BUSINESS
Disney+ Hotstar loses 12.5 million subscribers in its biggest-ever quarterly drop
Disney+ Hotstar's paid member base plunged to 40.4 million for the quarter, marking the third consecutive subscriber decline at the Disney-owned streaming service.
BUSINESS
BGMI maker Krafton to invest $150 million on Indian gaming and entertainment startups
Krafton's renewed investment pledge follows its earlier investment of $140 million across 11 Indian startups since March 2021.
BUSINESS
Slack's new redesign brings in unified view, dedicated DM tab and more
Slack's redesigned interface aims to help people become more productive and give quicker access to a growing set of tools in its application
BUSINESS
MPL to lay off 350 employees after 28% GST on real-money gaming
The new GST rules will increase the company's tax burden by as much as 350 percent-400 percent, MPL co-founders Sai Srinivas and Shubh Malhotra told employees in an email
BUSINESS
Japan's Mixi debuts $50 million fund to back India's early-stage entertainment startups
Mixi, which is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is looking at India as the entry point for its global expansion
BUSINESS
Madras HC dismisses pleas of Indian startups against Google's app billing policy
Indian startups had approached the Madras High Court challenging Google's notice to either adopt its new app billing policy or face delisting from the app marketplace.
BUSINESS
Apple's new retail stores in India beating expectations, says CEO Tim Cook
India, the world's second-largest smartphone market, presents a huge opportunity for the iPhone maker, Cook said.
BUSINESS
'Will set the real-money gaming industry back several years': Stakeholders after GST set at 28%
The substantial increase in tax liability will result in the survival of only established and well entrenched skill gaming companies, say industry stakeholders.
BUSINESS
Nazara Tech hires industry veteran to grow its freemium gaming business
Nazara Technologies is looking to acquire more gaming studios to expand its freemium gaming business, founder Nitish Mittersain said.
BUSINESS
Real-money gaming sector offers formula to resolve 28% GST woes
GST levy on net deposits will likely help companies with player retention, sources told Moneycontrol
TECHNOLOGY
WhatsApp now allows users to send quick video messages
WhatsApp video messages allows users to record and share short 60-second videos directly in the chat window.
BUSINESS
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sees Threads as the next billion-user social network
Zuckerberg has said Threads is likely the biggest example of its "year of efficiency" efforts so far. He also said there is no immediate plan to monetise the service
BUSINESS
Gaming studios to govt: Need clear distinction between video games & RMG after 28% GST proposal
A consortium of over 45 Indian video gaming companies have written to the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
BUSINESS
Generative AI helping us reimagine Search, other products: Alphabet's Sundar Pichai
Advertising is coming to Google's generative AI search product, with the company currently testing ad placements and formats, Pichai said.
BUSINESS
Instagram's Threads starts rolling out much-requested Following feed
Instagram's Threads is rolling a series of features a day after Elon Musk renamed social media platform Twitter as X.
EARNINGS
Spotify crosses 550 million users in Q2; paid member base jumps 17%
Spotify clocked its largest-ever member addition during the quarter, with strong growth among Gen Z listeners
BUSINESS
Twitter becomes X: Can Elon Musk stake 'everything' on it?
Twitter, as the world knew it, is probably over as Elon Musk overhauls operations and rebrands it. In an increasingly competitive market, Musk will have to start from scratch with X, the 'everything app’.
BUSINESS
Karnataka govt divided over 28% GST on real-money gaming
State IT-BT minister Priyank Kharge told Moneycontrol that he would have taken up the issue had the gaming federation approached the state government earlier.
BUSINESS
Twitter to introduce daily limit on DMs for unverified accounts
The Elon Musk-owned social media site has brought in several features that were previously available for free, under the Twitter Blue subscription.
BUSINESS
Investors to PM Modi: 28% GST on real-money gaming will lead to a $2.5 billion write-off
The investors said that the current GST proposal will set up the "most onerous tax regime for the gaming sector" across the world.
BUSINESS
Netflix to crack down on password sharing in India, other markets from today
Netflix expects paid password sharing to contribute to majority of its revenue growth this year.
BUSINESS
Global Exclusive | Meta internal memo: 'Regulatory debate around AI will intensify in coming months'
Internal post by senior Meta executive calls safeguarding of young users a ‘hot button issue’ after US antitrust watchdog bars monetisation of minors’ data.
BUSINESS
Global Exclusive | Meta's Quest for Business targets 80,000 paid subscribers by year-end
This move comes at a time when Meta continues to stake its future on its ambitious but expensive metaverse bet while pursuing its ‘year of efficiency’
BUSINESS
Mark Zuckerberg says 'tens of millions' return to Threads daily
Mark Zuckerberg's comments come amid rising concerns that Threads is witnessing declining usage after a strong initial launch.
