Game Over? CMA block of Activision deal to set the tone for other regulators April 26, 2023 The UK competition regulator today blocked Microsoft’s $70bn bid for the video game publisher, Activision Blizzard, citing concerns over competition in a fledgling cloud market. The move by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to scupper the deal — Microsoft’s largest acquisition — comes as a blow to the tech giant, which has already announced [...]
Microsoft’s £55bn acquisition of Call of Duty games creator blocked by UK’s competition authority April 26, 2023 Microsoft has had its $68.7bn (£55bn) acquisition of Activision Blizzard blocked by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the regulator confirmed on Wednesday. The CMA blocked the deal over concerns it would lessen competition in the UK cloud gaming market by giving Microsoft it control over where Activision games are available. “Cloud gaming needs a [...]
Google parent Alphabet announces stock buyback after modest beat on ad sales April 26, 2023 Alphabet Inc said on Tuesday it would buy back $70bn (£56.3bn) in stock and posted first-quarter profit and revenue above estimates as demand rose for cloud services and ad sales held up better than expected. Investors cheered the buyback plan, sending shares of the Google parent as much as 4 per cent higher in after-hours trade before [...]
Microsoft: Shares jump eight per cent as AI helps software giant’s sales beat expectations April 26, 2023 Microsoft beat Wall Street’s estimates for quarterly revenue and profit on Tuesday, driven by growth in its cloud computing and Office productivity software businesses, and the company said artificial intelligence products were stimulating sales. The company forecast revenue in its main segments for the current quarter would match or top Wall Street targets. Shares gained 8.3 per cent in after-market [...]
UK venture capital investment tumbles to pre-pandemic levels as market jitters linger April 26, 2023 Venture capital investment in the UK tumbled back to pre-pandemic levels in the first three months of the year as a slump in start-up valuations and volatile markets continue to spook investors.
Advertising: Digital ad market spend slows as budgets take post-Covid reset April 26, 2023 Growth in the UK’s digital advertising market slowed in 2022 as economic headwinds continued to weigh on the market. The digital advertising market – meaning any advertising delivered through digital platforms – grew 11 per cent to £26.1bn in 2022, according to industry body IAB’s digital ad spend report. The market previously grew 41 per [...]
An activist spring? Another Vodafone shareholder ups its stake with eyes on board shake-up April 25, 2023 The Abu Dhabi based telecoms company e& has upped its stake in Vodafone and is in talks with the company over potential shifts in its board, media reports said on Tuesday. The investor — which is Vodafone’s largest shareholder — said on Monday that it had opened discussions with Vodafone on April 12 “on a [...]
Spotify hits record half a billion monthly users and forecasts future revenue to soar April 25, 2023 The number of monthly active users on Spotify passed the half a billion milestone for the first time, the music streaming platform reported today. The number of monthly active users rose 27 per cent to 515 million in the first quarter of this year, 15 million more than the company’s estimates. Premium subscribers also grew [...]
Tech Nation bought by Brent Hoberman’s Founders Forum April 25, 2023 Start-up quango Tech Nation has confirmed the sale of its brand to Brent Hoberman’s Founders Forum today for an unknown fee. The start-up network, which was launched in 2011 under David Cameron’s coalition government, announced in January that it would shut its doors after ministers controversially pulled its funding and handed it to high street [...]
Regulation set to challenge the ‘dominance’ of tech giants Google, Amazon and Facebook April 25, 2023 Plans to toughen up UK regulation of some of the world’s largest tech companies will go before MPs for the first time, with the competition watchdog’s dedicated digital unit set to be given sharper teeth. New laws to regulate big tech firms, such as Google, Amazon and Meta, have been long awaited, with MPs last [...]