MediaTech Archives - 老九品茶Cloud /news/category/sectors/mediatech/ Tech insight with bite Wed, 29 Apr 2026 17:17:30 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /wp-content/uploads/2020/07/bc-logo.png MediaTech Archives - 老九品茶Cloud /news/category/sectors/mediatech/ 32 32 Sheffield鈥檚 ZOO Digital slashes millions more off cost base /news/sheffields-zoo-digital-slashes-millions-more-off-cost-base/ Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:35:05 +0000 /?p=195138 ZOO Digital Group plc has reported a fall in annual revenues – but profits jumped after it slashed millions off its cost base for the second successive year. The Sheffield-based firm, which has offices in the United States, works with some of the world鈥檚 biggest streaming platforms on subtitling and dubbing content. For the year […]

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ZOO Digital Group plc has reported a fall in annual revenues – but profits jumped after it slashed millions off its cost base for the second successive year.

The Sheffield-based firm, which has offices in the United States, works with some of the world鈥檚 biggest streaming platforms on subtitling and dubbing content.

For the year ended 31st March 2026, the media group expects to report adjusted EBITDA of at least $3.8 million – in line with market expectations – compared with $1.1m in the previous year. The year before that, it reported a $13.6m loss.听

This was achieved on revenue of $42.3m, down from $49.6m in FY25, 鈥渞eflecting decisive actions taken to restructure the cost base with $7.3m of savings realised during the period鈥.听

It made $8.4m of cost savings in the previous year.

In March, it expanded its US invoice financing facility from $3m to $5m, in addition to the 拢2m facility available in the UK. Cash at 31st March 2026 was $3.2m, with borrowings of $1.1m drawn against these invoice financing facilities.

In February ZOO said its long-term chair Gillian Wilmot CBE (pictured) would step down in due course and be replaced by Nathalie Schwarz.

Now a new unnamed non-executive director has been identified and so that transition will soon take place.

Last summer 老九品茶Cloud spoke with frustrated freelancers who claimed the firm had not paid them for work completed, with one even involving a lawyer.听

Multiple translators and linguists working for ZOO claimed they have had to repeatedly chase invoices, with some considering legal action after months of silence.

An experienced freelancer, who asked to remain anonymous, told 老九品茶Cloud that they had worked with ZOO for 鈥榤any years鈥 and started to notice changes in 2024.听

New CEO named by North East tech firm Vianet

This morning CEO Stuart Green said: “We expect improved trading following a period of stabilised market conditions and a strong focus on execution of cost efficiencies. ZOO today is a more robust and efficient business, with a rightsized cost base capable of generating improved profitability in the current market environment.

“With customer focus on efficiency, new content and delivery formats, our market is evolving around speed and quality – two attributes at the heart of ZOO’s tech-enabled proposition.听

鈥淭his is resulting in new opportunities, including for our premium Fast Track service, which has proven its value in localising complex, multi-language projects at dramatically faster speeds.听

鈥淎s a solution tailored for the industry, the level of engagement from customers has been highly encouraging, giving us confidence that we are well positioned to grow revenues and deliver sustainable profitability.”

Ben McKay: A week in the life of a founder

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Blunt resigns from Digitalbox to focus on Bartlett role /news/blunt-resigns-from-digitalbox-to-focus-on-bartlett-role/ Thu, 23 Apr 2026 07:35:26 +0000 /?p=194813 Claire Blunt has resigned from the board of Digitalbox plc to focus on her executive role within Steven Bartlett鈥檚 media group. The media industry veteran joined the Dragons鈥 Den star鈥檚 FlightStory last year and is now CFO and COO of his parent group Steven.com. She joined the board of Digitalbox, which owns Entertainment Daily, The […]

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Claire Blunt has resigned from the board of Digitalbox plc to focus on her executive role within Steven Bartlett鈥檚 media group.

The media industry veteran joined the Dragons鈥 Den star鈥檚 FlightStory last year and is now CFO and COO of his parent group Steven.com.

She joined the board of Digitalbox, which owns Entertainment Daily, The Daily Mash, The Poke and The Tab, in October 2024 as a non-executive director. She also served as the chair of the company’s remuneration committee.听

She will step down from the board at the end of this month.

