BBC’s Rivera wants to make 2012 digital’s Coronation
“The Olympics will be the biggest 19 days in the 15 years of BBC Online,” says BBC future media director Ralph Rivera, as he summarises a big year for the service. Read more at paidContent »
Interview: 5 Questions for Future CEO Mark Wood
The chief of one of the publishers with most magazines on iPad wants to make more of them interactive and start licensing his production tools to rivals, after selling half a million Newsstand titles in six months. Read more at paidContent »
Fruugo quits Helsinki, boss blames everyone else
As e-commerce startup Fruugo closes its Helsinki office, its CEO takes a moment to attack the “deliberate negativity” from Finland’s press and entrepreneurs. But with $48m burned and no revenues, perhaps Fruugo should stop laying the blame elsewhere. Read more »
Britain looks at ISP block for adult content — again
Britain looks set to re-open the question of how adult internet content is regulated, as embattled Prime Minister David Cameron scrambles for ways to shore up support from the conservative heartland. Read more »
MTV will have a hard time charging Brits for VOD
MTV UK has upgraded its MTV OD on-demand platform with catch-up TV shows transmitted in the last seven days – but it may be challenged to make a success of it. Read more at paidContent »
Science research may be freed from journals’ ‘unhealthy’ paywalls
The UK government has told academic journal publishers it will make freely available online the publicly-funded research they currently charge for, labelling “paywalls” “deeply unhealthy”. Read more at paidContent »
Social net sifter DataSift adds $7.2M to its war chest
Businesses are hungry to understand more about the public perception of their products and services by tapping social networking sources. That demand is why DataSift, which sorts through tons of social network data, garnered $7.2 million in additional funding from existing backers. Read more »
Web journey complete, FT switching off iOS app
The Financial Times is preparing to kill off its iPad and iPhone app for good, signalling its final conversion from executable-app to web-app publishing. Read more at paidContent »
Hacking report: Rupert Murdoch ‘not fit’, James’ competence questioned
photo: Sirian Soosay
The UK parliamentary committee’s report into whether it was misled over phone hacking makes conclusions including: “Rupert Murdoch is not a fit person to exercise the stewardship of a major international company.” Read more at paidContent »
Apple barred from using ’4G’ in marketing for the iPad in UK
After advertising’s regulator investigated complaints, Apple has agreed to remove the “4G” label in a country that can’t yet support a “4G” iPad. But complaints keep coming. Read more »
Another nail: UK ISPs must block Pirate Bay
photo: Shutterstock / Tatiana Popova
The UK becomes the thirteenth country to compel ISP-level blocking of The Pirate Bay, after record labels won a court case. Read more at paidContent »
Netflix plans further Euro expansion in Q4
Netflix has vowed to re-animate its on-hold global ambitions by launching further into Europe this coming Q4, after it spent slightly less than expected on its UK and Ireland launch this January. Read more at paidContent »
Why do Russian companies go public in London?
Another Russian company looks set to list on the London exchange — this time the country’s second-largest mobile operator, MegaFon. It follows Mail.ru, which used London to become a real force in the technology industry. What makes the British capital so alluring? Read more »
Shazam For TV can go large with ITV ad sales deal
Shazam’s efforts to enable TV ads with recognisable audio tags gain a big leg-up, with news UK broadcaster ITV will sell the idea to its advertisers. Read more at paidContent »
Forget sex: Badoo plans to win America with Spanish
London-based social network Badoo is trying to jettison its saucy reputation and crack the lucrative American market — where its outsized Spanish-speaking audience is driving growth and expansion. Read more »
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Myriad focuses on low-end phones, buys UK’s Synchronica
The mobile industry isn’t all about smartphones — yet. Two of the leading companies behind operator-branded services on low-end phones have merged to form an operation with 1.8 billion potential users. Read more »
Zattikka buys three social gaming startups & takes on Zynga
Social games development company, Zattikka incorporated on Monday, has gone public on London’s AIM exchange and is rolling up independent studios it hopes can give it some of Zynga’s gold. It was started by Virgin Interactive games executives Tim Chaney (pictured) and Mark Opzoomer. Read more at paidContent »
The hyperlinked book: Random House plugs Nesbo in to Small Demons
Readers of Scandinavian crime fiction can now revel in the music, movies, art and other artefacts of the morbid genre, too. Read more at paidContent »
DMGT snaps up Jobrapido to build digital recruitment business
photo: Shutterstock / Tom Mc Nemar
The market for job classified ads may be gloomy at present, but Mail Online publisher DMGT is buying further in to it, by acquiring the Jobrapido recruitment site for up to €30 million Read more at paidContent »
Netflix rolls out on Windows Phone in Latin America, the U.K. and Ireland
