Business Daily

We look at what makes a great Christmas marketing campaign. From a budget-friendly advert based around coffee cups, to multi-million dollar epic commercials featuring Hollywood A-list celebrities.We unwrap the secrets behind the world's most iconic festive advertising.If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is [email protected] and produced by Elizabeth Hotson(Picture: A woman and a man wearing Santa hats, sitting in front of a TV with Christmas tree, candles and food. Credit: Getty Images)

Festive spending habits are changing, with many, especially younger shoppers, predicted to cut back.We look at what’s driving the shift, the impact on retail, and how artificial intelligence is starting to shape the way shoppers choose gifts and search for lower prices.Plus - we hear from members of the World Service audience on what their holiday spending priorities are. You can get in touch with the programme - our email address is [email protected]: Megan Lawton Producer: Sam Gruet(Picture: Nelmar Cornes, a stationary enthusiast and the owner of the Toronto Pen Shoppe in Toronto, Canada.)

As millions of households around the world put up their Christmas trees, we hear from the founder and CEO of US-based company Balsam Hill - one of the world’s biggest artificial Christmas tree retailers. Mac Harman tells us about his journey as an entrepreneur, how he's addressing sustainability concerns, and how the company's managing the pressures of tariffs.If you'd like to contact the programme, our email address is [email protected]: Ed Butler Producer: David CannCorrection, 22 December 2025: This episode, which first aired on 19 December, has been amended to include more detail and to clarify the sourcing of the materials used in the manufacture of Balsam Hill's trees. (Picture: Mac Harman. Credit: Balsam Hill)

You might be familiar with the term "ghosting" when it comes to dating. One minute you’re talking to someone, the next they disappear.The same thing is now happening in the job market, with employers not responding to candidates or posting roles that never existed.It’s a problem thought to affect millions.In this programme, we hear why "ghost jobs" have become so common, look at the new rules meant to curb the practice, and hear directly from job seekers about how it makes them feel.You can email us - our address is [email protected]: Megan Lawton Producer: Sam Gruet(Picture: Woman applying for a job online. Credit: Getty Images)

We return to Peru’s mega port - the Chancay Port. This $3.5bn project is a joint venture between China’s state-owned shipping company Cosco Shipping and Peruvian mining company Volcan. It’s already starting to have an impact on local businesses. We find out what’s giving it the edge, how local fruit producers are particularly benefiting, and what obstacles still need to be overcome, both politically and logistically. If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is [email protected] and produced by Jane Chambers(Picture: Fruit producer, Percy Perez, in Peru.)

It’s transforming the world of road haulage, but has the recent ‘Uberisation’ been good news for truckers? From Nanjing to Nairobi, we discover how digital freight matching platforms are changing the way drivers access work, plan routes and the impact it’s having on the climate. But with driverless trucks on the horizon, what does the future hold for truckers and trucking firms? If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is [email protected]: Sam Gruet Producer: Megan Lawton(Picture: A white 18 wheeler truck on the road. Credit: Getty Images)

Pakistan closed its border with Afghanistan in October following sporadic fighting between the two countries.Since then, the movement of goods has stopped, and lines of trucks have been waiting to cross. We look at the impact of this key trade route being shut and what it means for livelihoods and businesses on both sides of the border. If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is [email protected]: Will Bain Producer: Hannah Mullane(Picture: Lorries and a group of people congregating at the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Credit: BBC)

We meet the real estate developer who’s been tasked with turning Saudi Arabia into a global tourism hub.It is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s vision for the Kingdom, diversifying the economy away from oil. Red Sea Global CEO John Pagano has managed massive development projects including London's Canary Wharf, a luxury holiday resort in the Bahamas, and now, a tourism mega project on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Coast. We hear about his career to date and why he likes an ambitious project. This is his biggest yet - can he pull it off?Presenter: Leanna Byrne Producer: Elisabeth Mahy Additional production: Niamh McDermott(Photo: John Pagano, CEO of Red Sea Global. Credit: Red Sea Global)

More countries are considering selling state-owned postal services - many have failed to make a profit for years. As businesses and people send fewer letters, there's also strong competition from global package delivery companies. We hear about the challenges facing postal services in Ireland, many of which have been in business for more than a hundred years. And we look to the US, where President Donald Trump favours privatising the national mail service; while in India, the state-run post office network will remain under government control. We also examine efforts to modernise postal services, which could mean delivery by drones and robots in the near future, supervised by AI.If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is [email protected] and presented by Russell Padmore(Image: A green pillar postbox in Ireland)

This week the country becomes the first in the world to implement a social media ban for under 16s. We look at the impact on content creators, tech companies and on businesses which sell via social media?We find out how they're navigating this change, and ask if other countries will look to follow suit.Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Matt Lines(Image: A group of young people looking at phones. Credit: Getty Images)

