LONDON: Hit shows like “Game of Thrones” and “Riviera” helped Sky deliver a 10 percent rise in first-half earnings, underscoring the appeal of the European pay-TV group to the US media companies trying to buy it.
Rupert Murdoch’s Twenty-First Century Fox was provisionally blocked this week from buying the shares in Sky it does not already own, although there are options that would allow the $15.7 billion deal to do through.
Sky, whose customer base rose by 365,000 in the half to 22.9 million, could then be sold to Disney if a separate sale of Murdoch’s TV and film assets receives the green light.
The British broadcaster reported revenue of £6.7 billion (SR35.52 billion) for the six months to the end of December, up 5 percent year-on-year and in line with the first quarter, while core earnings rose to £1.1 billion.
“This performance reflects the investment choices we have made in recent years, allowing us to more than offset the pressure on consumer spending across Europe, as more customers continue to choose Sky for more of their services,” Chief Executive Jeremy Darroch said.
The satellite-company, which operates in Italy, Germany and Austria as well as Britain and Ireland, said it would pay an interim dividend of 13.06 pence a share, on top of a special dividend of 10 pence, which UBS analysts said was a positive surprise.
Darroch said the company’s investment in original programming, such as dramas “Riviera” and “Tin Star,” drove viewing figures for Sky’s own channels up 6 percent.
“We have an exceptional line-up of acquired series, and when you add to that our own Sky Originals, it puts us in what I think is the strongest content position we’ve ever had,” he told reporters on Thursday.
The results come two days after Britain’s competition regulatory ruled that Fox’s bid to buy the 61 percent of Sky it does not already own was not in the public interest.
Murdoch, who also owns newspapers in Britain, now has to come up with an arrangement that will prevent him from influencing the news agenda at Sky, for instance by spinning off its Sky News channel.
Darroch said Sky, along with Fox, was focused on this media ownership hurdle after the competition regulator dismissed concerns about Murdoch’s commitment to broadcasting standards.
“We are very much focused in the process with the (regulator) CMA,” he told reporters.
“We have (media) plurality as the final issue to work though, (...) and we’ll see where that takes us.”
He would not comment on the company’s thinking about Sky News, saying any messages about the 24-hour service would be given directly to staff.
“We have got a day job to do,” he said. “And I think you can see from results and the plan we are laying out for 2018 we are not being distracted from any of that.”
Before the government gives its final decision on the Fox deal in June, Sky faces the next auction for English Premier League rights, the cornerstone of its offer to soccer fans.
Some of the pressure on Sky to pay huge sums to retain the biggest packages of games has been eased by a deal it struck with its biggest rival BT to supply channels on each other’s platform.
Darroch said he wouldn’t give a running commentary on the auction, adding Sky’s bid strategy was commercially sensitive.
‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Riviera’ boost Sky as own takeover saga drags on
‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Riviera’ boost Sky as own takeover saga drags on
Dozens of former Eurovision contestants call for Israel ban from contest
- 72 artists accused the EBU of double standards, ‘normalizing and whitewashing’ alleged Israeli war crimes
- Open letter criticizes organizers for last year’s ‘disastrous’ contest
LONDON: A group of 72 former Eurovision contestants has called on the European Broadcasting Union to ban Israel and its national broadcaster, KAN, from this year’s song contest, citing the country’s war in Gaza.
In an open letter published Tuesday, the artists accused the EBU of “normalizing and whitewashing” alleged Israeli war crimes by allowing the country’s participation.
“By continuing to platform the representation of the Israeli state, the EBU is normalizing and whitewashing its crimes,” the letter said, adding that the organization’s handling of last year’s contest in Sweden was “disastrous,” resulting in “the most politicized, chaotic and unpleasant edition in the competition’s history.
“Last year, we were appalled that the EBU allowed Israel to participate while it continued its genocide in Gaza broadcast live for the world to see,” it said.
“Rather than acknowledging the widespread criticism and reflecting on its own failures, the EBU responded by doubling down — granting total impunity to the Israeli delegation while repressing other artists and delegations.”
