UK-licensed TV service RT, backed by the Russian state, has defended itself against calls for its closure following the poison attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. In debate following Prime Minister Theresa May’s assertion that it was “highly-likely” that there was Russian state involvement in the incident, she faced repeated calls […]
Nancy Dubuc, president and CEO of A+E Networks, has left the company and is replacing Shane Smith as CEO of VICE Media. Smith is to move to Executive Chairman to focus on strategic deals and content development. VICE has been under pressure over its corporate culture towards women and badly missed its financial targets last year. […]
Elon Musk, the owner of the SpaceX rocket business and Tesla Motors electric car operation, told delegates to the South by South West (SXSW) technology show in Austin, Texas, that both SpaceX and Tesla are alive by “the skin of their teeth” such were the financial challenges for both privately-held businesses. He was delivering a […]
In a move designed to ensure better audience engagement, the BBC has confirmed that Kerris Bright, currently Chief Marketing Officer at Virgin Media, will take up the new role of Chief Customer Officer. The role will take responsibility for developing a closer, more personal relationship with BBC consumers, licence fee payers and those signing in […]
Hispasat has revealed its 2017 revenue and profit numbers, which are relatively positive given the global slump in satellite demand. Madrid-based Hispasat reported total revenues of €235.1 million (up 2.7 per cent) over 2016, and net profit was significantly ahead (up three-fold) at €80.5 million. Its contracted backlog was just over €1 billion (4.4 times […]
Six of the world’s leading satellite industry associations have established the Global Satellite Coalition (GSC), an international group through which targeted initiatives will be coordinated and implemented with the combined support of hundreds of member companies based in every world region. The coalition will drive industry priorities with one voice, unlocking opportunities for industry growth […]
French telco Iliad missed market forecasts for its 2017 profit increase due to losses related to its planned launch in Italy. The company, majority-owned by its billionaire founder Xavier Niel, said annual sales rose 5.6 per cent from last year to around €4.9 billion in line with forecasts. However, its 2017 consolidated core earnings of […]
AT&T and Time Warner have argued in court documents filed on March 9th that competition with online media players would prevent prices from rising if the proposed $85.4 billion (€78.5bn) merger is allowed to proceed. “HBO faces greater competition than ever from other premium channels like Showtime and Starz, and from subscriber video on-demand services […]
French production group Lagardère Studios has taken a majority stake in Dutch TV production company Skyhigh TV. The move follows the acquisition of Boomerang TV in Spain and Aito Media Group in Finland respectively in 2015 and 2017. Created in 1999, Skyhigh TV is owned by founder Marc Dik, Wilfred Drechsler and Bernard van den […]
The UK government has confirmed that a compulsory age verification check for adult websites will no longer be introduced in April as originally planned. In a statement, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said it would now start “later in the year”. “This is a chance for the government to rethink the absence […]