“Closed for business:” UK competition watchdog blocks Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision

Apr26
by on April 26, 2023 at 3:16 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized


The UK’s competition regulator has blocked Microsoft’s $68.7bn acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the maker of world-renowned games including Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it’s concerned that the deal would tamper with the future of the rapidly-growing cloud gaming market, resulting in reduced innovation and fewer choices for UK gamers. According to the CMA, Microsoft, which already accounts for an estimated 60% to 70% of the global cloud gaming market, would further increase its advantage by making some of the world’s most popular games exclusively available on its own platforms. The regulator…

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Netflix minus 1M users in Spain over no-password-sharing policy

Apr26
by on April 26, 2023 at 1:33 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized


Netflix’s password sharing crackdown has cost it one million users in Spain during the first quarter of 2023, a new study by market research group Kantar has found. This translates to an approximately 15% decrease of its total users. The streaming platform introduced the new measures in Spain in early February, asking for a €5.99 monthly fee from users sharing their passwords with other households. According to Kantar, this is directly linked to the decline of the country’s user base. Out of the one million users who opted out of Netflix, two-thirds were benefiting from password sharing. One-third were actually…

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These 19 tech giants are on the EU’s new naughty list

Apr26
by on April 26, 2023 at 10:26 am
Posted In: Uncategorized


The EU’s latest crackdown on big tech is taking shape. The bloc yesterday released a list of companies that must adhere to the strictest rules of the landmark Digital Services Act (DSA). The 17 platforms and two search engines reach at least 45 million monthly active users. All of them have four months to comply with the full obligations of the DSA. The services are now mandated to mitigate their systemic risks and establish robust content moderation (this means you, Elon). They range from banning ads that target sensitive user data to special risk assessments for mental health impacts. Violations…

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Dutch startup to build floating solar array at North Sea wind farm

Apr25
by on April 25, 2023 at 6:04 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized


A Dutch startup has been awarded a contract to install floating solar panels at an offshore wind farm in the North Sea.  Oceans of Energy secured the contract from CrossWind, a joint venture between Shell and Eneco. The renewable energy startup has been tasked with building a 0.5MW floating array between wind turbines at the 750MW Hollands Kust Noord wind farm, located 18.5km off the coast of the Netherlands.   According to the startup, which was founded in 2016 by Dutch engineer and entrepreneur Allard van Hoeken, this would be the first offshore solar farm in the world to be connected,…

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Swedish startup wants €1.5BN to build emissions-free steel plant

Apr24
by on April 24, 2023 at 4:23 pm
Posted In: Insider


Swedish startup H2 Green Steel has announced its plans to raise more than €1.5bn in equity funding to build steel plants that emit virtually no emissions. The startup, backed by high-profile investors such as Mercedes, Maersk, and Spotify’s chief executive, is constructing a ‘green steel’ manufacturing plant in Boden, north Sweden.  Construction of the plant will be financed through more than €5bn in debt and equity. The startup said in October that it had received support from European financial institutions for €3.5bn in debt financing, making it one of the most capitalised climate tech projects in Europe.  H2 Green Steel…

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