The German Football League (DFL) has abandoned plans to sell a stake in its media rights income to a private equity investor after persistent fan protests. The deal, valued at up to €1 billion, was scrapped due to disruptive demonstrations, including objects being thrown onto the pitch and game interruptions. The decision represents a setback for the DFL's efforts to increase revenues, as leagues across Europe seek external funding to enhance income and global reach.
Elon Musk announced that social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, will soon introduce two tiers of premium subscriptions. One tier will offer all features at a lower cost but with ads, while the other tier will be more expensive but ad-free. Musk aims to increase revenue by charging users and attracting advertisers back to the platform. X recently conducted a test case in New Zealand and the Philippines, where new users who didn't subscribe were limited to "read only" actions. The platform's subscription method, called "Not A Bot," aims to reduce spam and bot activity. Other tech companies, like YouTube and Netflix, have also experimented with ad-supported and subscription plans. X did not disclose if content creators will be paid in the ad-free subscription models.
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, is reportedly exploring the introduction of ads within its chat app as the parent company seeks to boost its revenue. This move comes as Meta aims to monetize its various platforms and diversify its income streams beyond advertising on its core Facebook platform. The potential introduction of ads on WhatsApp, which has traditionally been ad-free, has raised concerns among users who value the app's privacy and simplicity.
Roblox is expanding its revenue streams by allowing users to create and sell 3D virtual goods on its platform. Previously, users could only sell 2D items and had to go through an approval process. By opening up the marketplace to everyone, Roblox aims to increase engagement and attract more users. The company's revenue growth has slowed recently, prompting this move. Additionally, Roblox is introducing new coding tools and subscription-based services for developers, as well as a digital assistant to facilitate content creation. The app will also be available on Meta Quest and Sony PlayStation devices.
Analyst Dan Ives suggests that the upcoming iPhone 15 line could be a major release for Apple, as around 250 million iPhones have not been upgraded in over four years, setting the company up for a significant installed base upgrade cycle. This could result in a boost in revenue from Apple Services, putting the company in a strong position going into 2024. While the iPhone 16 line may bring more meaningful upgrades, the iPhone 15 could still prove to be a windfall release due to the number of soon-to-be-outdated iPhones currently in use.
