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* Viacom Inc. introduced an ad-supported web streaming platform in Italy that brings together content from Paramount Network, Spike and VH1, Advanced Television reports. Users can visit the Paramount Network site to access the content.
* Facebook Inc. announced three new products as part of its growing Portal family of smart home gadgets: Portal, Portal Mini and Portal TV. The redesigned Portal has a 10-inch HD display, while Portal Mini features an 8-inch display for video calls, displaying photos and watching videos. Meanwhile, Portal TV adds smart video calling to screens at home. The Portal lineup is coming to the U.K., France, Italy and Spain.
* Sky Ltd. will gain wholesale access to BUUK Infrastructure's full-fiber networks across the U.K. under a strategic partnership. The deal allows the Comcast Corp. unit to further expand its fiber broadband footprint by becoming the key tenant in BUUK's networks covering new and existing residential developments.
* U.K. media regulator Ofcom said broadcasters' efforts to improve the diversity of their workforces have stalled. In its third annual report on representation in the television industry, Ofcom revealed the number of women in senior industry roles was largely unchanged at 42%, the proportion of disabled people employed by broadcasters also remains stagnant and workers from minority ethnic backgrounds are still underrepresented at senior levels.
PAN-EUROPEAN
* Apple Inc. did not do a special Irish tax deal in exchange for creating jobs, Reuters reports, citing company lawyer Daniel Beard. Meanwhile, Paul-John Loewenthal, lawyer for the European Commission, dismissed criticism that the European Union executive disregarded Apple's invitation to visit its operations in Cork, Ireland. The commission also argued that Ireland "blindingly accepted" Apple's proposals on its taxable profits on day two of hearings for the firm's appeal against a tax ruling.
* Police groups in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Greece and Bulgaria conducted raids over suspected pay TV pirates, Reuters reports, citing Italian authorities. The police confiscated equipment and shut down services that were allegedly sold illegally.
UK AND IRELAND
* Google LLC will invest "several million dollars" in Project Neon, a three-year joint venture with British local news publisher Archant Ltd., London's Financial Times reports. Under the venture, the Alphabet Inc. unit will create digital news sites in three British regions to help Archant's news outlets attract commercial income support.
* Facebook met British government officials in the weeks leading to the announcement of its digital currency Libra, Reuters reports, citing freedom of information requests. The meetings suggest the social media giant's efforts to win regulatory support for Libra.
* Irish gaming developer Keywords Studios PLC will fully acquire German dubbing and voice-over services provider TV+SYNCHRON Berlin GmbH in a cash-and-stock deal. The deal is expected to be completed Oct. 1, subject to certain conditions.
* Former Ofcom nonexecutive director Nick Pollard stepped down as a consultant at CGTN due to concerns on the Chinese state-owned global news channel's coverage of protests in Hong Kong, London's The Guardian reports. Pollard's resignation will reportedly hamper CGTN's plans to expand in the U.K. through a new European office.
GERMANY, SWITZERLAND AND AUSTRIA
* Deutsche Telekom AG plans to regain control over its corporate telecom clients from its T-Systems International GmbH unit, Handelsblatt reports. T-Systems will become a smaller operation and focus on generating profits of €4 billion.
* In more Deutsche Telekom news, the company named Michael Schuld as the new head of its TV business unit, Meedia reports. Schuld will be responsible for overseeing the Magenta TV platform, among other tasks.
* Siemens AG executive board member Michael Sen will head the energy and electricity sector to be split from the Munich-based technology company in a year's time, Reuters reports.
FRANCE
* France Télévisions Publicité SA launched three tailor-made product placement offers in partnership with startup Mirriad. The products will integrate an augmented reality process developed by Mirriad which provides in-video advertising services.
* Orange SA, Bouygues Telecom SA and Altice France SA's SFR joined forces to fight SIM card fraud by proposing a new solution to enhance the reliability of SIM-based authentication systems.
* French government-backed financial company Caisse des Depots et Consignations plans to launch a €100 million program to support tech startups and small and medium-sized companies, Reuters reports. Euronext NV is creating a new index, called the Euronext Tech Croissance, to help French startups.
* Regional newspaper Midi Libre announced an acceleration of the digitization of its content, CB News reports. The daily will also develop its podcasts.
* Orange is issuing about €500 million worth of undated 7.5-year non-call deeply subordinated fixed to reset rate notes on Sept. 19, as part of its €35 billion medium-term note program.
NETHERLANDS,
* Dominique Leroy will begin her term at KPN NV in December despite her early departure from Proximus, Telecompaper reports. Leroy's earlier-than-planned exit at Proximus is reportedly intended to restore "a serene climate" at the company. Meanwhile, about 20 external candidates applied to succeed Dominique Leroy as CEO at Proximus, Het Laatste Nieuws reports.