Blunt previously served as chief advertising officer and CEO International at The Guardian Media Group, where she led global commercial strategy, overseeing advertising, international operations, and revenue growth during a period of digital transformation.

She then became COO of Future plc, a leading digital media publisher reaching over 400 million users monthly.

She was approached by Bartlett after previously working with the company鈥檚 CEO Georgie Holt.

鈥淲e reached out, we fell in love with her operational excellence, experience, wisdom, temperament and tenacity,鈥 explained Bartlett last year, 鈥渁nd we asked if she would join us on this mission.鈥

After 30 years in hospitality, I knew I had to start my own business

Blunt鈥檚 appointment last year was seen as a pivotal step in scaling FlightStory鈥檚 global operations, having consulted with the firm previously.

Bartlett added: She鈥檚 had more impact in months than I could have expected in years.鈥

Marcus Rich, non-executive chairman of Digitalbox, said this morning: “She has been a very important member of the board and while we are sorry to see her step down, we fully understand her decision to focus on her executive responsibilities.”

Blunt added: “It has been a privilege to serve as a non-executive director and to work alongside such a dedicated and talented team. While it was not an easy decision to step down, I look forward to focusing on my executive responsibilities.鈥

ASOS halves losses as turnaround plan enters final stage

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AI video platform Synthesia opens new global offices /news/ai-video-platform-synthesia-opens-new-global-offices/ Tue, 21 Apr 2026 14:45:30 +0000 /?p=194675 AI video platform for business Synthesia has revealed global expansion plans after it saw enterprise contracts triple. The London-headquartered business will open new bases in Austin and Berlin, alongside an expanded presence in Paris and Zurich. The company, led by co-founder Victor Riparbelli, has tripled its contracts over $100,000 in the last 12 months and […]

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AI video platform for business Synthesia has revealed global expansion plans after it saw enterprise contracts triple.

The London-headquartered business will open new bases in Austin and Berlin, alongside an expanded presence in Paris and Zurich.

The company, led by co-founder Victor Riparbelli, has tripled its contracts over $100,000 in the last 12 months and says it has a net revenue retention rate of more than 140%. The expansion follows Synthesia’s $200 million Series E raise at a $4 billion valuation in January 2026.

Founded in 2017, Synthesia is expanding its global footprint to support growing demand from enterprise customers. The company is scaling its teams across go-to-market and customer success functions, with plans to increase global headcount by more than 70% in 2026.

鈥淭his expansion is about putting our team closer to our customers and the talent markets where we want to grow,鈥 said Laura Gonzalez, chief of staff and head of people, Synthesia. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hiring across go-to-market and customer success in every new market, and the caliber of people we鈥檙e attracting reflects how seriously the businesses are taking AI video right now.鈥澛

The new US office in Austin expands Synthesia鈥檚 presence beyond its New York hub into one of the country’s fastest-growing enterprise technology markets.

鈥淎ustin has built one of the most dynamic technology ecosystems in the world, and Synthesia’s decision to put down roots here reflects the strength of our innovation sector and our talent base,鈥 said Kirk Watson, Mayor of Austin.

鈥淲e want Austin to be the city where the next generation of tech companies builds, hires, and scales, and we’re glad to welcome Synthesia to the community.鈥

Who is new Apple CEO John Ternus?

In Europe, the Paris presence and Berlin office reflect Synthesia鈥檚 deepening footprint among major French and German enterprises, its top two markets in the European Union. The expanded Zurich hub also supports the company鈥檚 DACH business, its third-largest market by ARR globally: Synthesia counts 95% of the DAX 40 among its customer base, including SAP and Merck KGaA.听

In support of this growth, Synthesia is investing more than $25m in new offices and local expansion across the United States and Europe in 2026.

Customers including Merck, Nexity and Mondelez International rely on Synthesia to train distributed workforces at scale, accelerate onboarding and compliance, localize content for global markets, and transform how knowledge flows through their organisations.

