DEBATE: Subscribers have surged, but are we nearing ‘peak Netflix’? October 18, 2018 Subscribers have surged, but are we nearing ‘peak Netflix’? Jon Tipple, chief strategy officer at FutureBrand, says YES. Netflix is an amazing success story. Its content, valuation, and subscriber numbers all say so, especially after Tuesday’s results. Our FutureBrand Index also confirmed it last week – we reorder the PwC Global Top 100 firms to [...]
Loot boxes, video games, and others ways the gaming industry wants you to spend more money October 18, 2018 What do you get when you buy a game? You might think that, after spending hundreds of pounds on a PlayStation or Xbox console, or an expensive gaming PC, then another £50 on the latest release, you’re getting a full and complete experience. But that’s not necessarily the case. Games are very expensive to [...]
Growing the UK games industry’s success shouldn’t be taxing October 18, 2018 The video games industry is one of the UK’s great success stories. Last week’s report by the British Film Institute (BFI) showed that the sector is thriving, describing it as a “significant entertainment industry”, which has produced a “wide array of globally successful and culturally impactful entertainment products”. At The Independent Games Developers' Association (TIGA), [...]
Digital banking challenger Monese launches business accounts October 18, 2018 Digital banking app Monese will today announce its expansion into the world of business banking, as it launches accounts for young companies and entrepreneurs across the UK and Europe. The accounts will be released to UK-registered businesses first, available in 11 languages in a bid to tap the UK's growing multicultural industry base. The firm told City [...]
Facebook shareholders call on Zuckerberg to step down as chairman October 17, 2018 Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is facing pressure to resign his post as chairman following a series of scandals. Several US public funds who own shares in the company have called for Zuckerberg to step down from the role after the social media giant “mishandled” a series of controversies. Facebook was at the centre of [...]
Pixel 3 review: Google’s flagship returns with an improved camera, better software, and the notch to end all notches October 17, 2018 In the 1995 film Casper, there existed a machine that could give ghosts corporeal form, turning them from translucent, intangible spectres into real, physical beings. In much the same way, Google’s range of Pixel phones gives the company’s far-reaching software a hard, phone-shaped body in which to exist. To put it in even more 90s [...]
Stocking up: Elon Musk to buy $20m in Tesla shares as manufacturing boss resigns October 17, 2018 Tesla chief executive Elon Musk will buy $20m (£15.2m) of Tesla stock in the next open trading session, a filing revealed today, after a judge approved the firm's settlement deal with the US securities watchdog. The filing said the share purchase will be "separate and apart from the settlement", which saw both Tesla and Elon Musk be fined [...]
Uber considers minority stake sell-off for self-driving unit October 17, 2018 Uber is reportedly considering multiple offers for minority shareholdings in its self-driving unit, as the company attempts to resolve any high-cost ventures before it goes public next year. Sources told the Financial Times that Uber had received interest from several investors looking to buy a minority stake in its Advanced Technologies Group (ATG), which could see [...]
Apple taps US design tech Ember to track caffeine intake as it launches in the UK October 17, 2018 Design tech firm Ember has launched with Apple to monitor caffeine consumption inside the Health app using its smart mug, as the company arrives in the UK as part of its international expansion drive. Ember, the maker of a ceramic mug which uses heat control technology to keep drinks at a desired temperature, will now appear as [...]
Lyft onboards JP Morgan, Credit Suisse and Jefferies to lead its IPO October 17, 2018 US ride-hailing firm Lyft has hired JP Morgan, Credit Suisse and Jefferies as underwriters for its upcoming initial public offering (IPO), slated for an early 2019 debut. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters late last night that the three banks have been brought on board to lead the listing, after Morgan Stanley and Goldman [...]