77bn by 2025, according to new research, shared exclusively with Morning Wire this morning. Last year, Amazon UK’s total sales were £36.3bn while Tesco’s sales were almost double at £64bn. However, by 2025, [...]
The world is not enough: Amazon’s streaming push continues with $8.45bn deal for Bond studio MGM May 26, 2021 Amazon has confirmed it will acquire iconic film studio MGM in a deal worth $8.45bn (£6bn). MGM has more than a century of filmmaking history and is the home of a string of famous titles, including Tom & Jerry, The Wizard of Oz and the James Bond franchise. In a statement today the companies said [...]
Stage and stream: Amazon inks broadcast deal for National Theatre productions May 25, 2021 Amazon Prime has inked a deal to stream four productions filmed by the National Theatre this summer, including the original stage version of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag. The tie-up will also include Frankenstein, directed by Danny Boyle and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and Hamlet, which also features the Sherlock star, filmed at the Barbican in 2015. Amazon [...]
Screenshot: Have the streaming wars just gone nuclear? May 21, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: That’ll do, you donkeys **Have the streaming wars just gone nuclear? **Can London close the tech gap on Silicon Valley? Media Moment of the Week: That’ll do, you donkeys Shrek turned 20 this week. Ah lovely, an innocent reminder of youth, I bet you’re thinking. Wrong. It’s actually [...]
Streaming giants: Amazon reportedly in talks to buy iconic MGM Studios May 18, 2021 One of the film industry’s most famous studios MGM may be about to be bagged by online retail giant Amazon for £6.35bn, according to reports. The multi-billion-dollar sale would give Amazon’s Prime streaming service access to a back catalogue of iconic content that spans nearly 100 years of film and television since the studio was [...]
Amazon to create 10,000 UK jobs this year May 14, 2021 Amazon today announced that it would create 10,000 new jobs in the UK in 2021 as the online giant expands its workforce in the country. It said that it would also invest £10m over three years to train up 5,000 of its staff using its “Career Choice” programme. The firm has partnered with the British [...]