Nobody tells founders about growing pains

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Audioboom reveals takeover talks & annual results /news/audioboom-reveals-takeover-talks-annual-results/ Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:29:24 +0000 /?p=194351 Audioboom has revealed that it is in takeover talks with several parties. In October the global podcast company appointed J Goodwin & Co and Rockefeller Capital as joint financial advisers to carry out a strategic review. They considered sourcing new investment to fund further acquisitions; undertaking a substantial acquisition or reverse takeover; a sale of […]

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Audioboom has revealed that it is in takeover talks with several parties.

In October the global podcast company appointed J Goodwin & Co and Rockefeller Capital as joint financial advisers to carry out a strategic review.

They considered sourcing new investment to fund further acquisitions; undertaking a substantial acquisition or reverse takeover; a sale of either the company’s US or UK businesses; or a complete takeover.

This morning – as it also reports a rise in annual revenues and profits, and a record fourth quarter – it said it had engaged with several interested parties including global media organisations, US and European peer companies and media-focused private equity investment institutions.

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鈥淭he company is [now] in discussions with a small number of parties who are considering making a cash offer for the company’s entire issued and to be issued share capital,鈥 it stated.

鈥淭he indicative pricing of preliminary proposals received to date are at a premium to the closing price on 2nd October 2025, being the last day of trading immediately prior to the company entering into an offer period.鈥

CAB Payments agrees 拢287m US takeover deal

Audioboom is headquartered in London with offices in New York, where CEO Stuart Last is based.

It reported revenue of $80.4 million for the 2025 calendar year, up 10% on 2024. Annual adjusted EBITDA profit was $5.1m, up 54% and ahead of 2025 market expectations.

In Q4, it said revenue was $24.9m and adjusted EBITDA profit $2.2m – both quarterly records.

Audioboom pointed to continued significant growth of Showcase – its higher gross margin, tech-based global advertising marketplace – with record revenue of $30.4m, up 31% on 2024.

It had an average global monthly distribution of 118m downloads and video views, up 20% on 2024 following the acquisition of Adelicious in July 2025 and 鈥渢he fast-paced growth of Audioboom’s video podcasts鈥.

New CEO at Reward following $230m takeover

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ICO demands that tech firms strengthen age checks /news/ico-demands-that-tech-firms-strengthen-age-checks/ Thu, 12 Mar 2026 08:48:15 +0000 /?p=191739 The Information Commissioner鈥檚 Office has today published an open letter to social media and video鈥憇haring platforms operating in the UK, calling on them to strengthen age assurance measures so young children can鈥檛 access services that are not designed for them. The open letter sets out the ICO鈥檚 expectations that platforms with a minimum age must […]

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The Information Commissioner鈥檚 Office has today published an open letter to social media and video鈥憇haring platforms operating in the UK, calling on them to strengthen age assurance measures so young children can鈥檛 access services that are not designed for them.

The open letter sets out the ICO鈥檚 expectations that platforms with a minimum age must move beyond relying on children to self-declare their ages, which they can easily bypass.

Instead, platforms should make use of the viable technology that is now readily available to enforce their own minimum ages and prevent these children from accessing their services, the ICO said.

The regulator has also written directly to platforms, starting with TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X, to ask them to demonstrate how their age assurance measures meet these expectations.听

Paul Arnold, ICO CEO, said: 鈥淥ur message to platforms is simple: act today to keep children safe online. There鈥檚 now modern technology at your fingertips, so there is no excuse not to have effective age assurance measures in place.

鈥淧latforms need to be ready to demonstrate what they鈥檙e doing to keep underage children out and safeguard those children that are old enough to access their services.鈥

This call to action forms part of the next phase of the ICO鈥檚 Children鈥檚 code strategy, which has already made significant progress in improving children鈥檚 privacy standards across social media and video-sharing platforms, but the ICO wants companies to go further on age assurance.听

Platforms must be able to tell which users are children so they can benefit from the protections they鈥檙e entitled to.

The ICO recently fined Reddit 拢14.47 million and MediaLab (owner of Imgur) 拢247,590 for failing to implement age鈥慳ssurance measures and for processing children鈥檚 personal information unlawfully in a way that potentially exposed children to inappropriate, harmful content.

