Britain smashed it at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships, coming third in the medals table behind the USA and China. Around 280,000 tickets were sold, the biggest outside a Paralympic Games and more than every previous world championships combined. But did the spectacle get the media coverage a sporting event of its magnitude deserves?
The final episode of Love Island helped ITV2 reach its biggest ever audience, as 2.43 million viewers watched Kem and Amber announced as the winning couple. Brands are understandably keen to get in on the action. But will attempts to cash in on the shows popularity leave fans feeling mugged off? Or will the right brand's couple up?
Last week the BBC published a list of its highest paid stars. About two-thirds of stars earning more than £150,000 are male, compared to one-third female, according to the report. The seven top earners were all men. Is this proof of sexism at the Beeb? Do the top earning men deserve their salaries? Should men still be considered as the higher earning “breadwinners”, or is that simply a load of old tosh?
Petrol and diesel car sales to are to banned by 2040 in a bid to reduce air pollution and save lives. But with the details still hazy, it is unclear if this is a triumph for clean air campaigners or an attack on drivers. Will there be a scrappage scheme? Or will motorists simply be told to get on their bike?
“Shrinkflation” has hit over 2,500 consumer products in the last five years. Chocolate bars, toilet rolls, coffee and fruit juice have all gotten smaller in size but no cheaper in price. Is this a calculated move to increase profits or a response to increasing production costs? If a sugary treat costs more, will consumers reach deeper into their wallets to buy it?
There was outcry earlier in the year with the announcement that The Great British Bake Off had been sold to Channel 4 for £75 million. This week the show’s two new main sponsors were announced – Lyle’s Golden Syrup and Dr Oetker. But are these the ingredients for an advertising success story, or the commercial equivalent of a soggy bottom?