Facebook gives teenagers more control over advert exposure January 11, 2023 Facebook and Instagram are to tighten restrictions around the data available to firms to target ads at teenage users, the platforms’ parent company Meta has said. From February, advertisers on Facebook will no longer be able see a user’s gender or the type of posts they have engaged with as a way of targeting adverts to them. [...]
Microsoft considering £8bn investment in Chat GPT owner, says Semafor January 10, 2023 Microsoft is in talks to invest $10bn (£8.2bn) into ChatGPT-owner Open AI, according to reports by Semafor earlier today, citing people familiar with the matter. According to the report, Microsoft’s investment would take OpenAI’s valuation up to $29bn. The deal would initially be based on a revenue share, which will see Microsoft take 75 per [...]
Virgin Orbit shares crash back to earth after failed Cornwall space launch January 10, 2023 Virgin Orbit shares have come plummeting back to earth after its much-anticipated UK space launch failed last night. Shares for the Richard Branson-headed company dropped by 23 per cent on NASDAQ pre-trading and were trading down around 16 per cent this afternoon. It comes after the Virgin Orbit rocket, the first launch from UK soil, [...]
Exclusive sitdown: Inflation is forcing advertisers to make some tough choices, warns Ebiquity’s boss January 10, 2023 As inflation hit the highest levels in decades in the UK last year, and across large parts of the world, and the cost of living crisis is eating up the household budgets of millions of Brits, many industries are increasingly suffering. That won’t be any different in 2023 and the advertising space is no exception. [...]
UK enters space race: where to watch the launch of Virgin Orbit’s Cosmic Girl January 9, 2023 Tonight sees the first launch of a space rocket via UK soil, with an expected launch window starting at 21:45pm tonight. The LauncherOne rocket be attached under the wing of a modified Boeing 747 owned by Virgin Orbit which will take off from Spaceport Cornwall at Newquay Airport. The mission, dubbed ‘Start Me Up’ mission is a collaborative effort [...]
Vodafone sells off Hungary business for hefty price tag amid major overhaul January 9, 2023 Mobile phone giant Vodafone has finalised a deal to sell its Hungarian business for £1.5 billion amid an ongoing overhaul. The group, which first announced the plans in August, confirmed a binding agreement to sell Vodafone Hungary to local technology company 4iG and the Hungarian state for 660 billion Hungarian forints (£1.5 billion), with the [...]
More viewers watched BBC’s Happy Valley than Prince Harry’s bombshell ITV interview January 9, 2023 More viewers watched BBC’s Happy Valley than tuned into the much-anticipated interview with the Duke of Sussex on ITV, according to overnight figures. Harry: The Interview drew an average TV audience of 4.1 million, based on overnight figures released by ITV. The broadcaster said the 90-minute programme, in which Harry was interviewed by Tom Bradby [...]
Twitter users horrified as 200m leaked email addresses sold on dark web, but who is being blamed for the breach? January 6, 2023 A major security breach at online micro-blogging site Twitter has been blamed on owner Elon Musk’s mass firing of staff. Over 200 million Twitter users woke up to find their email and log-in details had been posted online. According to several reports, the data was stolen over a year ago but has only just been [...]
Odeon sees Christmas boom as Avatar 2 lures Brits back to the big screen January 5, 2023 Odeon, the UK’s largest cinema chain, welcomed over a million viewers during Christmas thanks to the much anticipated Avatar sequel. Cinemas in the UK have started 2023 on a high note after two rough years, according to new numbers released by Odeon. The return of viewers to the big screen was credited to the release [...]
Confirmed: Channel 4 privatisation cancelled as broadcaster to stay in public ownership January 5, 2023 Channel 4 will remain in public ownership after a planned privatisation – championed by Boris Johnson’s government – was binned today. The Culture Department confirmed the move today, confirming reports based on a leaked letter yesterday. The Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan had written to Rishi Sunak calling for the government to drop the plans to [...]