Tesla wins electricity supply licence in Britain

The ICO also remains concerned about how social media and video鈥憇haring platforms process children鈥檚 data to generate recommendations, especially when this leads to harmful content or increases the risk of addiction to platforms.

In March 2025, the ICO opened an investigation into TikTok鈥檚 processing of children鈥檚 data in its recommender systems. In December 2025, it requested information from Meta about the processing of children鈥檚 data on Instagram鈥檚 recommender systems.

Protecting children online requires coordinated action across the regulatory system. The ICO continues to work closely with Ofcom, which enforces the Online Safety Act.

Both regulators will publish an updated joint statement in March 2026, which outlines the main areas of interaction between online safety and data protection as they relate to age assurance.

The ICO said it also supports Ofcom鈥檚 call for platforms to enforce minimum ages and make sure their algorithms are configured to prevent children from encountering harmful content.

FCA bans Sendsii from operating after HMRC suspension

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Ex-Epic Games engineers launch motion capture system /news/ex-epic-games-engineers-launch-motion-capture-system/ Thu, 05 Mar 2026 21:20:29 +0000 /?p=191422 A trio of former Epic Games engineers have launched a market鈥憆eady facial motion capture system thanks to support from GM 老九品茶 Growth Hub鈥檚 Innovation Service. Salford-based Captive Devices, founded in 2024, has transformed its early head鈥憁ounted camera prototype into CoreHMC – now used by studios and universities. Working closely with the Hub鈥檚 Innovation Service, Captive […]

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A trio of former Epic Games engineers have launched a market鈥憆eady facial motion capture system thanks to support from GM 老九品茶 Growth Hub鈥檚 Innovation Service.

Salford-based Captive Devices, founded in 2024, has transformed its early head鈥憁ounted camera prototype into CoreHMC – now used by studios and universities.

Working closely with the Hub鈥檚 Innovation Service, Captive Devices secured a 拢10,000 innovation grant to undertake a focused R&D programme with an experienced VFX hardware developer. This enabled the team to refine its product engineering, run industry鈥慻rade performance tests and accelerate development of what would become CoreHMC, its flagship facial motion capture product.

CoreHMC is a head-mounted camera (HMC) facial motion capture system. The technology captures real human facial expressions and translates them into digital animation data, without the cost or complexity typically associated with bespoke setups. Instead of complicated tailored camera rigs, with custom software builds, time-intensive installation and ongoing technical support, the Captive Devices concept works straight out of the box.

The Hub then supported the company in unlocking additional funding via the Media City Immersive Technologies Innovation Hub (MITIH), providing further technical validation and commercialisation support to take CoreHMC to market.

鈥淚nnovation has been central to everything we鈥檙e building, and GM 老九品茶 Growth Hub has been instrumental in helping us grow faster and more confidently,鈥 said Fred Isaac, co鈥慺ounder of Captive Devices.听

鈥淭heir support helped us navigate early technical challenges, secure crucial funding, access specialist expertise, and commercialise our product far sooner than we could have achieved alone.鈥

The product launched in early 2025 to strong demand, generating 拢250,000+ in initial sales and attracting customers such as Dambuster Studios and the University of Salford, which integrated CoreHMC into its Creative Industries programme.

CoreHMC from Captive Devices

To help Captive Devices meet increasing demand and reduce reliance on external suppliers, the Hub facilitated access to a 拢14,340 capital expenditure grant. This allowed the company to invest in new in鈥慼ouse manufacturing facilities, including custom-designed workstations for rapid prototyping, electronics assembly and quality control.

鈥淭hese facilities have significantly increased our operational capacity,鈥 Isaac said. 鈥淗aving access to capital investment at the right time has given us faster turnaround, better control over IP and the ability to scale at the pace the market requires.鈥

With the Hub鈥檚 continued guidance, Captive Devices is now entering its next innovation cycle, developing a new integrated camera鈥憈racking system that simplifies In鈥慍amera Visual Effects (ICVFX) workflows.听

nDreams to close two studios with loss of up to 78 jobs

Supported by 拢43,000 in innovation funding, the four鈥憁onth R&D project is expected to position the company for entry into the 拢2.8bn global virtual production market, with interest already emerging from distribution partners across the US, India, South Korea and Japan.

