Oneweb launches 34 satellites as it beefs up space broadband network March 22, 2020 Oneweb has launched a further 34 satellites as the London-based startup steps up its efforts to create a space broadband network. The satellites were launched on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan yesterday. It marks Oneweb’s second launch in six weeks and its third overall, taking the total number of satellites in [...]
British takeaways call for rent holidays as coronavirus puts businesses ‘on the brink’ March 22, 2020 British restaurants and takeaways have urged retail landlords to grant rent holidays as they battle to survive during the coronavirus outbreak. The British Takeaway Campaign (BTC), which represents restaurants, takeaways and small businesses in the supply chain, called for an immediate three-month freeze on rent ahead of quarterly payments due next week. The group warned [...]
Coronavirus: Netflix downgrades streaming quality after EU plea March 19, 2020 Netflix has said it will downgrade video streaming qualities on its platform in a bid to save network space. The US streaming giant said it will cut bitrates in Europe for 30 days, which is expected to reduce traffic by 25 per cent. It comes after the EU asked Netflix to restrict high definition (HD) [...]
British startups slam competition watchdog over ‘power grab’ March 19, 2020 British startups have accused the competition watchdog of mounting an “old-fashioned power grab” after it called for beefed up powers to crack down on tech firms. In its annual report published today, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said there was evidence of “growing market concentration and rising profit margins” in several sectors of the [...]
Coronavirus: Broadcaster viewing figures surge as Brits flock to TV news March 19, 2020 The UK’s public service broadcasters have reported a huge surge in viewer numbers as Brits flock to TV news to find out the latest information on the coronavirus outbreak. Almost 8.7m people tuned into the BBC Six O’Clock News last night — the highest figure recorded since Christmas Day 2008 and more than twice the [...]
Coronavirus will ‘accelerate the digital revolution’, says ad mogul Martin Sorrell March 19, 2020 The outbreak of coronavirus will “accelerate the digital revolution” as businesses and consumers become increasingly reliant on technology, ad boss Sir Martin Sorrell has said. Sorrell, who runs ad fim S4 Capital, today said the “bottom line” of the crisis was that digital transformation would move at a much greater pace. “Businesses that were probably [...]
Playboy magazine stops printing due to coronavirus outbreak March 19, 2020 Playboy has said it will shut down its print operation for the rest of the year due to the outbreak of coronavirus. The US periodical, one of the world’s most famous magazines, said its spring issue — which hits newsstands this week — will be its last of 2020. In an open letter posted online, [...]
Twitter bans misleading information in coronavirus crackdown March 19, 2020 Twitter has banned users from posting misleading material about the coronavirus outbreak as it ramps up its crackdown on misinformation. In a blog post published last night, the social media firm said it would broaden its definition of harmful content to include anything that contradicts guidance from authoritative sources of global and local public health [...]
Government set to use mobile signals to monitor virus outbreak March 18, 2020 The government has approached the UK’s mobile operators about using phone signals as part of its efforts to tackle the coronavirus outbreak. Officials are in talks with O2, Vodafone, EE and Three over tracking data from the UK’s 84m active mobile devices to help authorities fight the pandemic. The data is anonymised — meaning individuals [...]
Serena Williams-backed health startup Quit Genius raises $11m in funding round March 18, 2020 A health tech startup backed by tennis champion Serena Williams has raised $11m (£9.4m) to help bolster its digital therapy services. San Francisco-based Quit Genius, which provides stop smoking services to NHS trusts in the UK, secured the cash injection in a series A funding round led by Octopus Ventures. The latest financing follows a [...]
