Culture secretary denies attack on BBC as she hints at wider broadcaster review February 5, 2020 Culture secretary Nicky Morgan has denied the government is launching an attack on the BBC as she hinted at a wider review of public service broadcasters. Morgan today launched a public consultation on whether to decriminalise non-payment of the TV licence fee amid a shift in viewing habits fuelled by the rise of streaming services [...]
Coronavirus: Huawei and ZTE to exclude Chinese staff from MWC 2020 February 5, 2020 Two of China’s largest mobile companies are set to sideline employees from their home country at a major upcoming tech conference amid fears over coronavirus. Huawei and ZTE have both put measures in place ahead of Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona later this month to minimise risk from the outbreak, which originated in the [...]
Spotify boosts subscribers amid surge in podcast listening February 5, 2020 Spotify today reported a sharp growth in subscriber numbers as the music streaming giant cashed in on its recent investment in podcasts. The Swedish firm boosted its monthly active users to 271m in the four quarter, up 31 per cent year on year, with paid subscribers up 29 per cent to 124m. Total revenue for [...]
Government opens consultation into licence fee decriminalisation February 5, 2020 Culture secretary Nicky Morgan will today launch a public consultation on whether to decriminalise non-payment of the TV licence fee, ramping up political pressure on the BBC. Under current laws anyone who uses a TV or watches BBC iPlayer without paying the licence fee is guilty of a criminal offence. Those who refuse to pay [...]
Watchdog bans ‘overly sexualised’ Pretty Little Thing advert February 5, 2020 Clothing retailer Pretty Little Thing has been censured by the advertising watchdog over a campaign deemed to objectify women. In a Youtube ad seen in October last year, the brand portrayed women wearing lingerie striking “seductive poses” and holding neon bars. A complainant, who believed the ad was overly sexualised and objectified women, challenged whether [...]
Relx splashes out $480m on fraud prevention firm Emailage February 4, 2020 Relx today said it has inked a deal to buy US startup Emailage for roughly $480m (£368m) as the publishing and analytics giant looks to boost its fraud prevention capabilities. Emailage, which uses machine learning technology to help clients spot fraud, is one of a number of businesses cashing in on a booming demand for [...]
Accenture closes media auditing arm amid conflict of interest claims February 4, 2020 Accenture is set to close its media auditing division amid concerns of a conflict of interest with digital marketing business Accenture Interactive. The consulting giant runs a small division known as Accenture Media Management, which offers auditing and consulting services to brands. However, the company has come under scrutiny over a potential conflict of interest [...]
Fresh blow for Tesla short-sellers as shares fly past $900 February 4, 2020 Investors betting against Tesla were dealt a further blow this afternoon as the firm’s share price jumped more than 17 per cent in early trading. The electric car maker’s stock was up as high as $921 shortly after markets opened, before dipping to just above the $900 mark. It is the latest spike amid a [...]
Britain will regret Huawei decision, warns exiled artist Ai Weiwei February 4, 2020 The UK will regret its decision to allow Chinese tech firm Huawei to build parts of the country’s 5G networks, Ai Weiwei has warned. The artist and activist, who has been exiled from his homeland since 2015, branded the move “short-sighted profit seeking”, adding that the British would “feel sorry later”. Boris Johnson’s government last [...]
Grab buys investment startup as it beefs up financial offering February 4, 2020 Softbank-backed startup Grab today said it has acquired retail wealth management startup Bento as the app looks to expand its financial services offering. The Singapore-based firm said Bento will be rebranded as Grab Invest, and its products will be rolled out in its home market and across southeast Asia in the first half of the [...]