鈥淐ustomer feedback has shown a real demand for integrated, streamlined solutions,鈥 Isaac added. 鈥淥ur new tracker will make virtual production tools accessible for studios of all sizes, and the Hub鈥檚 support continues to help us shape and accelerate that journey.鈥

Yvonne Grady, head of innovation at GM 老九品茶 Growth Hub, added: 鈥淐aptive Devices exemplifies the kind of innovation, talent and ambition we鈥檙e proud to support in Greater Manchester.听

鈥淔rom early鈥憇tage concept development to commercial launch and now expansion into virtual production, the team has embraced every opportunity for growth.听

鈥淭he results, including rapid revenue growth, strong market traction and increasing global potential, highlight exactly why innovation support matters.鈥

Ex-footballers launch platform to prepare athletes for life after sport

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Former tennis pro, 23, raises 拢5m for second startup Mozart AI /news/former-tennis-pro-23-raises-5m-for-second-startup-mozart-ai/ Wed, 11 Feb 2026 13:22:29 +0000 /?p=189398 Sundar Arvind has taken investment raised by his second startup past 拢5 million – and he is only 23. Yet that is only half of the story. Arvind was a precocious tennis player who turned professional aged 12 and was ranked third in India and the top 1,000 in the world. He faced the likes […]

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Sundar Arvind has taken investment raised by his second startup past 拢5 million – and he is only 23.

Yet that is only half of the story.

Arvind was a precocious tennis player who turned professional aged 12 and was ranked third in India and the top 1,000 in the world. He faced the likes of Jack Draper and Carlos Alcaraz across the net.

Sundar Arvind as a young tennis player. Credit: Sundar Arvind

However repeated injuries led to enforced rest periods and so he turned his attention to music.

鈥淥ne day I just decided to become a music producer, so I swapped out my racquet for decks and became the first Indian to sign with Warner Bros Music,鈥 he wrote on Instagram.

He was aged just 14 when he won that recording contract with Spinnin鈥 Records and has since amassed millions of streams on Spotify.

After achieving four A* grades in his A-Levels, he took the advice of his father and studied computer science (artificial intelligence) with management at King鈥檚 College London, which included a year in industry.

He graduated with first class honours in 2024. That same year he began building his first startup Blitzo – an AI-powered delivery platform which quickly reached 拢1.8m in annual recurring revenue – with Arjun Khanna, who has represented India in global maths competitions and Harvard debates.听

鈥淚鈥檝e always been the type of person to trust my gut. I found my place at King鈥檚 and London felt right,鈥 Arvind said.听

鈥淭he only thing which didn鈥檛 click into place was the lack of convenience with UK delivery services鈥 my gut told me to create the convenience myself. So I did, and Blitzo was born.鈥

Now the CEO is returning to music with Mozart AI, a startup founded with COO Khanna (pictured below, right) and CTO Pascual Merita Torres (below, left), a producer and DJ, classically trained pianist and AI researcher.听

Mozart AI co-founders CEO Sundar Arvind, COO Arjun Khanna and CTO Pascual Merita Torres

Described as a generative audio workstation, it aims to enhance workflows that lead to faster track completion times. Launched late last year, it already boasts 100,000+ users within two months and a million songs created.

Artists using the platform include Frans Mernick (ASAP Rocky鈥檚 producer), Ash Pournori (Avicci’s songwriter) and Kodak Black’s producer.

鈥楢udoo is a mission-led business – we鈥檙e not focused on exit鈥

Following a pre-seed round last year, Arvind has now raised 拢4.4m in an oversubscribed seed round led by Balderton Capital while it has also launched a mobile app. It takes total funding past 拢5m.

Mercuri (early stage MediaTech VC), EWOR, Kevin Hartz (Eventbrite founder), Charles Ferguson (Oscar-winning director of the Inside Job documentary) and Emery Wells (Frame.io founder) participated in the round, alongside existing investors and strategic angels from music, AI and creator technology.听

The funding will be used to grow the team, expand Mozart AI鈥檚 core tech, and build on the viral success of its beta launch ahead of a full public release.

