TOP NEWS
* Spotify Technology SA, the parent company of Spotify AB, is planning to begin listing its shares on the NYSE in the week of April 2, Bloomberg News reports, citing sources. Instead of the usual IPO, the music-streaming company will offer a direct listing.
* Elliott Management Corp. has denied reports that it is pushing for a merger of Telecom Italia SpA's Brazilian business with rival operator Oi SA, London's Financial Times reports. Telecom Italia CEO Amos Genish previously told the FT that any move to force a TIM Participações-Oi merger would not benefit the former's shareholders.
PAN-EUROPEAN
* The European Commission said it is looking for experts to become part of a group that will gather input and provide advice on the implementation of a Europe-wide initiative on artificial intelligence. The group will also draft guidelines for the ethical development and use of AI, in response to a statement by the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies.
UK AND IRELAND
* M&G Investment Management Ltd., through its infrastructure fund, offered to acquire broadband company Gigaclear plc for about £270 million, which will give investors about 400 pence per share, Reuters reports, citing Infracapital, a unit of M&G and owner of 43% of Gigaclear's issued shares. Gigaclear's board intends to discuss the offer next week, company CEO Matthew Hare said.
* BT Sport will continue to exclusively broadcast Vanarama National League soccer until 2021 following the British Telecom unit's renewal of distribution rights. The broadcaster will air one game per match-week as well as the championship race and the end-of-season playoffs.
* The approval of Amazon.com Inc.'s proposal to build an 88,000-square feet facility in Tallaght, Ireland, has faced opposition from Tallaght Community Council over concerns of "future over-concentration" of data centers in the area, the Irish Independent reports, citing council Chairman Gerard Stockhil. The new facility will be built beside Amazon's existing data center.
* London Mayor Sadiq Khan has alleged that digital companies failed in addressing recent challenges, such as terrorist-related posts, and is calling for new laws to regulate them, U.K.'s The Daily Telegraph reports. Khan intends to address these concerns during a speech at the South by Southwest festival in Texas.
* British regulator Ofcom CEO Sharon White has called on public service broadcasters in the U.K. to seek new means of distribution, such as through partnerships with the likes of Facebook Inc., Google Inc.'s YouTube, Netflix Inc., Amazon and Apple Inc., to become more competitive, Digital TV Europe reports.
GERMANY, SWITZERLAND AND AUSTRIA
* The founder and CEO of United Internet AG wants Germany's internet providers, including market leader Deutsche Telekom AG, to form a joint company that would build out the country's high-speed broadband network, Reuters reported. United Internet's Ralph Dommermuth said costs for expanding the fiber network could be €80 billion, and so industry should take the lead.
* German broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk plans to merge its TV, radio and online newsroom locations. As of 2020, the company plans to relocate them all to Hamburg-Lokstedt.
* Swiss mobile devices retailer Mobilezone AG has announced the conditions for its capital increase. The executive board is to propose issuing around €8.6 million in newly registered shares.
FRANCE
* Tradelab SAS wants to introduce cost per hour in France. Cost per hour is a new measure that allows quantifiable advertising effectiveness on its website and mobile applications.
* Maylis Çarçabal has been appointed vice president of communication and brands at TF1 Group, effective March 12. She succeeds Frédéric Ivernel, who is leaving the group to pursue personal projects.
* Based on European legislation, the Court of Cassation has ruled in favor of Iliad's Free by challenging the system of subsidising mobile handsets. The ruling stated that "the definition of a credit transaction, […] covers, in particular, all payment facilities."
NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG
* The Flemish government approved a proposal by Media Minister Sven Gatz to expand digital radio capacity with a third DAB+ platform, Gatz writes on his personal website. The platform will reportedly enable at least 12 national radio channels to broadcast over the digital ether, starting September 2019.
* KPN NV received a large number of complaints due to an issue which prevents their customers from calling back after a voicemail message has been left, De Telegraaf reports. The problem only occurs to customers using an iPhone and is reportedly caused by KPN's switch to a new system.
* Dutch public broadcaster NPO will from now on ask users for permission before gathering individual viewing data within their app NPO Start, Nu.nl reports. Last month the Dutch Data Protection Authority initiated an investigation into NPO's behavior with respect to the privacy regulations, and specifically regarding data sharing with advertisers.
