CBI urges government to protect UK’s booming creative industries after Brexit October 23, 2019 The CBI has called on the government to roll out new measures to protect the UK’s booming creative industries after Brexit. In a report published today, the business group hailed the creative industries as a key driver of growth, with exports of goods and services from the sector now contributing £50bn per year to the [...]
Tiktok launches safety campaign after removing IS propaganda videos October 23, 2019 Tiktok has rolled out a new safety campaign days after it emerged Islamic State (IS) militants had used the platform to spread propaganda videos. The video-sharing app has released a series of so-called awareness videos that it said will help to keep its users informed by highlighting safety features. Read more: Social media firms urged [...]
Administrators hunt Bell Pottinger partners in bid to claw back ‘excess’ pay October 23, 2019 Former partners at the disgraced PR firm Bell Pottinger have been forced to repay hundreds of thousands of pounds in salaries they earned before the business collapsed. The London-based PR company went into administration in 2017 following a scandal over its work for the billionaire Gupta family in South Africa, where it was accused of [...]
ITV Hub hits 30m registered users as Love Island charms viewers October 23, 2019 ITV today announced that its on-demand streaming service ITV Hub has more than 30m registered users as Love Island and the Rugby World Cup helped to attract new viewers. The figure, which is up from 26m at this time last year, means the broadcaster has beaten its previous target of hitting 30m users by 2021. [...]
Discovery wades into streaming wars with ad-funded platform October 22, 2019 Discovery has set out its stall in the increasingly crowded streaming market, launching a free on-demand app in the UK and Ireland. The ad-funded platform, called Dplay, will provide programming from across the media group’s free-to-air channels, including Really, Quest and Home. Read more: Netflix shares rise as it beats profit expectations ahead of streaming [...]
Visual effects firm DNEG confirms plans for £150m London listing October 22, 2019 Oscar award-winning visual effects firm DNEG has confirmed plans to list on the London Stock Exchange, saying it will seek to raise £150m from the float. The London-headquartered company said it intends to sell at least 25 per cent of new and existing shares in a bid to fast track its growth plans. Read more: [...]
Buzzfeed and Gousto investors back London media AI startup October 22, 2019 A London artificial intelligence (AI) startup has today closed a $25m (£19.2m) funding round to help businesses better track their competition. Signal AI’s series C round was led by Redline Ventures, and supported by the venture arm of publishing giant Hearst. Other investors included Gousto backer MMC Ventures, and GMG Ventures which counts the owner [...]
Netflix to sell a further $2bn in bonds as it builds up war chest October 21, 2019 Netflix has announced plans to sell roughly $2bn (£1.5bn) worth of bonds as it launches a final push for cash before the onslaught of new streaming rivals. The on-demand video giant said it will issue the bonds in both euros and dollars and will negotiate terms such as interest rate and maturity date with buyers. [...]
Samira Ahmed takes BBC to court in row over unequal pay October 21, 2019 Top BBC presenter Samira Ahmed is taking the broadcaster to an employment tribunal over claims she was paid less than her male colleagues. Ahmed is due to appear at a central London tribunal on Monday next week over an alleged “failure to provide equal pay for equal work”, filings show. Read more: Government must reach [...]
Global launches 24-hour rolling news radio station LBC News October 21, 2019 Media group Global has launched a new 24-hour radio station to provide rolling news coverage as it looks to tap into growing listener appetite for round-the-clock updates. LBC News will provide UK and world news, as well as business, travel, sport and weather. The new station will replace LBC London News, which currently broadcasts in [...]