Mozart AI is built on top of commercially cleared third party generative models. ElevenLabs, one of the company’s primary model providers, is only trained on licensed materials, which allows the users of Mozart AI to freely use their music in commercial areas.听

鈥淭he creative process has always been integral to music-making and to music鈥檚 role in shaping global culture,鈥 said Arvind. 鈥淔ar from replacing creativity, AI is levelling up that adrenaline-filled process through which musicians compose and discover the right sounds.听

Mozart AI studio

鈥淢ozart AI is building powerful generative tools for the next era of collaborative music creation that will enable every artist 鈥 from casual creators to professional producers 鈥 to turn any idea into a release-ready song in minutes, with commercial rights.听

鈥淲e鈥檙e building toward a world where a spark of creativity 鈥 a guitar riff, a melody, an idea 鈥 can be transformed into a fully produced, monetisable song with a professional music video, without requiring technical knowledge or fragmented tools.鈥澛犅

Umair Ali, Kodak Black and Lil Baby鈥檚 producer, said: 鈥淎s a creative technologist and producer, Mozart Studio is one of the first AI music tools I鈥檝e tried that actually accelerates ideation without flattening the creative process.听

鈥淚t feels like an always-on sketchpad for hooks, melodies, and arrangement. It helps you get from a rough concept to something session-ready fast, then refine it like a real record.鈥

Tech firm backed by BBC Dragon Rewarded with $230m takeover

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Former Bidstack CFO fined by FCA for insider dealing /news/former-bidstack-cfo-fined-for-insider-dealing/ Wed, 11 Feb 2026 08:51:21 +0000 /?p=189372 A former CFO at Bidstack when it was a listed company has been fined for insider dealing. Bhavesh Hirani and Dipesh Kerai have been penalised by the Financial Conduct Authority for profiting from inside information about the then-listed firm. In December 2021, Hirani was the interim CFO at Bidstack, a tech company that placed advertising […]

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A former CFO at Bidstack when it was a listed company has been fined for insider dealing.

Bhavesh Hirani and Dipesh Kerai have been penalised by the Financial Conduct Authority for profiting from inside information about the then-listed firm.

In December 2021, Hirani was the interim CFO at Bidstack, a tech company that placed advertising inside video games. This meant he had access to inside information about a major upcoming deal between Bidstack and a large video game publisher.

Before it was announced to the public, Hirani passed this confidential information to Kerai, according to the FCA.

It said Hirani then opened a trading account in Kerai鈥檚 name and, with his help, bought 1.3 million Bidstack shares in advance of the announcement while in possession of inside information.

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When the deal was made public, Bidstack鈥檚 share price rose by more than 125%. Kerai made more than 拢9,000 in profit, which the FCA has now required him to return as part of his penalty.

Hirani has been fined 拢56,000, while Kerai has been fined 拢52,731.

鈥楢udoo is a mission-led business – we鈥檙e not focused on exit鈥

鈥淒ipesh Kerai and Bhavesh Hirani exploited inside information for their own gain, trading on details other investors couldn鈥檛 have known,鈥 said Steve Smart, executive director of enforcement and market oversight at the FCA.听

The FCA was initially notified of the trading through Suspicious Transaction and Order Reports submitted by a firm.听

鈥淏ig thanks to the firm that reported its suspicions, enabling us to identify the perpetrators and hold them to account,鈥 continued Smart. 鈥淲orking with industry we will continue to take action against anyone who misuses inside information and undermines trust in UK markets.鈥

Eagle Eye Innovations secures private equity investment

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鈥楢udoo is a mission-led business – we鈥檙e not focused on exit鈥 /news/audoo-is-a-mission-led-business-were-not-focused-on-exit/ Tue, 10 Feb 2026 15:58:34 +0000 /?p=189359 Audoo is changing how the music industry approaches royalty payments – and founder Ryan Edwards says this mission remains his core focus. Edwards founded the business in 2018 to provide a solution to the challenges faced in public performance royalty data collection and payment distribution via its Audoo Audio Meter device and insights platform. So […]

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is changing how the music industry approaches royalty payments – and founder Ryan Edwards says this mission remains his core focus.

Edwards founded the business in 2018 to provide a solution to the challenges faced in public performance royalty data collection and payment distribution via its Audoo Audio Meter device and insights platform.