Among those signing the letter are the UK’s 2023 entrant Mae Muller, Ireland’s 1994 Eurovision winner Charlie McGettigan, Finnish singer Kaija Karkinen and Portuguese performer Fernando Tordo.
Controversy surrounding Israel’s participation has grown since last year, when the EBU resisted mounting pressure to ban the country despite its military campaign in Gaza.
Critics accused the EBU of double standards, citing Russia’s exclusion from the contest in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine.
“Silence is not an option,” the letter said. “The EBU has already demonstrated that it is capable of taking measures, as in 2022, when it expelled Russia from the competition. We don’t accept this double standard regarding Israel.”
The appeal comes amid increasing scrutiny over Israel’s inclusion in this year’s contest, which will take place in Basel, Switzerland, from May 13-17.
Last week, the EBU lifted a ban on Palestinian flags in the audience, reversing a longstanding policy that prohibited symbols from non-competing countries or territories.
Officials in several countries — including Spain, Iceland and Slovenia — have also voiced objections. Slovenia publicly protested Israel’s inclusion earlier this month.
Despite growing criticism, the EBU has said that Israel’s entry complies with competition rules and will proceed as planned. Large-scale protests are expected during the event.
This year, Israel will be represented by Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack, performing a song titled “New Day Will Rise.”
AFP Gaza photographers shortlisted for Pulitzer Prize
- Jury praised the ‘powerful images’ from Gaza by Mahmud Hams, Omar Al-Qattaa, Said Khatib and Bashar Taleb
NEW YORK: Four Palestinian photographers from Agence France-Presse (AFP) were finalists for their Gaza coverage in the “Breaking News Photography” category of the Pulitzer Prize, the most prestigious awards in US journalism.
The jury for the award, presented on Monday by Columbia University in New York, praised the “powerful images” from Gaza by Mahmud Hams, Omar Al-Qattaa, Said Khatib and Bashar Taleb.
The AFP photographers’ work encapsulated “the enduring humanity of the people of Gaza amid widespread destruction and loss,” they said.
The Pulitzer nomination crowns an exceptional year for Hams, who also won the News award at the Visa pour l’Image festival in Perpignan and the Bayeux Calvados Prize for war correspondents — two of the most prestigious international awards in photojournalism.
AFP has provided uninterrupted coverage of the war in Gaza since 2023, when Hamas launched its attack against Israel on October 7, with teams on both sides of the border to guarantee rigorous and impartial information.
AFP’s local journalists are working in perilous conditions in Gaza to document the consequences of the war on civilians.
Since the start of the war, virtually no journalist has been able to cross into Gaza, which borders Israel and Egypt.
“This recognition is a tribute not only to the talent and bravery of these photographers, but also to AFP’s steadfast commitment to documenting events with accuracy and integrity, wherever they unfold,” Phil Chetwynd, AFP’s global news director, said in a statement.
“We are deeply grateful to Mahmud, Omar, Said, and Bashar, whose work gives voice to those caught in the heart of the conflict,” he added.
YouTube sets sights on enhancing Saudi user experience with shift from smartphones to TV
- Pedro Pina took reporters back in time with a video of early meetings between the YouTube co-founders
ZURICH/RIYADH: YouTube is setting its sights on Saudi Arabia, aiming to shift video consumption from smartphones to television and leveraging the Kingdom’s affinity for the platform.
As it celebrates its 20th anniversary, the platform envisions a new era for the region, positioning YouTubers like Noor Stars as the next Hollywood stars. Additionally, YouTube is exploring artificial intelligence-enhanced experiences, including dubbing and other innovative features, to engage users on the big screen.
Pedro Pina, vice president of YouTube in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, told Arab News: “Whether you are talking about Egypt or Saudi Arabia, we want to be the zeitgeist of culture; we want to be the future of TV.
“As these countries pick up steam in terms of penetration in connectivity, it will happen.”
