Watch out high street banks – Apple has a credit card and is out to steal your supper March 29, 2019 Every day, new competitors are coming out of the woodwork and vying for a piece of the high street banks’ pie. This has forced the big banks – some kicking and screaming – to evolve, and at a pace that they’ve never before experienced. Change is not a new concept for consumers when it comes [...]
Comcast launches $5 streaming platform for internet-only customers March 22, 2019 US media giant Comcast has launched a new platform for its internet-only customers that will bundle together streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon. The firm has unveiled plans for Xfinity Flex, a streaming box aimed at its non-cable TV customers that ties together a range of apps with its voice remote. Read more: TV advertising revenue [...]
Record label income grows amid rise in streaming subscriptions March 21, 2019 UK recorded music revenues rose more than three per cent last year as the popularity of streaming services shows no signs of slowing. New figures from trade body BPI revealed record label revenues hit £865.5m in 2018, the highest level in almost a decade. Read more: Music streaming revenues overtake ownership for the first time [...]
TV advertising revenue stalls as viewers switch to streaming March 21, 2019 TV advertising revenue growth stalled last year as traditional broadcasters continue to lose ground to streaming services. Overall revenue totalled £5.11bn in 2018, equal to the amount invested during the previous year, according to figures from industry body Thinkbox. Read more: Advertising outlook clouds picture at ITV The stagnating figures highlight the challenge faced by [...]
Disney closes $71bn takeover of 21st Century Fox as it puts Netflix in its sights March 20, 2019 Disney has completed its mammoth $71bn (£54bn) takeover of 21st Century Fox in a deal that transforms the media landscape and puts Netflix’s domination at risk. The deal, which went through shortly after midnight in New York, sees Disney take control of Rupert Murdoch’s film and TV business, as well as National Geographic and a controlling [...]
We don’t need to break up big tech to make a better internet – we just need more competition March 19, 2019 Last week saw the release of the government-commissioned Furman Review into digital competition. The commission, chaired by former Obama administration chief economic adviser Jason Furman, found that Google, Amazon, and Facebook don’t face enough competition. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the recent attention on tech giants’ business models by governments across the world. [...]
Alexa offers energetic assistance in link-up with Octopus Energy March 18, 2019 Octopus Energy has teamed up with Amazon to become the first energy company providing real-time energy pricing using voice automation with Alexa. The energy provider, which has 600,000 customers throughout the UK, is pioneering the drive toward greener and cheaper energy through its Agile Octopus tariff, allowing customers to use electricity when it is cheapest [...]
Facebook hit with US criminal investigation over data-sharing deals March 14, 2019 US prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into Facebook over a number of data deals it struck with other major tech firms. A grand jury in New York has ordered two smartphone manufacturers to hand over records, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Read more: Facebook to encrypt more messages [...]
The World Wide Web is 30 years old – what will be the future of the internet? March 14, 2019 The World Wide Web turned 30 years old this week: on 12 March 1989, Sir Tim Berners-Lee submitted a proposal to the world’s largest physics laboratory, Cern, that outlined a new way to link, share, and manage information over the internet. As the main way that the vast majority of us access the online world, the [...]
Greystar, PSP and Allianz buy Shoreditch student housing scheme for £160m March 11, 2019 Property giant Greystar has led a consortium of buyers that has snapped up a student accommodation project in Shoreditch from investment firm Apache Capital for £160m. Greystar, alongside partners Public Sector Pension (PSP) Investments and Allianz Real Estate, has exchanged contracts to acquire the Paul St. East development. Read more: Greystar and Henderson Park snap [...]