So impressive is the growth of the London firm – which counts legends including Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney and ABBA鈥檚 Bjorn Ulvaeus among its investors – that it has topped our last two MediaTech 50 rankings.

However, despite substantial interest, he says they 鈥渄o not have an exit strategy for the time being鈥.

鈥淎nd that鈥檚 quite intentional,鈥 he adds. 鈥淎udoo is a mission-led business and we鈥檙e focused on long-term impact rather than a quick exit.

鈥淥f course, we鈥檙e consistently approached, and we explore every conversation, just as we do with funding. But the reality is we love working on this company.听

鈥淲e get to spend time with our heroes, solve a problem that鈥檚 affected creators for generations, and genuinely change how the industry works. That鈥檚 what motivates us, not an exit timeline.鈥澛

MediaTech 50 – UK’s most innovative media tech creators for 2025

As a child the entrepreneur would practise drumming along to songs from famous bands in his bedroom. Later, as part of The Lines, he would find himself opening for these heroes – including The Killers, The Charlatans, Jack Pe帽ate and Supergrass.

After The Lines, Edwards focused his career on technology and data, leading teams in creating mobile apps for world football governing body FIFA, B&Q and Barclays; rolling out complex retail data solutions at Visa; and bringing Best Buy to the UK.

In 2018 he was shopping in a department store when he heard his former band鈥檚 song Domino Effect playing over the speakers – and wondered whether they were being paid royalties they were due. The idea for Audoo was born.

Its Audio Meter – which Edwards says remains true to the original vision sketched out sitting at his kitchen table – has been specifically designed to cut through environmental noise and recognise the music played within commercial premises.

Audoo – revolutionising royalty reporting through data

It has now been rolled out around the world.

鈥淐ommercially, we鈥檝e expanded major partnerships with APRA in Australia and New Zealand, IMRO in Ireland, and BUMA in the Netherlands [in the last 12 months],鈥 Edwards says.听

鈥淎ll of those organisations are seeing the positive impact of real-world monitoring and are increasing their deployment of Audio Meters. We鈥檝e also entered the US market, which is a huge step for us.

鈥淢y own role has become incredibly global. I鈥檓 rarely in the UK now because there are so many PROs (performing rights organisations) and industry bodies around the world that want to meet and understand how this technology can finally bring accuracy to royalty distributions.鈥

However, the UK has been slower on the uptake than other countries.

鈥淲hat we鈥檝e learned is that some markets are true trailblazers. Organisations like APRA and IMRO are deeply committed to accuracy and doing the best for their members, and they鈥檝e embraced technology as the way to achieve that,鈥 says Edwards.

鈥淯nfortunately, in our home market we haven鈥檛 seen the same level of commitment. That led us to launch Every Play Counts, our direct-to-venue strategy where we provide Audio Meters at no cost to venues.听

鈥淩ather than waiting for change, we decided to empower businesses to be part of the solution themselves 鈥 and we鈥檝e seen a hugely positive response from venue owners and managers.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 been fascinating is how that has opened up a completely new customer base. Labels, publishers and managers now want access to this data to understand where their music is actually being played in the real world.听

鈥淭hat insight simply hasn鈥檛 existed before, so Audoo is creating a new layer of intelligence for the entire ecosystem.鈥

Edwards says the huge and fragmented US market is a 鈥渧ery different landscape to anywhere else鈥.听

鈥淭here are multiple rights organisations, artists move between them, and the market has gone through significant structural change 鈥 including one organisation moving from a not-for-profit model to a private-equity-backed business,鈥 he explains.

鈥淭hat creates new behaviours and new incentives, but what we鈥檙e already seeing from the first cities we鈥檝e launched in is incredibly clear: real-world public performance data looks nothing like streaming, radio or playlist proxies.

鈥淭hat reinforces why Audoo exists. The industry has been relying on approximations for decades, and the US is proving just as strongly as Europe and Australia that those approximations don鈥檛 reflect reality.鈥

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Over the last couple of years, Audoo has moved from being a promising technology into something genuinely transformational for the music industry, Edwards says.听

鈥淲e delivered the world鈥檚 first live music monitoring at festivals, which was a huge technical milestone and proved that our Audio Meter can work in even the most complex, high-volume environments.