Netflix put the finishing touches on mobile-device rollouts in the regions it’s aggressively expanding into. The company announced Wednesday that its streaming video service is now available on Windows Phone in Latin America, the U.K. and Ireland. Read more at paidContent »
Tail wags dog: new Hearst magazine is made for iPad, even in print
Time was, publishers shovelled their linear magazines in to tablet digital editions. Now that order is flipping, with magazines designed for proper tablet interaction being repurposed to print. Read more at paidContent »
Spotify dips a toe in web waters, but isn’t yet swimming
photo: Spotify
Spotify has moved a step toward embracing the web by introducing a new embeddable widget – but the launch highlights perhaps one of the biggest anomalies of the music service. Read more at paidContent »
7 questions for London Tech City CEO Eric van der Kleij
The British government is trying to boost London startups with its so-called “Tech City” initiative — but some worry that it could destroy the very thing it hopes to promote. We sat down with the man in charge to find out what he thinks. Read more »
Fresh Amazon claims highlight Europe’s tax trouble
Reports suggest Amazon has paid almost no tax in the UK, despite making billions of dollars by becoming Britain’s biggest online retailer. It’s another example of how tax avoidance has become a troubling issue facing the entire continent. Read more »
Zeebox boss says smart TV is a dumb idea
Is the trend for smart TVs that connect to the Web and run apps a big mistake? Anthony Rose, the co-founder of hot social TV app Zeebox, took to the stage at MIPCube to suggest the future of television lies somewhere very different. Read more »
What the web’s saying about UK internet snooping laws
Plans by the British government to give intelligence agencies access to details of every phone call, email, text and website visit made in the country have drawn plenty of anger from across the spectrum. Here’s what people are saying about the controversy. Read more »
Industry Moves: Hearst; WebCollage; AccentHealth; Magnetic
– Hearst Newspapers: Lincoln Millstein has been promoted to EVP and deputy group head of Hearst Newspapers, from SVP of digital media. His… Read more at paidContent »
In Europe the internet is free — except when it’s not
Europe and America have different views on freedom of speech and privacy. But with British and French legislators both challenging the idea of a free and unfettered web, can there ever be a transatlantic accord? Read more »
Airbnb acquires UK-based Crashpadder for Olympic flats
Airbnb expects a ton of bookings during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, but it wasn’t the only game in town. So the U.S.-based startup is taking out some of the competition, with the acquisition of Crashpadder, which is its biggest competitor in the U.K. market. Read more »
Nook May Be Expanding Internationally, But Barnes & Noble Stores Aren't
At a Nook Developers Workshop in London today, Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) said it won’t be opening stores outside the U.S., but did not offe… Read more at paidContent »
Tweek.tv’s social TV guide comes to the iPad
Tweek’s ‘next-generation TV guide’ unites different islands of online film and TV content with curation provided by Facebook’s social graph. Now it’s launching an iPad app for European users to try and convince more people to pick it up. Read more »
Mike Lang Leaving As Miramax CEO
photo: Mipcom
Mike Lang has resigned as CEO of Miramax effective immediately, according to the film company. Lang, a former News Corp. (NSDQ: NWS) exec i… Read more at paidContent »
Ian Fleming Estate Reverses Course, Gives Up James Bond E-Book Rights
photo: Penguin
Ian Fleming Publications attracted attention when, in 2010, it announced it would publish the James Bond e-books directly instead of selling… Read more at paidContent »
Groupon UK told to clean up after record complaints
British watchdogs have told Groupon that it needs to clean up its act, after a record number of complaints about the way the company advertises its offers and behaves towards users. Read more »
Is Rdio going to announce its U.K. launch next week?
Just days after launching a revamped website, music subscription service Rdio is set to announce that it is launching in the lucrative British market — a move that will continue its rivalry with Spotify and others. Read more »
Here comes a hot new chip for Internet of things
ARM, the semiconductor company whose chip technology powers most modern smartphones, has come up with a chip for the Internet of things. It is an energy-efficient chip technology that is optimized for use in everything from connected lighting to power controls to other home appliances. Read more »
This London accelerator plans to do good and make profit
Bethnal Green Ventures thinks it can have an impact on the big issues with an accelerator program for support technology companies working on social and environmental problems. Can it work? Read more »
Social gift app Wrapp steams ahead with UK launch
Wrapp, the mobile app that lets you send gifts to your Facebook friends, is pressing ahead with its expansion by launching in the UK with partners including Asos and Pizza Express. Read more »
Songkick’s $10m Sequoia deal opens Atlantic floodgates
London concert site Songkick has just become Sequoia Capital’s first British investment, with a $10 million funding round that underscores the level of interest that venture capital’s most prestigious firms now have in Europe’s burgeoning startup scene. Read more »
