Another Musk mess: X goes down after ‘delay’ trial on loading news and Insta links August 16, 2023 Elon Musk’s X, previously known as Twitter, caused a brief disruption in the loading of links leading to some news outlets and social media rivals. Users attempting to access content from an affected source through X experienced a delay of five seconds, according to tests run by The Washington Post and, later, Reuters. Links to [...]
Why is Netflix jumping into the cloud gaming market? August 15, 2023 Netflix first announced its move into the cloud gaming industry back in November 2021, and it is now starting to test its games in the UK on televisions and computers as it looks to grow the service. Cloud gaming – sometimes known as gaming on demand or game streaming – allows users to play video [...]
Liberty Global inks €1.5bn deal with IT giant Infosys to scale up Horizon entertainment platform August 15, 2023 International telecoms firm Liberty Global (LG) has struck a €1.5bn (£1.3bn) deal to outsource its Horizon entertainment platform to Indian IT consultancy Infosys. The two corporate giants are poised to collaborate over a five-year period, with Infosys helping Liberty Global expand its Horizon entertainment platform, a TV and video streaming service used by over 10m. [...]
Rise of the ‘finfluencers’: Instagram, Facebook and Reddit drive investment ideas in young people August 15, 2023 Young people are increasingly turning to social media for investment ideas even as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) starts to whip out regulation on the field of finance influencers – or ‘finfluencers’ as they are often known as. Over a fifth of investors ages between 18 and 34 are taking investment advice such as stock [...]
BBC sells iconic Maida Vale Studios to Hans Zimmer August 14, 2023 The BBC has sold its iconic Maida Vale Studios to a partnership of film producers and composer Hans Zimmer for an undisclosed sum. Once echoing with the sounds of music legends like The Beatles, David Bowie and Dusty Springfield, the recording hub has been sold to a partnership between film producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, [...]
More streaming mergers are ‘inevitable’ say experts August 14, 2023 A tie-up trend is taking root in the streaming industry. Video on demand providers are scratching around for more subscribers and trying to secure their footing in a crowded market.
Taking the Mickey: Disney hikes subscription costs 27 per cent – even as users fall by 11 million August 10, 2023 Disney has upped subscription prices and is rolling out an ad-supported plan despite losing subscribers since February. Current users of the Disney+ advertising-free plan now face a 27 per cent price hike for the streaming service, which features Disney classics and the Marvel franchise movies among other shows. Disney+ is set to launch a new [...]
Entain sets aside half a billion for investigation into alleged Turkish bribery offences August 10, 2023 Ladbrokes owner Entain has set aside an ‘eyewatering’ £585m to cover a potential settlement as it nears an end of a bribery investigation into its legacy Turkish facing business, launched in 2019. In an update posted this morning, the global betting giant said it has “a sufficient degree of confidence to take a provision of [...]
Sky drops Oscars coverage after 20 years August 9, 2023 UK film enthusiasts will no longer be able to watch the Oscars coverage via Sky as the TV giant has reportedly relinquished its two-decade hold on broadcasting the prestigious LA awards ceremony. Sky is set to end its deal to show the Oscars and Disney, the rights holder, is reportedly in advanced talks with an [...]
Sony warns sales will be hit by Hollywood strikes August 9, 2023 Japanese tech giant Sony lowered its full-year sales forecast today warning that the ongoing Hollywood strikes will wreak havoc with movie production schedules. In a trading update, Sony revised its annual movie sales forecast down 50bn yen to 1.47trn yen (£8bn). Sony blamed the potential lower revenues on the impact of actors and writers staking [...]