鈥淲e also launched Audoo Recap, which for the first time gives venues meaningful data back about the music they play. That has completely changed the dynamic between venues and PROs 鈥 it turns licensing from a cost into a relationship built on transparency and value.鈥

As for what鈥檚 coming next, he says Audoo is in advanced conversations with several new markets that weren鈥檛 even on its original roadmap.

鈥淭he wider ambition hasn鈥檛 changed: we want Audoo to become the global standard for how public performance music is measured and how royalties are distributed.听

鈥淓very additional meter, venue and territory takes us closer to a world where creators are paid based on real data rather than estimates.鈥

Edwards says there hasn鈥檛 been a week in the last five years where he hasn鈥檛 met someone to discuss ideas, partnerships or the future of the business.

鈥淲e鈥檙e a technology company with big global ambitions, so we鈥檙e always exploring options around funding,鈥 he continues.

鈥淭hat said, we don鈥檛 currently have an official round open. We鈥檙e focused on execution and growth, and we鈥檒l look at the right partners at the right time rather than raising capital for the sake of it.鈥

Founder: White Label Loyalty to enter major scaling phase

The post 鈥楢udoo is a mission-led business – we鈥檙e not focused on exit鈥 appeared first on 老九品茶Cloud.

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Why an online video editor is the best tool to create montages /news/why-an-online-video-editor-is-the-best-tool-to-create-montages/ Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:15:36 +0000 /?p=189250 You have hundreds of video clips on your phone, consuming space. You tell yourself you will do something with them later, but the time never comes. Making a montage feels like a massive chore that requires an advanced computer as well as expensive software. However, it does not have to be that way. Using a […]

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You have hundreds of video clips on your phone, consuming space. You tell yourself you will do something with them later, but the time never comes. Making a montage feels like a massive chore that requires an advanced computer as well as expensive software. However, it does not have to be that way. Using a changes the whole process. Here is why an online video editor is the best tool to create montages.听

No More Software Downloads

The main issue for numerous people is the software installation process. Traditional editing software needs to be updated and takes up space. You will be able to avoid these inconveniences by using an online video editing tool.听

The lightweight nature of the video editing tools differentiates them from regular editing software. Your computer does not become unresponsive because a server handles the heavy lifting.听

The Benefits of Using Video Editing Tools

The benefits of using video editing tools are as follows.听聽

  • No local storage required for giant project files.
  • Access your work from any computer with an internet connection.
  • The interface is usually much cleaner as well as easier to learn.
  • Auto-saving means you never lose a video to a crash.
  • Direct uploads from cloud services.

People editing videos are not trying to win an Oscar 鈥 they want a simple way to put music over clips. A free video editor gives you that flexibility. You do not have to deal with the clutter of a thousand buttons that you will never press. According to reports, the move toward browser-based creativity is only growing as we rely more on the cloud.

Keeping Your Content Secure

People usually worry about their videos being present on the internet. The best online video editing tools prioritize your privacy with encryption. These tools automatically delete your files from servers after a set time. You get the benefit of a powerful server without the risk of any privacy breach.

Common Montage Themes to Try

Here are the common montage themes you can try.听

  • Year in review聽
  • Travel vlogs聽
  • Birthday tributes聽
  • Fitness progress聽
  • Recipe highlights聽

Research shows that short-form video montages get more engagement than static photos.听

Making the Final Cut

The rhythm is actually the key to creating a superb montage. The cuts should be in sync with the music. This is made simple by online editors. You can clearly see the audio waveform in video editors to trim the video. These editors give you the flexibility to move your clips to match the sound’s peaks.

You can even continue working on your mobile device if you find yourself away from your workstation. You should download the to make edits on the go. It is great to have that flexibility when you suddenly have to edit videos.听

Final Thoughts聽

Put an end to storing those memories in your camera roll. When you use a free video editor, you get rid of all the technical walls. You do not need to spend any money 鈥 you need a little bit of creativity. Your camera roll is full of potential stories. All you have to do is start clicking.听

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