* Dutch Minister of the Interior, Kajsa Ollongren, states that the European Commission's anti fake news agency EUvsDisinfo should be dissolved, NOS reports. Ollongren says to agree with the majority of Dutch Parliament, which stated that government agencies should not decide on the validity of free press, and that she will take this message to the European Union.
* The decisions by Dutch cable providers Ziggo NV and Delta to stop offering analog TV will not lead to price reductions in their subscriptions, TotaalTV reports.
NORDIC COUNTRIES
* Telia Co. AB is acquiring Finnish IT service provider Cloud Solutions CS Oy for an undisclosed amount. The company has about 35 employees and helps customers with cloud strategies and implementation of IT solutions.
* Finland-based Swap.com is looking at a possible public listing at Nasdaq First North in Sweden and is meeting with possible investors, DI Digital reports. Swap.com, which runs a successful online consignment store in the U.S., is also considering expanding into the European market.
* Telenor ASA has opened an internet of things ProtoLab in Trondheim, Norway. The lab will be open for entrepreneurs, scientists and students who want to develop internet of things services and products, and will use a citywide internet of things testbed already activated by Wireless Trondheim.
* Swedish company Tink has signed an agreement with Belgian bank BNP Paribas Fortis to integrate its technology in the bank's mobile banking applications. The first product, a new multibanking app, will be launched this summer.
* Swedish venture capital firm Investment AB Spiltan is strengthening its focus on investments in gaming and tech startups, Breakit reports. Spiltan, which had success with its investment in gaming company Paradox Interactive AB, has hired two new investment managers, and said it will intensify its hunt for new additions to its portfolio.
SOUTHERN EUROPE
* World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. struck a deal to air weekly WWE highlight programs on Spanish free-to-air sports channel GOL, Advanced Television reports. The deal involves episodes of WWE shows "Bottom Line," "Afterburn" and "Experience," which can also be watched on GOL's TV Everywhere and seven-day catchup services.
* Spanish telecom giant Telefónica SA and China's Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. agreed to develop a network service platform and a cloud-based virtual private network for business customers. The services, which will target small and medium-sized enterprises, will be initially rolled out in Argentina and Chile and eventually across Latin America and Europe.
* Europol and the Spanish National Police arrested six individuals from a group that allegedly sells illegal TV signals for online streaming, Advanced Television reports. Police discovered that the signals were sold through a Galicia-based company which developed an app for illegal streaming. The arrest follows a complaint from copyright protection group EGEDA, broadcaster Mediapro and Spanish soccer league La Liga.
EASTERN EUROPE
* U.S. Army General Curtis Scaparrotti, who is also NATO's supreme allied commander, Europe, said the U.S. government did not have an effective and coordinated response to Russia's alleged cyber threat, Reuters reports. Scaparrotti's statement in a U.S. Senate hearing follows a warning from U.S. officials that Russia is trying to interfere in the 2018 U.S. midterm elections via hacking or social media.
* The Czech Radio and Television Council granted Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks a 12-year license to distribute kid's channel Nickelodeon via satellite, Broadband TV News reports, citing Parabola. The license applies to operators in the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey.
* Czech broadcaster Prima is launching its eighth channel, Prima Krimi, on April 2, Broadband TV News reports. The upcoming channel will mostly feature foreign detective series.
FEATURED NEWS
The Best Of: Media & Comm, most read: Comcast/Sky deal; Fox Searchlight's Oscars: Stories about Comcast's historical M&A record, high-profile sexual misconduct cases and six Oscars for Fox Searchlight Pictures are included in the most read stories for the week ended March 9.
FEATURED RESEARCH
Consumer Insights: 2018 Germany survey summary report: Tablets are for more than watching video: A recent consumer survey shows that tablet owners in Germany are less likely to use the device for watching online video than other entertainment or e-commerce activities.
Anne Freier, Amanda Kelly, Koen Pijnappels and Esben Svendsen contributed to this report. The Daily Dose has an editorial deadline of 7 a.m. London time. Some external links may require a subscription.
