Sky drops Oscars coverage after 20 years August 9, 2023 UK film enthusiasts will no longer be able to watch the Oscars coverage via Sky as the TV giant has reportedly relinquished its two-decade hold on broadcasting the prestigious LA awards ceremony. Sky is set to end its deal to show the Oscars and Disney, the rights holder, is reportedly in advanced talks with an [...]
Sony warns sales will be hit by Hollywood strikes August 9, 2023 Japanese tech giant Sony lowered its full-year sales forecast today warning that the ongoing Hollywood strikes will wreak havoc with movie production schedules. In a trading update, Sony revised its annual movie sales forecast down 50bn yen to 1.47trn yen (£8bn). Sony blamed the potential lower revenues on the impact of actors and writers staking [...]
Amazon eyes anchor investor role ahead of Arm IPO August 9, 2023 Amazon is reportedly in discussions to become an anchor investor in Arm as the chip designer gears up to go public. The technology giant is joining the likes of Alphabet, which owns google, and semiconductor companies Nvidia and Intel in the queue to become a major investor in Cambridge-based Arm, according to Reuters. Arm plays [...]
John Lewis hires Google Cloud to supercharge digital revamp in £100m deal August 9, 2023 John Lewis is trying to get back on its feet by partnering with Google to drive its digital revamp, and shift away from high-street reliance. Valued at £100m, the partnership aims to improve the efficiency of John Lewis and Waitrose employees, enabling them to provide a better customer experience. Struggling high street favourite John Lewis [...]
Flutter: Paddy Power and Betfair owner to list in the US after reaching profitability August 9, 2023 Flutter Entertainment, owner of betting giants including Betfair and Paddy Power, is preparing to list in the US as early as this year. The firm made the announcement as US and UK punters help drive its revenue up 38 per cent for the first half of 2023. Shares dropped over 3.5 per cent when the [...]
How Spotify’s $1bn bet on podcasts failed to make any money August 9, 2023 In 2018, Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek announced the company would invest $500m in growing a podcast business. But that spend ballooned to more than $1bn over the next four years as the company licensed shows, bought numerous production studios and signed exclusive podcast deals with the likes of the Obamas and the Sussexes. Ek [...]
ABBA’s Bjorn-backed Audoo partners with music licensers to collect royalties from background music in bars and cafes August 9, 2023 Audoo, a music tech company backed by ABBA star Björn Ulvaeus, has partnered with major British music licensers PRS for Music and PPL to improve royalty distribution to music artists through audio meters. Audoo’s audio meters can identify background music being played in public spaces such as bars, shops and restaurants. The data collected is [...]
Nanoco nears commercial production after $150m Samsung settlement August 8, 2023 Manchester-based Nanoco has said it is closer to commercial production than any other time in its history as it uses the proceeds of a legal battle with Samsung “to generate further value from its IP.” Nanoco makes cadmium-free quantum dots, a vital part of a host of anticipated technological development. In a trading update published [...]
Data attacks set to enter new era under ‘FraudGPT’, warn cybersecurity execs August 8, 2023 A new breed of malicious AI models are “heralding an era of AI-enabled data attacks” on businesses, Darktrace VP of strategic cyber AI Nicole Carignan has warned. Speaking to City A.M., Carnigan said data attacks will become “faster and harder to defend against in the next few years” as new AI systems make attacks more [...]
Taylor Swift helps Brits shake it off with entertainment spree but it’s a cruel summer for retailers August 8, 2023 Taylor Swift tickets, which went on sale in July, have powered a double-digit increase in entertainment spending so far this summer