Sky to offer social TV after $15m Zeebox deal

BSkyB has bought a 10% stake in social TV network Zeebox in a move that grants the broadcaster exclusive rights to use the two-month-old start-up’s technology in its own apps. Zeebox allows viewers to see what others are watching and connect with them via Twitter or...

Groupon strikes mobile coupon deal with T-Mobile-owner

German telecom operator Deutsche Telekom and the daily deals company Groupon have struck a deal to offer its European mobile customers coupons. As per the alliance, Groupon’s coupons will be made available to Deutsche Telekom’s mobile customers (including...

Netflix takes on LoveFilm with UK and Ireland launch

US-based firm Netflix has launched in the UK and Ireland, offering a new rival to Amazon-owned Lovefilm in the online video streaming arena. Netflix launched in 2007 and now has more than 20 million online subscribers in 47 countries. Films will be available on a...

LoveFilm to stream ITV and BBC shows

Amazon-owned LoveFilm has signed new streaming deals with ITV and the BBC, as the online video service looks to boosting its UK television archive ahead of Netflix’s launch in the UK. The deals mark the biggest two TV content agreements signed by LoveFilm to date and...

NHS patients flock online for medical advice

The winter months have seen a major rise in NHS patients going online to get health information with many people preferring the web than telephone services as a way to get medical advice, the Department of Health has announced. The department said this equated to...

Web-connected cars ‘to become the norm’

An internet-connected car could become the norm, with features including speech recognition, and internet connection with Wi-Fi and 3G, according to a new industry survey. The poll of 200 car executives, conducted by KPMG, found more than a third (37%) believe...

Tablets to drive bumper Christmas in 2012- report

Online shopping sales are forecast to grow between 18% and 22% during Christmas 2012, exceeding the rate of growth in 2011, according to a new report. According to Logan Tod & Co.’s 6th Annual Online Future Shopping Index, 26% of online shoppers are...

ICANN to go ahead with .brand domains despite concerns

Internet body ICANN is to continue with plans to expand the number of possible website addresses despite criticism from industry and concerns from some law enforcement groups. ICANN’s goal is to allow more innovation in website addresses and to open the space to the...

Google boosts mobile with 200 patents from IBM

Google has acquired over 200 mobile-related patents and patent applications from IBM, as it looks to press further into the mobile device market while shielding itself from litigation from rivals such as Apple. Google acquired 187 patents and 36 patent applications...

Daily deals sites: Groupon sales outpacing rivals

Groupon outperformed its rivals in November 2011 in the US, increasing revenue while its closest competitors posted declines, according to a new report. The study, from deals aggregator Yipit, found that Chicago-based Groupon’s overall billings from its online...

Top 50 US sites: Retail sites thrive

Google sites remained the most visited property online during November 2011, but retail sites thrived in the build up to the festive period, according to new data. The study, from comScore, indicated that millions of Americans began their holiday shopping in November,...

Wikipedia publisher raises record $20m from donors

The Wikimedia Foundation has raised a record $20m in private donations to fund its Wikipedia community sites in 2012.The non-profit running foundation has seen donations increase 444% since 2008, defying the standard ad-funded and subscriber-based revenue models for...

Google wins Firefox default search status

Firefox maker Mozilla said it has agreed a three-year contract extension for Google to remain the default search provider on the web browser. Mozilla, the maker of of Firefox, announced on Tuesday that it has struck a new three-year deal with Google for it to remain...

Growth of Android statistics – Activation rates leap

There are now over 700,000 Android devices activated every day, according to a new announcement from Google. Andy Rubin, co-founder and former CEO of Android and Senior Vice President of Mobile at Google unveiled via Google+ that “there are now over 700,000...

Super Bowl streamed live on mobiles for first time

The NFL has struck a landmark agreement with US TV network NBC to stream next years Super Bowl online and through mobile phones. The deal will see NBC broadcast the next Super Bowl on 5 February through NBCSports.com and NFL.com. The broadcast will only be available...