Tycoon backer of GB News seals £100m Spectator deal
The Guardian|September 11, 2024
Sir Paul Marshall has sealed a £100m takeover of the Spectator magazine as the backer of GB News moved further towards his goal of controlling a large swathe of the UK's conservative and rightwing media outlets.
Mark Sweney
Tycoon backer of GB News seals £100m Spectator deal

Marshall, the hedge fund tycoon who already owns the UnHerd website, is also in the running to buy the Daily and Sunday Telegraph, with the second round of bids by prospective buyers due by 27 September.

The tycoon, a backer of the GB News television channel, which launched three years ago, has acquired the politically conservative magazine through his Old Queen Street Ventures (OQS).

Marshall, who has been in exclusive talks to buy the world's longest-running weekly magazine for the past month, has promised to keep the Spectator an independent part of his rapidly expanding British media empire.

Marshall, who will house the Spectator within the subsidiary Old Queen Street Media alongside UnHerd, said he is "confident that OQS will be a fine custodian".

"The plan is for OQS to make good previous underinvestment in one of the world's great titles," he said.

Freddie Sayers, the chief executive of OQS, will become the publisher of both titles. He said the Spectator would remain separate, with independent editorial and governance structures, including a new board likely to include Tory politicians.

This story is from the September 11, 2024 edition of The Guardian.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 11, 2024 edition of The Guardian.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE GUARDIANView All
Beaumont may step in at RFU if Ilube quits over pay fiasco
The Guardian

Beaumont may step in at RFU if Ilube quits over pay fiasco

Sir Bill Beaumont could be parachuted into the Rugby Football Union as interim chair in the event Tom Ilube falls on his sword amid the botched handling of the executive pay scandal engulfing the game.

time-read
1 min  |
December 20, 2024
'An exciting new era' Everton owners promise return to glory days after £500m deal
The Guardian

'An exciting new era' Everton owners promise return to glory days after £500m deal

The Friedkin Group vowed to restore Everton to their \"rightful place in the Premier League table\" after completing a takeover that brought the turbulent era of Farhad Moshiri to an end.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 20, 2024
Friedkin Group brings hope of much-needed stability and ambition
The Guardian

Friedkin Group brings hope of much-needed stability and ambition

The Friedkin Group's takeover of Everton represents a momentous day for those exhausted and resigned to calamity by the tenure of Farhad Moshiri.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 20, 2024
The Guardian

A humble Hamilton hero who was born to score

Ex-coaches in New Zealand on Chris Wood's rise from selfless schoolboy to poster boy at Nottingham Forest

time-read
5 mins  |
December 20, 2024
Solanke puts Spurs through despite Forster's blunders
The Guardian

Solanke puts Spurs through despite Forster's blunders

Like a song that changes time signature for the hell of it, like a friend that inexplicably blanks you, like a match report that noodles away for ages instead of just telling you what happened, Tottenham Hotspur remain medically incapable of doing things the simple way.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 20, 2024
“The World Cup loss fuelled a fire in me to become the best’
The Guardian

“The World Cup loss fuelled a fire in me to become the best’

Ellie Kildunne's infectious enthusiasm for the women's game has her dreaming of a Twickenham final in 2025

time-read
4 mins  |
December 20, 2024
'Usyk is fighting for his country': Dubois tips Fury to lose rematch
The Guardian

'Usyk is fighting for his country': Dubois tips Fury to lose rematch

Daniel Dubois, the IBF world heavyweight champion, believes that Oleksandr Usyk will again defeat Tyson Fury in Riyadh tomorrow night.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 20, 2024
The Guardian

Coe pledges radical reform in bid for IOC presidency

Sebastian Coe has promised to radically transform the International Olympic Committee if he is elected its next president in March - and says his track record of delivering at the London 2012 Games and at World Athletics shows he is the right choice for the leading job in sport.

time-read
1 min  |
December 20, 2024
Football's new fetish Forget Nicolas Jover and stylish set-piece coaches, bring on the directors of vibes
The Guardian

Football's new fetish Forget Nicolas Jover and stylish set-piece coaches, bring on the directors of vibes

It's 25 October 2012. Those of you who follow the Austrian regional leagues won't need reminding.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 20, 2024
Rush to start work caused enormous cost overruns, says new boss of HS2
The Guardian

Rush to start work caused enormous cost overruns, says new boss of HS2

Enormous budget overruns on the HS2 high-speed railway have been blamed by its new chief executive on a \"rush to start\", as the Department for Transport admitted it did not know what the line would cost.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 20, 2024