According to a study released by YouTube’s internal data, the platform reaches more than 12 million people in Saudi Arabia, over 2.5 million in the UAE, and 600,000 in Qatar over the age of 18 via connected TV.
Saudi Arabia has developed a significant affinity for YouTube, with 95.8 percent of the population using the platform. As YouTube looks to shift viewing from smartphones to television, it aims to enhance the way content is experienced by audiences in Saudi Arabia.
TV is now the primary device for YouTube viewing in the US, and viewers in the Middle East are shifting their viewing preferences from the smartphone to the TV.
During a two-day press gathering to mark YouTube’s anniversary, hosted in Zurich, the platform’s executives gathered to reflect on its growth since its inception in 2005, while highlighting future features and the vision for the region.
Executives who spoke about the evolution and progression of YouTube included Pina; Amjad Hanif, vice president of product management for YouTube creator products; Roya Zeitoune, head of YouTube’s culture and trends for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; and Geoff van der Meer, vice president of engineering.
Pina took reporters back in time with a video of early meetings between the YouTube co-founders, showing them discussing the future of the platform.
He highlighted that between the co-founders, “there were a lot of conversations about where the site was going to be … and what they were going to do about the ability of uploading videos.”
As YouTube looks to the future, it has four areas of focus: remaining the epicenter of culture, creators becoming the startups of Hollywood, YouTube becoming the new television, and AI being implemented to enhance the experience for viewers and creators.
“Creators are continuing to be the new startups. Noor Stars is one of the creators who is incredibly successful in the region,” Pina said, adding that she represents one of the success stories in YouTube’s mission: “Give everyone a voice and show them the world. This has been our goal since we began.”
Pina highlighted the strong engagement YouTube receives from viewers across the Middle East, citing the region’s diverse cultures and varied realities.
When asked what new features can be expected in the region, Pina said: “The solutions will look and feel different in each country (in the Middle East) because they are in different levels of development.
“For example, the penetration of connected TVs is different in one type of country from another, and therefore the future of TV viewing for creators will also feel different from other regions.”
Among the topics executives discussed was podcasting. With podcasting becoming increasingly mainstream, Pina highlighted YouTube’s newly released statistic: Over 1 billion people interact with podcast content on YouTube each month, and those viewers are watching over 400 million hours of podcasts monthly on their TVs.
The rise of podcasting as a mainstream media format is not unexpected. As of now, the most viewed podcast episode on YouTube comes from Saudi Arabia’s Thmanyah, a sister publication of Arab News under SRMG, with 140 million views.
Another topic discussed was the YouTube Partner Program, which allows creators to have sustainable revenue and build a business while pursuing their passions through content creation.
According to YouTube’s internal data, in Saudi Arabia, the number of YouTube channels making seven figures or more in Saudi riyals is up 40 percent year on year. And in the UAE, the number of YouTube channels making seven figures or more in SR is up 15 percent year on year.
Hanif said that there are currently 3 million YouTubers in the partner program, and more than half a million of them started their channel over a decade ago.
Hanif added: “That speaks to the sustainability and the thoughtfulness we put into the program to make sure they are able to build a business this year, and YPP gives them the opportunity to continue to build and expand that business.”
The first YouTube video was uploaded on April 23, 2005, by Jawed Karim, one of the three co-founders of the platform. The video was titled “Me at the Zoo.” Since then, YouTube has grown exponentially, with over 20 billion videos uploaded as of April 2025.
Palestinian writer wins Pulitzer Prize for Gaza war commentary
- Mosab Abu Toha was awarded the $15,000 award for four of his essays published in The New Yorker
DUBAI: Renowned Palestinian poet and author Mosab Abu Toha won the Pulitzer Prize in commentary for his published essays documenting the suffering of people in Gaza.
Abu Toha was awarded the $15,000 award for four of his essays published in The New Yorker “on the physical and emotional carnage in Gaza that combine deep reporting with the intimacy of memoir to convey the Palestinian experience of more than a year and a half of war with Israel,” the Pulitzer board said.
Announcing his win, Abu Toha wrote on X: “Let it bring hope. Let it be a tale.”
