Game over? Competition watchdog to probe console video gaming autorenewals April 5, 2019 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today launched a consumer law investigation into the console gaming sector. The watchdog said the investigation would focus on the auto-renewal practice of Nintendo Switch, Playstation and Xbox. Read more: Astro Bot Rescue Mission is the PlayStation VR's killer app It said it was “concerned about whether some of [...]
Ladbrokes-owner GVC increases gambling revenue in first quarter April 5, 2019 GVC said today that it had increased gambling revenue in the first quarter by eight per cent. In a trading update, the Ladbrokes-owner said online net-gaming revenue (NGR) increased 17 per cent, which it said included strong volume growth in all territories. Read more: GVC shares plunge as bosses offload majority of their holdings UK [...]
Apple’s big ecosystem play March 26, 2019 | City Talk Doubts and unanswered questions aplenty following last night’s glitzy event, but make no mistake this was another big step in the pivot towards making Apple more of a services business. You would call this an ecosystem play, with new services designed to strengthen the bonds between consumers and the brand. Services revenues have soared lately [...]
Apple ‘show time’ event: Tim Cook debuts Apple TV streaming service March 25, 2019 Apple has unveiled a new streaming platform to take on Netflix during an eagerly-anticipated launch event in California this evening. Oprah, Steven Spielberg and Jennifer Aniston were among the celebrities who took to the stage during a dramatic presentation to announce a revamp of Apple’s TV service. Read more: Apple reveals UK pricing for its [...]
Google announces Stadia game streaming platform March 19, 2019 Google has announced a video game streaming service called Stradia as the tech giant attempts to challenge Sony and Microsoft in the $140bn gaming market. Stadia will allow users to play games on their internet browser without having to download any content or buy a new console, Google announced at the Game Developers Conference in [...]
Netflix to set its own age ratings for streaming shows and movies in new partnership with BBFC March 14, 2019 Netflix will be granted powers to set the official age ratings for its film and TV programmes as part of a new partnership with the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). The streaming giant will use an automated rating algorithm, alongside a manual tagging system, to apply official UK age ratings to its original films [...]
Draper Esprit leads £7m funding round in deep tech firm Hadean March 7, 2019 Venture capital firm Draper Esprit has led a £7m funding round in London deep tech firm Hadean. Hadean has created the world’s first cloud-first operating system to allow programmers to scale up their code and reduce the manpower and time wasted on engineering. Read more: London-listed Draper Esprit to double down on Europe with £100m [...]
Music streaming revenues overtake ownership for the first time amid shift to ‘rental’ market March 4, 2019 The popularity of subscription services reached record levels in the UK last year as music streaming revenues overtook ownership formats for the first time. Revenues from paid-for music subscription services such as Spotify jumped 39 per cent last year to £829m, meaning subscriptions now account for 62 per cent of all music revenues, according to figures [...]
Software developers beat average UK salary by 154 per cent February 28, 2019 Top developers earn 154 per cent more than the average Brit, a report released today has revealed, with blockchain fuelling a rise in employer demand for such skills. Read more: Blockchain oil firm taps former JP Morgan director as new chief Software supremos command an average salary of £71,000 a year compared with the UK [...]
Playtech shares rise as it plots €40m buyback after drop in profits February 21, 2019 British gambling software provider Playtech saw shares rise almost nine per cent today as it announced a €40m (£34.7m) share buyback scheme after full-year profits plummeted. Read more: Paddy Power buys stake in Georgia's biggest online betting firm The figures Total revenue for 2018 grew 54 per cent year on year to €1.24bn. But net profit slumped 50 per [...]