Companies generate massive profits from people’s information, with experts describing user data as “the new oil”. Some of these companies are household names but many are unknown, with one analyst comparing the relationship between companies and users as “David vs Goliath”. Is there anything you can do about it, or are you resigned to having
Business
Next, the high street fashion giant, is plotting a swoop on Russell & Bromley, the 145 year-old shoe retailer. Sky News has learnt that Next, which has a market capitalisation of £16.6bn, is among the parties in talks with Russell & Bromley’s advisers about a deal. City sources said this weekend that a number of
The British economy has been slowing since the summer but the long wait for a late-November budget applied an extra touch to the brakes, according to the latest growth figures from the Office for National Statistics. A monthly contraction in GDP of 0.1% in October, and a similar fall in the three-month trend, was attributed
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s holding company has axed a fifth of its workforce, even as he plots a high street restaurant comeback six years after his Jamie’s Italian chain collapsed into administration. Sky News has learnt that Jamie Oliver Group – which is not connected to the newly revived restaurant business – is making 25
The first-ever Capture case has been delayed at the Court of Appeal as the Post Office asks for an extension to respond, Sky News has learned. Pat Owen, a former sub postmistress who has since passed away, was convicted of stealing in 1998 based on evidence from computer software. The system, known as Capture, was
OpenAI has signed its first major licensing deal to bring well-known characters to life on its Sora video generation tool. The company said the agreement with Walt Disney was part of a push to ensure the rights of creators in the generative artificial intelligence (AI) space amid growing concerns over copyright, fakes and misinformation. It
Tax changes announced in the budget could have “devastating, unintended consequences” on live music venues, including widespread closures and job losses, trade bodies have warned. The bodies, representing nearly 1,000 live music venues, including grassroots sites as well as arenas such as the OVO Wembley Arena, The O2, and Co-op Live, are calling for an
The fast food chain LEON has taken a swipe at “unsustainable taxes” while moving to secure its future through the appointment of an administrator, leaving hundreds of jobs at risk. The loss-making company, bought back from Asda by its co-founder John Vincent in October, said it had begun a process that aimed to bring forward
A former Unilever executive whose consumer insight platform is used by nearly a dozen of the world’s largest packaged goods companies has raised millions of pounds to fund its expansion. Sky News understands that Bolt Insight, which counts Unilever, Reckitt and Danone among its clients, will this week announce a £7m funding round led by
A legal technology start-up which was feted as one of the industry’s most promising players after raising tens of millions of pounds from blue-chip investors is on the brink of selling the bulk of its operations to a rival. Sky News understands that Robin AI, which was forced to lay off a big chunk of
👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈 A new White House National Security Strategy gives us an insight into how Donald Trump views the world, and the US’s place within it. Is this America rejecting Europe and uprooting the established world order? Two massive media companies go head-to-head to buy Warner Bros in a
A Blackpool-based provider of marketing solutions is plotting a London stock market flotation, providing a welcome boost amid concerted government efforts to make the UK capital markets more attractive. Sky News understands that International Connections Group (ICG), which provides advertisers with targeted print and digital solutions in sectors such as luxury hotels and funeral homes,
Netflix has agreed a $72bn (£54bn) deal to secure Warner Bros Discovery’s film and TV studios and supercharge its library through rights to top franchises including Harry Potter and Game Of Thrones. It had been reported that the US streaming giant was in exclusive talks over the deal following a bidding war for the assets.
The owners of one of Britain’s biggest trade show operators has picked bankers to oversee a sale next year which could fetch well over £1bn. Sky News has learnt that Providence Equity Partners, which has backed CloserStill Media since 2018, has hired Jefferies and The Raine Group to orchestrate talks with potential buyers. City sources
Discount retailer Poundland has revealed another wave of store closures over the winter as part of turnaround efforts by the new owners. A further 14 stores will close down by early February, on top of the 19 already set to shut down over the coming months. By early next year, the budget chain will have
Piers Morgan, the broadcaster and journalist, is raising tens of millions of dollars of funding from heavyweight investors as he seeks to turn Uncensored, his YouTube-based venture, into a broad-based global media business. Sky News can exclusively reveal that Mr Morgan is in the process of finalising a roughly $30m (£22.5m) fundraising for Uncensored that