The writer, who was born in a refugee camp in Gaza City, lost 31 family members in an airstrike on their home on Oct. 28, 2023 amid the war in Gaza.
He was detained by Israeli forces in November 2023 while trying to flee his home in northern Gaza, where he lived most of his life and was wounded aged 16 by an Israeli airstrike.
Abu Toha, along with his wife and three children, are now based in the US, where he received a Harvard fellowship for scholars at risk in 2019.
In a tribute post on Tuesday following his Pulitzer prize win, Abu Toha wrote on X: “Blessings to the 31 members of my family who were killed in one airstrike in 2023.
“Blessings to the soul of my great aunt, Fatima, whose ‘corpse’ remains under the rubble of her house since October 2024. Blessings to the graves of my grandparents who I will never find.”
Israeli soldiers raid home of Palestinian activist featured in Louis Theroux documentary
- Issa Amro posted videos on social media showing confrontations with Israeli soldiers, settlers at his home in Hebron
- The activist said ‘they wanted revenge from me for participating in the BBC documentary’
LONDON: Israeli soldiers have raided the home of Issa Amro, a prominent Palestinian activist featured in Louis Theroux’s recent BBC documentary “The Settlers,” in what he described as a retaliatory move for his appearance in the film.
Amro, co-founder of the non-violent group Youth Against Settlements, posted videos on social media showing confrontations with Israeli soldiers at his home in Hebron, as well as footage of Israeli settlers entering the property.
“The soldiers raided my house today, they wanted revenge from me for participating in the BBC documentary ‘the settlers’, after the army left the settlers raided my house, they injured one activist and cut the tree, they stole tools and the garbage containers,” he said in a post on X.
The incident comes as Israel intensifies its military operations in the West Bank, even as global attention remains focused on its war in Gaza. Human rights groups have long accused Israeli settlers — often accompanied or protected by soldiers — of conducting near-daily raids on Palestinian communities to intimidate residents and seize land.
The soldiers raided my house today, they wanted to revenge from me for participating in the @BBC documentary “ the settlers” , after the army left the settlers raided my house, they injured one activist and cut the tree, they stole tools and the garbage containers.
— Issa Amro عيسى عمرو (@Issaamro) May 3, 2025
The Israeli… pic.twitter.com/jYYYlr2XyS
Despite repeated condemnation by the international community, attacks by settlers and security forces have grown more frequent and more violent, forcing many Palestinians to abandon their homes.
Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are considered illegal under international law. The expansion of settlements has drawn comparisons from rights organizations to the apartheid system once seen in South Africa.
Amro, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, appeared in “The Settlers,” a follow-up to Theroux’s 2012 documentary “The Ultra Zionists.” In the new film, he guides Theroux through Israeli-occupied Hebron, where around 700 settlers live under heavy military protection among a Palestinian population of roughly 35,000.
The documentary not only examines the daily realities of life under occupation but also explores the religious and ideological motivations driving the settler movement.
Amro said Israeli police threatened him with arrest and told him not to file a complaint. In one video posted on X, he confronts balaclava-wearing soldiers and asks why their faces are covered. One responds: “You know exactly why.”
. @Issaamro who featured in The Settlers has posted videos of his latest harassment by settlers and soldiers. Our team has been in regular contact with him since the documentary and over the last 24 hours. We are continuing to monitor the situation. https://t.co/asEWKkVX5h
— Louis Theroux (@louistheroux) May 4, 2025
Theroux commented on X that his team is in regular contact with Amro and is “continuing to monitor the situation.”
The incident echoes a similar case in March, when Hamdan Ballal, a co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land,” was assaulted outside his home in Susya, a village in the Masafer Yatta area of the West Bank, before being briefly detained. Ballal later claimed he was beaten while in custody and described the attack as “revenge for our movie.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces denied Amro’s claims, saying: “As the videos clearly show, the soldiers present on May 3 in the Hebron area were there to disperse the confrontation between Palestinian residents and Israeli civilians.”
