‘Hard to imagine’ no price hikes after Paramount Warner Bros mega merger October 6, 2026 Streaming customers are likely to face further price rises after Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery complete their $111bn (£82bn) merger on Tuesday, analysts have warned. The Hollywood giants will combine under a new parent company called Skydance, bringing Paramount+, HBO Max and some of the world’s most valuable film and television franchises under one roof. [...]
Asos shares crater after ‘hackers’ threaten data leak October 6, 2026 Asos shares have tumbled after customers were told the online fashion seller’s systems had been “fully compromised” by hackers. Users of the Asos app received a push notification on Tuesday morning titled “ASOS HACKED”, in an apparent attempt by the attackers to contact the company’s data protection and IT teams. Asos said on Tuesday afternoon [...]
How Talktalk went from taking on BT to being rescued by it October 5, 2026 TalkTalk was founded to take on BT, slash the price of broadband and shake up a market dominated by a handful of incumbents. But more than two decades later, the challenger has ended up in the arms of the company it was built to challenge. BT stepped in on Monday to buy Talktalk and its [...]
NHS may not be able to replace Palantir before £330m deal deadline October 5, 2026 The NHS may not be able to replace Palantir before a crunch deadline on its £330m data contract, raising the stakes for ministers as pressure mounts to cut ties with the US tech giant. The warning comes as ministers weigh Palantir’s future and campaigners ramp up pressure to ditch the company, with more than 44,000 [...]
OpenAI safety chief quits with warning on ‘broken’ culture October 5, 2026 A senior OpenAI safety figure has become the latest AI insider to sound the alarm over the technology, quitting the ChatGPT maker over what he called its “broken” culture. David Robinson, who spent three-and-a-half years at OpenAI and led safety reports for 12 major model launches, said AI companies were not “being nearly careful enough”, [...]
Virgin Media takes aim at ‘stitch up’ BT rescue of Talktalk October 5, 2026 Virgin Media has hit out at BT’s rescue of Talktalk as a “stitch up”, warning the deal could further strengthen its rival’s grip on Britain’s broadband market. BT agreed on Monday to acquire debt-laden Talktalk and its wholesale arm PlatformX Communications out of administration, safeguarding services for 1.5 million retail customers and one million wholesale [...]
AI minister updates guidance after ‘don’t thank ChatGPT’ advice to civil servants October 1, 2026 Britain’s AI minister has ordered changes to government guidance that urged civil servants to limit their use of AI, saying it failed to reflect ministers’ ambitions to ramp up adoption across Whitehall. Kanishka Narayan said guidance published last week had now been updated after it advised government workers to use AI only when necessary, choose [...]
UK house prices fall at fastest rate since May as mortgage rates weigh on demand October 1, 2026 UK house prices fell at their fastest pace since May as expensive mortgages and uncertainty ahead of the Autumn Budget fuelled caution among buyers. Prices fell 0.2 per cent during September, faster than economists had expected and reversing August’s 0.2 per cent increase, according to data from Nationwide. The average UK home was valued at [...]
AI voice firm Elevenlabs hits $22bn valuation in fresh boost for UK tech September 30, 2026 London-based ElevenLabs has hit a $22bn (£16bn) valuation after completing a $300m employee share sale, marking another sharp jump in value for one of Britain’s fastest-growing AI firms. The voice AI group’s valuation has doubled since its $11bn Series D in February, when it raised $500m, and is now more than 2,000 times the $9m [...]
Lisa Nandy admits ‘problem’ with Ofcom enforcement of online safety rules September 30, 2026 Lisa Nandy has admitted there is “a problem” with Ofcom’s ability to enforce online safety rules as she signalled further regulation of tech firms beyond the government’s under-16 social media ban. “Laws are only as good as the ability to enforce them”, the culture secretary said, as she called for a more active role for [...]
