Millennials are killing the TV licence April 6, 2018 Millennials are constantly being accused of “killing” things. Not people, thankfully, but the auto industry, lunch, marriage. Here’s another for the ever-growing list: in between never owning a home, avocados on rye, and leeching off my parents, somehow I find time to not watch the BBC. An Ipsos MORI poll for the Beeb warns that [...]
Spotify share price drops on first day of trading on Wall Street April 4, 2018 Shares in music streaming service Spotify dropped off in its second day of trading on Wall Street, following a strong opening performance yesterday. Spotify shares opened at $165.90 (£118), but by early this afternoon, the price had dropped 15 per cent to $140. Spotify’s opening listing was 34 per cent higher than its initial set [...]
ASA bans Poker Stars ad for portraying gambling in “socially irresponsible” way April 4, 2018 Poker Stars has been scolded by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for making a “socially irresponsible” TV advert. The ad produced by the gambling site was aired in October 2017 and featured a rousing voiceover telling a man playing poker with his friends that “if you can bluff yourself, you can bluff anyone.” A complaint [...]
Spotify begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange amid Wall Street tech rout April 3, 2018 Music streaming service Spotify began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) today at $165.90 (£117), a 34 per cent increase on the initial set reference price. The opening price puts the company’s value at nearly $30bn, making it one of the largest US listings for a tech company in history. The public listing [...]
Dear London, where’s our Google? Time to move past fintech and take on Silicon Valley April 2, 2018 London’s tech scene is much lauded. More than seven years ago, David Cameron outlined his vision of a Silicon City, one rooted in the east of London and spawning ideas that can take on the world. Since then, there has been much talk – but what about the results? Read more: London will remain tech [...]
Amazon plates up sponsorship to Great British Bake Off March 29, 2018 Amazon announced today that it signed on as The Great British Bake Off’s headline sponsor this year. The deal is reportedly worth £5m — one of the largest sponsorships in UK entertainment history — and the show’s ninth season will bake in the capabilities of virtual assistant Alexa as well as the Echo smart speakers. [...]
US President Donald Trump lashes out at Amazon for paying “little or no” tax March 29, 2018 Donald Trump has criticised tech giant Amazon via Twitter today, claiming the firm pays “little or no” tax to state and local governments. “I have stated my concerns with Amazon long before the [US presidential] election,” he wrote. “Unlike others, they pay little or no taxes to state and local governments, use our postal system [...]
Spotify float still set to top Snap and Twitter amid tech sell-off March 28, 2018 Spotify is expected to be worth $26bn (£17bn) at the end of its first day of trade next week, more than social media platforms Snap and Twitter, according to IG client accounts. IG’s grey market, which allows traders to speculate on the music streaming giant’s market capitalisation at the end of its first day of [...]
Facebook scandal: European markets hit by Wall Street’s tech sell-off March 28, 2018 European markets are taking a hit today after US tech stocks had their worst day since February 2016 yesterday. Wall Street’s Faangs (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Alphabet’s Google) were battered yesterday over fears of a regulatory crackdown following Facebook’s data scandal. Shares in the social media giant have fallen about 15 per cent this [...]
Facebook’s reign of unpunished rule-breaking is coming to an end March 23, 2018 Sorry seems to be the hardest word, they say. And for tech-superstar-turned-virtual-antichrist Mark Zuckerberg, it certainly seems difficult. The scandal over the unorthodox use of Facebook user data by political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica isn’t going away. It’s been nearly a week since the Guardian profiled whistleblower Christopher Wylie, who explains how the company scraped [...]