Vodafone Idea eyes metaverse, 5G via gaming foray; Netflix gains APAC paid subs

TOP NEWS IN TECH

* Vodafone Idea Ltd. launched a gaming service called Vi Games in partnership with Nazara Technologies Ltd., as the Indian telco readies itself for the onset of 5G and the metaverse. The service on the telco's app will give its customers access to over 250 free games across 10 genres.

* Netflix Inc.'s subscriber growth cooled off in 2021, but the streaming giant maintained gains across all regions and key markets. The Asia-Pacific region emerged as a key driver in net new paid subscriptions in 2021. Japan, Australia, India and South Korea represent the bulk of Netflix's subscribers in Asia-Pacific, but emerging markets in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia are growing rapidly too.

* The record-high inflation seen in the broader economy is hitting Apple Inc.'s new budget-tier iPhone. With prices starting at $429, the new iPhone SE costs 7.5% more than its 2020 predecessor. Apple attributed the higher price point to the cost of adding 5G components and a faster processor.

TECH POLICY AND REGULATION

* The Cyberspace Administration of China drafted internet protection rules for minors. The deadline to submit public comments on the regulations is April 13.

* Chinese technology company Tencent Holdings Ltd. is facing a potential record fine for violating certain central bank regulations by its WeChat Pay mobile network amid tightening regulations for financial technology platforms in China, Dow Jones Newswires reported, citing The Wall Street Journal.

TECHNOLOGY

* Chinese cloud service provider Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Ltd. announced it is weighing a dual listing of its ordinary shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, subject to regulatory approvals and market conditions. The company said the move will provide greater liquidity and protection to its shareholders amid an evolving market and regulatory environment. The company's plan came days after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission provisionally named five Chinese companies, whose audit papers were not available for inspection by U.S. regulators, that could get delisted by 2024, Dow Jones Newswires reported.

* Enterprise and marketing cloud platform iClick Interactive Asia Group Ltd. agreed to acquire the remaining stake it does not already own in Changyi (Shanghai) Information Technology Co. Ltd., a China-based independent software vendor.

MEDIA AND STREAMING

* Paramount Global will aggressively add programming as it tries to increase subscribers and attain profitability. Paramount+ has about 50 scripted shows in the creation pipeline on the international production side. Several other projects are in the works from the U.K., Germany and South Korea.

* Beijing ByteDance Telecommunications Co. Ltd.-owned TikTok Inc. introduced an all-in-one platform for music marketing and global track distribution to support new artists. The platform, SoundOn, allows artists to upload their music directly to the short-video sharing app and earn 100% royalties in the first year and 90% royalties in subsequent years.

* Swift Networks Group Ltd. extended its existing content agreement with Village Roadshow Ltd. for an additional five-year term, following which new releases and catalog movies from United International Pictures Ltd. will be available on Swift Networks' proprietary platform.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

* Australian communications technology company Comms Group Ltd. struck a global supply agreement with Vodafone Global Enterprise Ltd., a division of Vodafone Business and the Vodafone Group PLC, to supply key wholesale telecom services to its customers across Comms Group's global network.

INTERNET

* Global internet outages dropped 35% to 227 in the week of March 5, ending a two-week upward trend that started in the third week of February, according to data from ThousandEyes, a network-monitoring service owned by Cisco Systems Inc. In the Asia-Pacific region, 56% of the disruptions happened during business hours.

GAMING

* Technology sectors continue to struggle with supply chain bottlenecks, even as the world gradually recovers from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite consumers clamoring for more game console units throughout the pandemic, Microsoft Corp., Nintendo Co. Ltd. and Sony Group Corp. kept pace with their historical shipment cadences.

* Australian game developer Mighty Kingdom Ltd. extended its contract partnership with Mattel Inc. through 2022. The contract extension will see Mighty Kingdom continue to develop Barbie Fashion Closet, a mobile game based on the doll franchise, which is available on Apple and Android devices.

Our weekly feature covers the latest technology developments in the Asia-Pacific region, spotlighting exclusive insights from news and research within S&P Global Market Intelligence. The weekly Asia-Pacific tech roundup has an editorial deadline of 7 a.m. Hong Kong time and is published every Thursday.