* Atos SE, VodafoneZiggo, ViNotion, Sustainder, SoRaMa LLC, Esri and Dynniq BV will join in a consortium that will work on smart city development in the municipality of Hilversum in the Netherlands, Telecompaper reports.
* Antwerp-based game developer Cybernetic Walrus raised €500,000 in a new financing round, half of which was raised by Flemish media fund Media Invest Vlaanderen, De Tijd reports. Cybernetic Walrus markets its own games and develops apps, games and 3D visualizations for customers.
* KPN resolved the blockage of a certain feature in its home subscriptions in rural areas, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets said.
NORDIC COUNTRIES
* Ericsson said its smart factory in the Chinese city of Nanjing is now operational. Ericsson will use Nanjing's advanced offerings, including modernized production processes, cellular internet of things, Industry 4.0 and artificial intelligence tools, to rapidly grow its business and revenues in China.
* Telia Co. AB's search for a new CEO continues to advance, Svenska Dagbladet reports. Rickard Gustafsson, president and CEO of Nordic airline SAS, reportedly remains the top candidate for the vacant job.
* Ranplan Group AB named Jon Ullmark chief strategy officer. Ullmark, who will also join Ranplan's senior management, specializes in the internet of things and automation sectors.
* Hi3G Access AB, or Tre Sverige, named Jim Carlberg as the new head of its private customer market unit, effective in October.
* Swedish telecom PTS will conduct an external review on the need for new rules and standards governing 5G sector risks. PTS said the review is needed to examine network and service security ahead of the launch of 5G in Norway.
* Nkom reached new emergency contingency deals with five telecom providers in Norway. The Norwegian regulator secured agreements with Telenor ASA unit Telenor Norge AS, Telia Norge AS, Ice Communication AS, GlobalConnect AS and Space Norway AS.
* Proact IT Group AB is partnering with Telia to bolster the telco's capacity to achieve its technological growth targets, according to a statement.
SOUTHERN EUROPE
* Sports streaming platform DAZN will stream matches from Football Club Internazionale Milano, or Inter Milan, through thematic channel Inter TV, Advanced Television reports. The channel will also broadcast daily news reports, live training reports and press conferences, and exclusive interviews.
* Telefónica SA agreed to acquire a 50% stake in Prosegur Compañía de Seguridad SA's alarm business in Spain. The transaction represents a valuation of 50% of Prosegur's alarm business in Spain of €300 million.
* OTE, doing business as Cosmote SA, raised about €500 million, from its seven-year bond, Reuters reports. Deutsche Telekom, which owns a 45% stake in the Greek operator, bought about 20% of the issue. The annual fixed coupon was set at 0.875%.
* Spanish regulator Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia is preparing to impose a fine of about €80 million on Atresmedia and Mediaset SpA unit Mediaset España Comunicación SA over anti-competitive practices in the free-to-air TV advertising market, Telecompaper reports, citing El Economista.
EASTERN EUROPE
* Romania Cable Systems & Romania Data Systems-operated Digi mobile application and its Digi.Online service began offering access to HBO Go's content, as well as those from linear channels HBO, HBO2, HBO3, Cinemax and Cinemax 2, Broadband TV News reports.
* Telecom operator Silknet JSC and Euronews Group teamed up to launch Euronews Georgia, according to Georgia Today. Euronews Georgia is anticipated to begin broadcasts soon, and will also begin recruiting staff for about 50 workplaces.
* Poland's Office of Electronic Communications issued a negative opinion on the Ministry of Environment's assessment that the build-out of telecom equipment would have a significant impact on the environment, Telecompaper reports, citing Telepolis.pl. The environmental agency's stand may delay deployment and upgrade of mobile base stations and TV transmitters.
* The board of Russian regional fixed operator MGTS, a Mobile TeleSystems PJSC unit, extended the contract of its CEO Pavel Kuznetsov for three years, Telecompaper reports, citing Tdaily.ru. Kuznetsov will also continue as vice president and director of MTS' Moscow regional branch.
* Russian fixed operator ER-Telecom, working under the Dom.ru brand, appointed Victor Klishin director of its Moscow branch, Telecompaper reports, citing Comnews.ru.
FEATURED NEWS
Hires and Fires: Disney CEO resigns from Apple's board; Salem Media Group reduces board size: Walt Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger resigned from Apple's board, while Salem Media Group reduced the size of the company's board in efforts to cut costs.
FEATURED RESEARCH
Economics of Advertising: Europe drives growth for global ad agencies in Q2, North America slows down: Omnicom was the only agency to see negative year-over-year revenue growth in the second quarter, while other ad agency holding groups Publicis, IPG and WPP reported positive year-over-year growth.
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