WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell’s share scheme pay falls more than 30 per cent (to £42m) March 9, 2017 Sir Martin Sorrell, the FTSE 100’s best-paid chief executive, raked in £42m from WPP’s long-term incentive scheme last year, it emerged today. The £41.56m is a reduction on £63m Sorrell made from the LEAP share scheme last year, meaning his overall package for the year is likely to reduce from 2015’s £70m to around £50m. [...]
Newspaper industry calls for “urgent investigation” into Facebook, Google and fake news March 9, 2017 The newspaper industry has today cranked up the pressure of Google and Facebook, calling for an “urgent investigation” into their impact on the media landscape and fake news. The News Media Association (NMA) wants broadcast regulator Ofcom and/ or the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to examine the “Google-Facebook duopoly”. In its submission to a [...]
Former culture secretary John Whittingdale sees no problem with 21st Century Fox-Sky deal (but would refer it to Ofcom) March 8, 2017 Former culture secretary John Whittingdale has said he does not have a problem with 21st Century Fox’s Sky takeover and believes Channel 4 could thrive if sold off by the government. Whittingdale, who held the position until last year, was speaking at a time when his successor, Karen Bradley, is considering whether to refer Fox’s [...]
Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox tells government: Sky takeover is “in the interest of the UK” March 8, 2017 Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox has written to the government setting out why its Sky takeover is “in the interest of the UK, its creative economy and its consumers”. Culture secretary Karen Bradley is currently considering whether to refer the £11.7bn deal to broadcasting regulator Ofcom. Read more: Murdoch Empire 2.0 or socialist witch-hunt? MPs [...]
BT must innovate to win over more football fans and justify its lavish £1.2bn outlay on Champions League rights March 7, 2017 The business of football TV rights used to be relatively simple. There were rights to show live games, and rights to show highlights. For years, Sky dominated the live market, crushing a series of challengers with its financial fire-power and superior coverage. Highlights were often reserved for traditional free-to-air TV channels such as ITV and [...]
Murdoch Empire 2.0 or socialist witch-hunt? MPs debate Fox-Sky deal as culture secretary decides whether to refer bid to Ofcom March 6, 2017 Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox is preparing to make its case to culture secretary Karen Bradley as she decides whether to submit the company’s takeover bid for Sky News to broadcast regulator Ofcom. Interested parties have until Wednesday afternoon to submit representations to Bradley. Read more: Government "minded" to scrutinise Fox takeover of Sky After [...]
BT says it has not overpaid after beating Sky to UEFA Champions League rights March 6, 2017 BT has won the battle to secure the UK TV rights for European Champions League football for the next three years in a deal that will cost the telecoms giant £1.2bn and dismissed suggestions it has overpaid for them The deal, announced this morning, means BT will continue its coverage of Europe's premier club football competition until the [...]
No, YouTube.TV isn’t going to replace broadcast television. It’s New Coke March 6, 2017 I recently learned that in Scottish dialect the word “tube” is quite the insult – an idiot – and that when YouTube was first launched, many got the wrong end of the stick. “It’s on you tube!” could quite easily be interpreted as an invitation to fight. 12 years later and as far as established [...]
21st Century Fox lodges Sky takeover with European Commission with government “minded” to scrutinise deal March 3, 2017 The government has indicated it will likely scrutinise the takeover of Sky by 21st Century Fox. The US media giant notified the European Commission today, which in turn referred the transaction to Culture, Media and Sport secretary Karen Bradley. While the Bradley has 10 days to decide whether or not she will review the deal, [...]
Analysts react to WPP’s share slide March 3, 2017 WPP posted record revenues in 2016, but the advertising giant's shares fell by more than seven per cent this morning after it warned that economic growth in the year ahead would be "tepid". The media group headed up by Sir Martin Sorrell set a conservative growth estimate of two per cent for revenue and net sales in [...]
