Facebook to toughen up rules on political ads in countries with major elections January 16, 2019 Social media giant Facebook has said it will toughen up existing rules on political advertising in all countries facing major elections this year, following scrutiny surrounding ads on its platform during previous events. The firm said today that it will also expand some of its tools for curbing election inference, with Nigeria, India, Ukraine and the [...]
Theranos documentary to contain footage from deposition tapes of founder Elizabeth Holmes, says ABC January 16, 2019 A TV documentary telling the story of the high-profile demise of blood testing company Theranos will include never-before-seen footage from the deposition tapes of founder Elizabeth Holmes. The high tech blood testing firm was forced to formally dissolve and hand over its remaining cash to creditors in September after years of legal challenges left the [...]
Snap shares plummet as its finance chief’s departure takes a toll on investor nerves January 16, 2019 Shares in Snap have opened this afternoon down almost 12 per cent, after news broke of its chief financial officer's impending departure late last night. The company's shares dipped more than eight per cent in after-hours trading, before falling even further as markets opened today to an 11.8 per cent drop. Snap said in a [...]
BBC executive Jackie Edwards tapped to head new £57m BFI children’s TV fund January 16, 2019 BBC Children’s boss Jackie Edwards has been selected to head up the British Film Institute’s (BFI) new fund for children’s TV programmes. Edwards, who has been in charge of children’s programming for the BBC since 2015, will join the BFI next month ahead of the fund’s launch in April. Read more: South Korean broadcasters team up [...]
Youtube to ban dangerous prank videos inspired by Netflix’s Bird Box January 16, 2019 Youtube has said it will ban videos that contain dangerous or emotionally distressing "pranks", after a person crashed his car attempting to complete an online challenge inspired by Netflix's Bird Box. In an update posted to its support site, Youtube said it had updated its external guidelines "to make it clear that challenges like the [...]
Snap loses its second finance chief in less than a year, following a string of executive exits January 16, 2019 The chief financial officer of Snap is to resign after spending less than 12 months in the role, sending the social media platform's share price down more than eight per cent in after-hours trading. Tim Stone, who joined Snap from Amazon in May, is only the latest executive to leave the parent company of photo-sharing [...]
Pearson sees shares hit by declining US revenues as profits remain on track January 16, 2019 Publisher Pearson saw its share price fall this morning after reporting a decline in its US business, despite cost savings keeping profits on track. The education group said it expects operating profit of £540m to £545m, within its guidance of £520m to £560m, and an increase in profits from the year before. Read more: Murdoch's media empire [...]
Netflix shares rise as subscribers face an 18 per cent price hike January 15, 2019 Netflix has said it will be raising the prices of its streaming services for US subscribers by as much as 18 per cent, as the tech giant seeks to cover the costs of ploughing heavy investment into its original content. Prices for its most popular standard viewing plan, which allows users to stream content on [...]
South Korean broadcasters team up to create streaming service rival to Netflix January 15, 2019 South Korea’s largest broadcasters are teaming up to create a streaming service to rival Netflix as the race to create on-demand platforms shows no signs of slowing. Broadcasting firms Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) have joined with SK Telecom to set up the new venture this year. [...]
The rise of digital tech innovation will drive sports revenue boom, report states January 15, 2019 The global sports industry is on the brink of “unprecedented commercial growth” as digital technology innovation kicks in, according to a new report. Broadcasters, rights holders and sports organisations are set to see a huge boost in revenues thanks to the rise of new tech such as streaming platforms, esports and virtual reality (VR), a [...]