BUSINESS
Google rebrands AI chatbot Bard as Gemini; launches paid tier and mobile apps
The rebranding comes as Google parent Alphabet is positioning Gemini as the main brand for all its existing and future AI efforts
BUSINESS
Disney+ Hotstar's paid subscriber base grows to 38.3 million after four consecutive quarterly losses
Disney+ Hotstar benefited from increased usage during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. The streaming service had set consecutive records for live viewership during the tournament
BUSINESS
Disney to invest $1.5 billion in Fortnite maker Epic Games; games & entertainment universe on cards
The new games and entertainment universe will enable consumers to play, watch, create and shop for both digital and physical goods, said Disney CEO Bob Iger.
BUSINESS
PhonePe's Indus Appstore to launch on February 21, aims to take on Google Play Store
PhonePe's Indus Appstore plans to charge a zero percent fee on in-app purchases, compared to the 15-30 percent fee levied by Google Play Store and Apple App Store
TECHNOLOGY
Spotify's Q4 userbase jumps 23% to 602 million; paid subscribers rise 15%
Spotify, which counts India among its top five markets in terms of the user base, however, didn't disclose specific information on its performance in the country for the quarter.
TECHNOLOGY
PhonePe, BHIM app downloads soar 20-50% amid Paytm crisis
Paytm rivals PhonePe, BHIM and Google Pay are seeing a surge in app downloads as consumers look for alternative digital payment services
TECHNOLOGY
Meta's Threads now has over 130 million monthly active users, says Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg said that Threads now has more people actively using it today than it did during its initial launch peak last year.
TECHNOLOGY
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg joins fight against Apple, calls new EU App Store policies 'onerous'
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has joined Spotify, Microsoft, and Epic Games among others criticising Apple's proposed App Store policies
TECHNOLOGY
Dream11-backed Rario's reverse sweep: Product shutdown plans abandoned
Rario had earlier stated plans of shutting down its current product on January 29, 2024 and launching a new platform in March 2024
TECHNOLOGY
India well-positioned to help shape future of AI: Google DeepMind's Jeff Dean
India has tremendous technical talent; there's a long tradition of computer science students in India doing amazing things, says Dean
TECHNOLOGY
Nazara Tech's Nodwin Gaming invests €8 million in Germany's Freaks 4U Gaming
Post this investment, Nodwin Gaming will get access to the Freaks 4U Gaming network across the developed markets, the PC ecosystem and its full-service capabilities.
TECHNOLOGY
Google parent to simplify organisational structure for faster execution: CEO Sundar Pichai
Google parent company Alphabet will continue to make investments in its pursuit of AI leadership amid intense competition from rivals.
TECHNOLOGY
MPL-backed Mayhem Studios kicks off closed beta for Underworld Gang Wars
Underworld Gang Wars is the first AAA gaming title from Mayhem Studios. The battle royale claims to have garnered over 7 million pre-registrations
TECHNOLOGY
Why Spotify and Epic Games are unhappy with Apple’s proposed EU App Store policies
Apple's Core Technology Fee has become the latest flashpoint in its ongoing battle with app developers over App Store policies.
TECHNOLOGY
Bhavish Aggarwal's AI startup Krutrim turns unicorn after raising $50 million
Krutrim is India's first unicorn of 2024 and also the country's first AI unicorn. It plans to build the entire AI computing stack including AI models and indigenous data centers
TECHNOLOGY
Drama of sport: Why Netflix is spending $5 billion to buy WWE programming rights
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the WWE deal is a unique one and does not signal any change in their sports strategy.
TECHNOLOGY
Nazara Tech's Nodwin Gaming to buy Comic Con India for Rs 55 crore
Nodwin Gaming plans to expand the number of festivals from Comic Con India and also extend its reach to more cities and countries.
TECHNOLOGY
Dream Sports-backed Rario to shut its product, launch new platform in March 2024
Rario founders Ankit Wadhwa and Sunny Bhanot had left the company in August 2023, a year after the startup had raised $120 million funding led by Dream Sports, the parent firm of Dream11.
TECHNOLOGY
Netflix bags exclusive rights to WWE's 'Raw' in big live sports push
Netflix is paying over $5 billion in a 10-year deal to stream WWE's flagship weekly programme, Raw, starting in 2025.
TECHNOLOGY
Dream11's FY23 revenue soars by 66%, auditor flags impact of GST demand
Dream Sports, the parent company of fantasy sports major Dream11, saw its profit after tax grow by 32.4 percent to Rs 188 crore in FY23 from Rs 142 crore in FY22.
TECHNOLOGY
Google will soon let you 'circle' to search across any app on Android
Google's new generative AI search features comes as the tech giant looks to reimagine its core search engine business amid rising competition and shifting consumer behaviour
BUSINESS
Nazara Tech gets board nod to raise Rs 250 crore; buys 10.7% stake in Kofluence
Nazara Technologies and Kofluence plan to launch an influencer-driven game discovery platform, wherein influencers will promote Nazara's games across various social media platforms.
TECHNOLOGY
Davos 2024: YouTube will be 'incredibly vigilant' in combating deepfakes, says Neal Mohan
The YouTube CEO's comments come ahead of a busy election season in India and several other countries, where governments are formulating strategies to regulate deepfakes and other AI-generated content
TECHNOLOGY
Google to start levying service fee on real-money gaming apps
Google plans to allow real-money gaming apps beyond daily fantasy and rummy apps on Play Store in India, Mexico and Brazil from June 2024
