Advertising: Digital ad market spend slows as budgets take post-Covid reset April 26, 2023 Growth in the UK’s digital advertising market slowed in 2022 as economic headwinds continued to weigh on the market. The digital advertising market – meaning any advertising delivered through digital platforms – grew 11 per cent to £26.1bn in 2022, according to industry body IAB’s digital ad spend report. The market previously grew 41 per [...]
An activist spring? Another Vodafone shareholder ups its stake with eyes on board shake-up April 25, 2023 The Abu Dhabi based telecoms company e& has upped its stake in Vodafone and is in talks with the company over potential shifts in its board, media reports said on Tuesday. The investor — which is Vodafone’s largest shareholder — said on Monday that it had opened discussions with Vodafone on April 12 “on a [...]
Spotify hits record half a billion monthly users and forecasts future revenue to soar April 25, 2023 The number of monthly active users on Spotify passed the half a billion milestone for the first time, the music streaming platform reported today. The number of monthly active users rose 27 per cent to 515 million in the first quarter of this year, 15 million more than the company’s estimates. Premium subscribers also grew [...]
Tech Nation bought by Brent Hoberman’s Founders Forum April 25, 2023 Start-up quango Tech Nation has confirmed the sale of its brand to Brent Hoberman’s Founders Forum today for an unknown fee. The start-up network, which was launched in 2011 under David Cameron’s coalition government, announced in January that it would shut its doors after ministers controversially pulled its funding and handed it to high street [...]
Regulation set to challenge the ‘dominance’ of tech giants Google, Amazon and Facebook April 25, 2023 Plans to toughen up UK regulation of some of the world’s largest tech companies will go before MPs for the first time, with the competition watchdog’s dedicated digital unit set to be given sharper teeth. New laws to regulate big tech firms, such as Google, Amazon and Meta, have been long awaited, with MPs last [...]
Philips shares and profits up as investors dismiss £575m sleep device recall bill April 24, 2023 Philips shares jumped 13 per cent on Monday as the Dutch health technology company reported much better than expected first-quarter results and said it had set aside €575 million ($631 million) related to lawsuits over its recall of respiratory devices. Amsterdam-based Philips has been grappling with the fallout of the global recall of millions of respirators used to treat [...]
Emergency alert: Review to probe why some phones did NOT buzz as Three customers left out April 24, 2023 A review will be conducted to find out why some mobile phones did not receive the test of a new national emergency alert system on Sunday. The cabinet office said the “vast majority of compatible phones” received the alert as part of what was said to be the biggest public communications exercise carried out in [...]
British tech tycoon Mike Lynch facing extradition to US loses appeal bid April 21, 2023 A British technology tycoon facing extradition to the United States has lost an appeal bid. Two judges finished considering Mike Lynch’s challenge at a High Court hearing in London on Thursday. Lord Justice Lewis and Mr Justice Julian Knowles ruled against him on Friday. They had heard how then-home secretary, Priti Patel, approved Dr Lynch’s extradition to the US, [...]
SpaceX Starship: Elon Musk owned rocket – the biggest and most powerful ever – explodes minutes after take off April 20, 2023 SpaceX’s Starship – the biggest and most powerful space rocket ever developed – has exploded minutes after blasting off. The launch, which took place from SpaceX’s Starbase in the US state of Texas, came after a stuck valve forced a launch attempt on Monday to be aborted. While Thursday’s launch saw the rocket leave the [...]
Instagram to relocate staff and chief from London to New York April 20, 2023 Instagram is trimming or shifting some of its London-based staff to New York, as overhauls and layoffs continue to hit the tech sector. The photo app — owned by Meta — is asking UK-based workers to make the move after growing its London base and moving its leader, Adam Mosseri, to the UK last year. [...]