Universal Music’s board has rejected billionaire Bill Ackman’s takeover proposal, arguing it “materially undervalues” the company and is ultimately not in the best interest of shareholders or artists. The company’s board unanimously rejected the $65bn (£48.3bn) proposal from Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital on Friday, as it offered to buy the world’s largest record company last month. Pershing Square proposed a cash and stock offer through its acquisition vehicle, valuing the company at roughly €30.4 (£26.3) per share. The deal would have merged Universal with a blank-cheque company. In a statement on Friday, Universal said: “The board has rejected the proposal...
Meta launched a Reddit-Style App called Forum after 1st failed attempt
Meta tried this once before. A Facebook Groups app launched in 2014, shut down in 2017, and was mostly forgotten. Now the firm brought the idea back. The new app is called Forum. What The App Is Forum is a new Meta app for Facebook Groups. It gives them their own home outside the main app. Users sign in with their Facebook account. That loads their groups, profile, and past posts inside Forum. Anything posted in Forum still shows up on the main app. The two products are wired together on purpose. The pitch is Reddit-style. Think a quieter spot...
Alibaba Group becomes the official AI, Cloud and E-commerce partner of the UEFA Man’s Competitions
Alibaba Group announced a multi-year partnership with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and UC3, the joint venture between UEFA and European Football Clubs (EFC) that controls and manages the strategic marketing, sales and delivery of commercial rights for UEFA club competitions. Alibaba Group becomes the official and exclusive AI, Cloud Computing Services, and E-commerce partner of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League from 2027/2028 to 2032/2033 and of UEFA EURO 2028TM. The partnership will see the deployment of Alibaba’s advanced AI capabilities in supporting fan engagement and media and content management via its QwenLarge Language Model (LLM).Together with its cloud computing...
Hisense Ignites World Cup 2026 Countdown with New TV Lineup and Stadium Tech Upgrades
Hisense, a leading brand in global consumer electronics and home appliances, is setting the stage for an unparalleled FIFA World Cup 2026™ experience, both on and off the field. Just weeks before kickoff, Hisense proudly announces its continued market dominance with stellar Q1 2026 OMDIA report findings, the launch of its groundbreaking UR8 RGB Mini-LED TV series, and its crucial role as the official VAR display provider, all culminating in an exciting “X90” buy-and-win campaign that pays homage to the hard-hitting 90 minutes on field. OMDIA Q1 2026: Hisense strengthens global leadership in 100-inch+ TVs Hisense has further solidified its...
Huawei Code4Mzansi Highlights Developers Building for South Africa’s Real Economy
South Africa’s emerging developers are building close to the ground, with many of the strongest solutions at the inaugural Huawei Code4Mzansi finals focused on systems people use every day: township retail, healthcare, energy, agriculture, payments and the creative economy. The competition was held in partnership with the Department of Small Business Development. “The Code4Mzansi competition is not just a celebration of achievement, it is a launchpad for the future,” said Minister Stella Ndabeni, whose department co-hosted the event and delivered the closing address. The finals revealed a clear shift from building abstract digital products to practical tools that help small...
SportAI acquires Padelytics to continue racket sports tech push
SportAI, an artificial intelligence-powered software platform that provides technique analysis for racket sports players, has acquired padel-focused analytics company Padelytics. Terms were not disclosed. The deal combines SportAI’s biomechanical analysis capabilities with Padelytics’ video-based technology for collecting padel match stats and highlights, which is used by padel clubs in the U.S., Europe and Latin America. SportAI CEO Lauren Pedersen told SBJ that Padelytics’ four-person staff will now join SportAI, including the startup’s Co-Founder/CEO Nenad Zivic as Chief Product & Technology Officer. “They [Padelytics] have been focused on the padel world first — but have had a similar, aligned vision along the...
Vodacom M‑Pesa Tanzania and PayPal announced a new Partnership to seamlessly transfer funds
Mobile money service Vodacom M‑Pesa Tanzania has announced a new partnership with digital payment giant PayPal that will enable customers in Tanzania to seamlessly transfer funds between their PayPal and M‑Pesa wallets through the M‑Pesa Super App. Through this integration, eligible M‑Pesa customers will be able to deposit funds directly into their PayPal wallets and withdraw funds from PayPal back into their M‑Pesa wallets securely and conveniently, simplifying international transactions for freelancers, developers, content creators, entrepreneurs, gig economy workers and other digitally connected customers. This partnership comes at a time when demand is growing for more seamless cross-border payment solutions...
New Study of 10,000 South African Youth Reveals Insights Into The Future of Youth Marketing
Reaching young audiences in South Africa is becoming increasingly complex. Social platforms dominate discovery, but attention is fragmented, competition is intense, and many brands are still operating on outdated assumptions about how younger generations think, spend, and engage. To better understand this generation on their own terms, ReachPlayers, a leading gaming ad network focused on immersive in-game branded content, surveyed 10,000 young South Africans aged 13 to 25, gathering responses directly inside gaming environments where this audience is active and engaged. The findings point to a generation that is ambitious, practical, and highly selective, highlighting a growing gap between where brands invest...
What HR Professionals Gain from Automation – Four examples of automation supporting HR staff
Human resource people are concerned. As automation becomes more featured in modern digital technologies, many HR staff are asking the same question: Will automation replace me? Their fears are not unfounded. According to surveys conducted by Gartner, some companies are using AI as an excuse to reduce HR headcounts, and 79% of Chief HR Officers told AMS that they see notable concerns about job security among their teams. Supporting human abilities However, a report published last year by the International Labour Organisation found that AI and automation are unlikely to replace HR staff. Instead, automation is producing significant productivity improvements for HR staff, says Mignon...
Apple’s New Siri will Auto-Delete Chats – And It’s Powered By Google
Apple’s new Siri app has a problem: it’s running on Google’s AI. So Apple is doing what Apple does best, turning a weakness into a marketing pitch, and the pitch this time is privacy. What The App Actually Does Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports the standalone Siri app will launch in beta next month and offer a ChatGPT-style chatbot experience. Users will be able to start new chats, hold voice conversations, and upload files for Siri to read. The privacy hook is borrowed from the Messages app, where users can set Siri to auto-delete chats after 30 days, after one year,...