WPP blocks share options for Martin Sorrell over media leaks
Advertising agency says incentives for former chief executive will lapse because he disclosed confidential information to media
Sir Martin Sorrell
WPP has refused to pay its founder and former boss Sir Martin Sorrell up to £600,000 in outstanding bonuses after accusing him of leaking information, opening up another legal battle between the two bitter rivals.
The FTSE 100 advertising agency said it had blocked share awards from 2016 and 2017 due to Sir Martin amid claims he shared confidential details about the business he founded 36 years ago.
Sir Martin - who left WPP in 2018 over misconduct allegations which he has always denied - hit back at the company, calling its actions a “petty move” driven by “blind rage”. He said the matter was being dealt with by his lawyers..
ITV in the race for BT Sport
Deal with commercial broadcaster would be likely to put some Premier League and Champions League matches back on terrestrial television
29 April 2021 • 7:30pm
ITV is in talks to bring top-flight football back to free-to-air television as it explores taking a stake in BT Sport.
The broadcaster has emerged as a contender to seal a television partnership with BT, alongside Amazon, Disney and Dazn, a sports streaming challenger bankrolled by the billionaire Sir Leonard Blavatnik.
Media sources confirmed ITV’s interest after
The discussions are at an early stage and may not lead to a deal, but could result in a partial sale of BT Sport, a joint venture or other structures designed to allow BT to focus more on its broadband business.
Telegraph hits record 603,000 subscribers as profits surge despite pandemic
Telegraph Media Group accelerated its transformation to a subscription-led digital business
27 April 2021 • 8:06am
Telegraph Media Group has reached a record 603,000 paying subscribers and enjoyed a 76pc jump in operating profits before exceptional costs, the company said on Tuesday.
Digital subscription growth is continuing to perform strongly, driven by strong interest in politics, coronavirus coverage, the Royal family, lifestyle and financial news, according to a trading update from the company that publishes
The Daily Telegraph,
Telegraph.co.uk.
The milestone of 600,000 paying subscribers was passed in March 2021, with the latest audited figure reaching 603,000 across print and digital as of the end of that month, as certified by PWC.
Rupert Murdoch scales back BBC challenge by axing TV news channel
Former Fox News chief David Rhodes is leaving News UK after it abandons plan to launch an opinionated channel ahead of GB News
27 April 2021 • 3:26pm
Rupert Murdoch has dialled down his challenge to the BBC s rolling news service by scrapping plans for a TV news channel.
News UK was preparing the ground for a news station on broadcast TV that would target audiences who disliked the publicly funded broadcaster s coverage.
The move was part of a head-to-head battle with GB News to become the first opinionated news channel to launch before the summer.
Innocent Drinks founders back broadband start-up taking on BT
Cuckoo will use £4m funding round to double its workforce in an attempt to hoover up more customers
26 April 2021 • 6:00am
A broadband start-up attempting to disrupt the dominance of BT has secured $6m (£4.3m) from investors, including the founders of Innocent Drinks.
Cuckoo plans to double its workforce following a fresh funding round supported by JamJar Investments, the fund created by Innocent s Richard Reed, Adam Balon and Jon Wright.
Spearheaded by former Treasury civil servant Alex Fitzgerald, Cuckoo wants to mirror the success of Bulb and Octopus Energy, which have become challengers in the energy market.