It’s one richest sports in the world but it still needs to adapt to the times. F1 is now trying to appeal to a younger fan base through deals with Netflix and Lego.Plus it's trying to break that lucrative US market with races in Las Vegas and huge broadcasting deals. We hear from the key figures at F1 and from former F1 driver David Coulthard, who witnessed the end of tobacco sponsorship and saw the likes of Red Bull coming into the paddock.If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is [email protected] and produced by Victoria Turner(Image: Max Verstappen races down the Las Vegas Strip during the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix on 22 Nov 2025. Image credit: Getty Images)

Miishe Addy started her first company in California’s Silicon Valley followed by another business in Accra, Ghana. Now, she runs one of Africa’s fastest-growing logistics tech firms.She describes how she’s tackling the hidden costs of African trade, and what she’s learned as a female founder building companies in two continents.If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is [email protected]: Sam Fenwick Producers: Ahmed Adan and Niamh McDermott(Picture: Miishe Addy. Credit: Jetstream)

Whether you call it football or soccer, next summer, the US, Mexico and Canada will host the FIFA World Cup. It’s the first time three countries have organised the tournament.A record 48 teams will compete across 16 host cities, with millions attending games across North America and billions watching at home.But how much does it cost to host a World Cup? What does it take for a city to welcome hundreds of thousands of fans? And does that investment really boost the local economy? We go pitch-side to find out.If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is [email protected]: Megan Lawton Producer Sam Gruet(Picture: Sharon Bollenbach, Executive Director of World Cup Hosting for Toronto, Canada.)

In Lugano, Switzerland, the cryptocurrency is accepted in some shops and for local municipal services.But the drive towards using what can often be a volatile payment method instead of Swiss francs, hasn't been welcomed by everyone.We hear from businesses, officials and consumers who are navigating this new world.Produced and presented by John Laurenson(Image: View of Lake Lugano, Switzerland)

TV channels dedicated to them are shutting down around the world and some superstars have even stopped making them, so are music videos in decline, or are they more vital than ever to grab our attention? We hear from industry insiders in the US, Europe and in South Korea on how the streaming era has changed how we consume music - and shifted the way record labels make money. Produced and presented by Daniel Rosney(Image: Ne-Yo on set during the filming of a music video for his song "Closer" at the Santa Clarita Studios on 10 April 2008 in California (Credit: Matthew Simmons/WireImage)

Staff shortages and strikes are leaving passengers and airlines frustrated. So why are there such problems in recruitment? Industry bodies estimate over the next decade we could be short of 70,000 air traffic controllers around the world. We hear what is luring some controllers out of Europe and why others are leaving the sector all together. And what could the financial and safety implications be for passengers and airlines?Presenter: Will Bain Producer: Josh Martin(Photo: NATS Swanwick ops room,. NATS is a UK-based air traffic control company. Credit: NATS)

We hear how a free online encyclopaedia, run by volunteers, became one of the internet's most popular sites.Co-founder Jimmy Wales tells about the ideals which helped him build the site, and the challenges its now facing, from AI to political criticism.Presenter: Chris Vallance Producers: Hannah Bewley and Niamh McDermott(Image: Jimmy Wales photographed at Web Summit 2022 at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal. Credit: Getty Images)

We look at the record-breaking sale of the Los Angeles Lakers which has just been approved by the board of the NBA - or National Basketball Association.The Buss family had owned the team since 1979.The new majority owner of the franchise is TWG Global CEO Mark Walter.Mr Walter also has a controlling stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers, the professional US baseball team that won the World Series last year, as well as investments in Chelsea FC.Produced and presented by Guy Kilty Edited by Helen Thomas(Image: Los Angeles Lakers star player LeBron James drives to the basket during the game against the Utah Jazz during the game on 23 November 2025. Credit: Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)

Can Europe be weaned off cheap chocolate? EU efforts to block cocoa linked to deforestation were due to come into force at the end of this year – but have faced multiple delays. Another vote is due to take place soon. Some parties are pushing for further delay and modifications, but others are keen to see the rules come into force as planned. They apply to a number of raw materials, including cocoa. There’s a big challenge facing the world’s biggest market for chocolate: balancing sustainability goals and the price consumers are willing to pay. If you'd like to get in touch with Business Daily, you can send us an email at [email protected] Presented and produced by Hannah Bewley Additional reporting: Matthew Kenyon (Picture: Close up of three cocoa beans hanging from a cocoa tree. Credit: Getty Images)

It’s one of the biggest human trafficking operations of modern times. Scam centres across South East Asia have been making hundreds of billions of dollars annually, it’s estimated, conning people into fake crypto-currency investment schemes. But now these centres could be coming under threat, with both military and legal moves by global enforcement challenging their apparent impunity.Presented and produced by Ed Butler(Picture: An aerial photo showing the KK Park complex in Myanmar, taken in September 2025. Credit: Getty Images)