Spotify launches podcast subscriptions as Apple rivalry heats up April 27, 2021 Spotify today revealed plans to launch a paid subscription platform for podcasters as the streaming service’s rivalry with Apple continues to heat up. The feature, which will initially launch in the US, means podcast creators can mark certain episodes as subscriber-only and publish them on Spotify, as well as on other podcast services. It comes [...]
EU to charge Apple with anti-competitive behaviour over Spotify row April 27, 2021 The EU will reportedly file antitrust charges against Apple this week over accusations its dominance of the app market has harmed competition. The case relates to a complaint lodged by Spotify in 2019, which accused the iPhone maker of unfairly restricting rivals to its own Apple Music service and complaining about the company’s 30 per [...]
City A.M. TV: Daily Market Snapshot (video) April 26, 2021 Since early April, US equity markets have been in a persistent uptrend. That’s been is aided and abetted by (i) notable US dollar weakness; (ii) lower bond yields (resulting in tech outperformance); and (iii) a strong Q1 earnings season, with most US companies surprising markets to the upside. In that respect, and while US equity indices [...]
Screenshot: Is the Super League the biggest PR disaster of all time? April 23, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Radio loses a legend **Is the Super League the biggest PR disaster of all time? **Is Netflix’s pandemic party finally over? Media Moment of the Week: Radio loses a legend For many Brits, radio has been a much-needed source of entertainment (and company) during the pandemic. But long [...]
UK to force tech firms to disclose device security plans amid cyber fears April 21, 2021 Tech firms could be forced to tell customers how long their products will be guaranteed to receive security updates under draft new laws outlined today. Manufacturers including Apple, Samsung and Google would have to make upfront disclosures for smart devices such as phones, speakers, fridges and doorbells. The plans form part of efforts to beef [...]
Apple Event: New, thinner iMac is making the ‘computer disappear’ April 20, 2021 Tech giant Apple has this evening announced a raft of new products including podcast subscription services and a thinner version of its iMac computer. The Silicon Valley firm said that the new version of its computer, which uses its in-house processor, was the closest Apple had yet come to “making its computers disappear”. The new [...]
UK launches new competition watchdog for Big Tech crackdown April 7, 2021 Tech giants such as Facebook and Google are facing a tougher regulatory regime in the UK after a new watchdog aimed at curbing their power launched today. The Digital Markets Unit (DMU) will be charged with setting up new rules to give consumers more control over their data, promote online competition and crack down on [...]
LG exits smartphone market after steady losses April 6, 2021 Korean electronics company LG will leave the smartphone market in July after it failed to match growing competition from China. Once the third-largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world in 2013, LG struggled with the transition to touchscreen smartphones which made its exit inevitable. Despite arriving early to the smartphone party, introducing a touchscreen device [...]
Apple leads $50m funding round in record label disruptor United Masters March 31, 2021 Apple has led a $50m (£36m) investment in United Masters, an independent music platform aiming to challenge the dominance of major record labels. United Masters, which was founded in 2017 by former label executive Steve Stoute, provides a platform for artists to distribute their music while retaining ownership of their master recording rights. This is [...]
Fortnite maker complains of Apple’s ‘anti-competitive’ behaviour to UK watchdog March 30, 2021 Fortnite maker Epic Games has complained to the UK’s markets watchdog today over Apple’s ‘anti-competitive’ rules, after a spat that led to the game being banned from the App Store last year. Epic took its competition complaint to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), claiming Apple exercised unfair control over app makers. Last August, Fortnite [...]