WPP kicks off £300m share buyback December 12, 2019 WPP today said it has entered into an agreement with Goldman Sachs to buy back up to £300m in shares, following its $4bn sale of market research firm Kantar. Shares are up just over two per cent on the news. The advertising giant said the share buyback programme will begin today and continue until 18 [...]
Don’t cross the streams: Netflix to make series about the rise of Spotify December 11, 2019 As the streaming wars heat up, media firms are increasingly looking to get ahead of their rivals. But now it appears Netflix may be willing to bury the hatchet – by producing a series about its audio streaming rival Spotify. Netflix today said it will air an untitled scripted show that documents the rise of [...]
Hipgnosis profit surges as song catalogue hits the right notes December 11, 2019 Music royalties investment firm Hipgnosis has posted a huge rise in pre-tax profit after snapping up some of the biggest hits of the decade in an aggressive acquisition spree. The London-listed firm today reported pre-tax profit of £12.6m in the six months to the end of September, more than four times the £3m posted in [...]
Podcasts on brink of subscription boom as listeners ready to splash cash on content December 11, 2019 Podcasts could be on the verge of a Netflix-style subscription boom, as the majority of listeners say they would be willing to fork out for premium shows. Just under 60 per cent of podcast listeners said they would be happy to pay for content at an average of £4 per month, or roughly £50 per [...]
Are the televised election debates a waste of time in their current format? December 11, 2019 Are the televised election debates a waste of time in their current format? Stuart Thomson, head of public affairs at BDB Pitmans, says YES. Despite everyone’s hopes, the televised leadership debates have been a complete damp squib. They have been a waste of everyone’s time, revealing little that we didn’t already know and failing to [...]
BBC wins battle for social media buzz as streaming giants lag behind December 11, 2019 Traditional broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV are winning the battle to create a buzz around new shows, as they generate more social media chatter than their streaming rivals. Figures published today by market research firm Kantar revealed that the BBC generated more tweets than any other broadcaster in the year to the end [...]
Amazon nets Champions League rights with German streaming deal December 10, 2019 Amazon has made its first move into European football streaming after snapping up the rights to show a package of Champions League games in Germany. The US retail giant today said it has secured exclusive rights to broadcast Tuesday night fixtures in the country for the 2021-2022 season. Read more: Amazon steps into Premier League [...]
Kantar boss to step down after London knife attack December 10, 2019 Kantar chief executive Eric Salama is set to step down from the top job next year, citing “personal priorities” after he was stabbed in an attack in west London in January. The data and consultancy business today announced that Salama, who has run the firm for 17 years, will step aside in 2020 following a [...]
Netflix dominates Golden Globe nominations with 34 nods December 9, 2019 Netflix has secured 34 nominations for this year’s Golden Globe awards, dominating both the TV and film lineups. The streaming giant secured 17 nominations for both divisions of the awards, in an extraordinary validation for the streaming giant, which received its first Globes nod five years ago. Read more: Apple TV Plus gives Netflix chills [...]
Publishing firm Haynes drives up shares as it reveals sharp profit growth December 6, 2019 Shares in publishing firm Haynes rose almost six per cent in early trading after it announced a sharp rise in profit for the first half of the year. Read more: Car manual publisher Haynes posts jump in profit as digital shift pays off The car manual specialist today said it expected to post a 37 [...]