Beginning early in 2019, Amazon Prime Video will include advertisements during TV programs and films, joining other streaming services that have added tiers of subscriptions.

The company announced on Friday that Amazon Prime members in the United States can pay $2.99 monthly to maintain their ad-free service.

Streaming services are engaged in fierce competition for viewers, and users are becoming increasingly proficient at joining and leaving these services, often based on price. The platforms risk losing consumers if they increase prices, but they also risk losing them if they fail to generate user-appealing new content.

Mid-October, Disney will begin charging $13.99 per month for ad-free Disney+ in the United States, 75% more than the current ad-supported service. Already, Netflix’s ad-free plan costs $15.49 per month, more than double the monthly subscription for Netflix with advertisements. Beginning early next year, The company will air limited advertisements during TV programs and films to “continue investing in compelling content and increase that investment over time.”

Live sporting events on Amazon Prime already include advertisements.

The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada will be the first to implement Prime Video advertisements in early 2024, followed by France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia later in the year.

The company has stated that it will not alter the pricing of Prime membership next year. Pricing for ad-free programming in countries other than the United States will be announced later.

The company stated it would send an email to Prime members in the United States with instructions on how to sign up for the ad-free option if they choose to do so several weeks before advertisements are introduced into its programs.

Prime Video is just one of the many benefits of an Amazon Prime membership. Members also receive free shipping on Amazon.com purchases, groceries, online audio, and more.

The Federal Trade Commission accused Amazon in June of engaging in a multi-year campaign to enroll consumers without their consent in Amazon Prime, making it difficult for them to terminate their subscriptions. At the time, a spokesperson for Amazon stated that the FTC’s claims were false.

SOURCE – (AP)

Shein, created in China in 2008, is a global fast fashion behemoth.

According to the BBC, Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group is in talks to sell its Missguided clothing brand to online fashion giant Shein.

The talks regarding a purchase, first reported by Sky News, occurred only a year after Frasers acquired the brand.

Last year, Frasers Group paid £20 million for Missguided after the online apparel store went bankrupt.

Shein, created in China in 2008, is a global fast fashion behemoth.

Frasers Group and Shein have both been reached for comment.

According to Sky, the agreement will see Shein acquire Missguided’s brand and other intellectual property while Frasers retains the head office.

Missguided, situated in Manchester, was launched in 2009 by Nitin Passi and has since grown to become one of the UK’s largest online fashion players.

However, due to supply chain issues, rising freight prices, and increased competition from rivals, it went into administration in May 2022 before being acquired by Frasers Group.

Frasers, which owns the Mike Ashley-founded Sports Direct company, has grown swiftly by acquiring troubled brands. Game, Evans Cycles, Jack Wills, and Sofa.com are examples.

While Mike Ashley is no longer the CEO of Frasers, he still maintains a majority ownership in the company.

Shein, which currently has its headquarters in Singapore, saw a boost in sales during the Covid epidemic when lockdowns increased internet purchases.

It was valued at roughly $66 billion earlier this year, which was lower than a previous valuation of around $100 billion.

It has been speculated that Shein will attempt to float its shares in the United States.

However, in May, a group of US congressmen demanded that Shein be investigated amid allegations that people from China’s predominantly Muslim Uyghur community were used as forced labor to create some of the clothing it sells.

Human rights organizations and Western governments, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom, have accused China of perpetrating crimes against humanity against the Uyghurs.

Shein responded to the BBC, saying, “We have zero tolerance for forced labour.”

“Our suppliers must follow a strict code of conduct that is aligned with the core conventions of the International Labour Organisation.”

SOURCE – (BBC)

LONDON, England – Around 3,000 workers at Britain’s largest steelworks face job losses as part of a government-backed plan announced Friday to make the factory “greener.”

The British government confirmed popular speculation that it will invest up to 500 million pounds ($620 million) in the loss-making Port Talbot steelworks in south Wales, money it claims will ensure the site’s future.

“This proposal is a watershed moment for sustaining ongoing steel production in the United Kingdom, supporting sustainable economic growth, reducing emissions, and creating green jobs,” said Treasury Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

The steelworks’ owner, Tata, will utilize the government subsidies to assist in converting the plant’s two coal-fired blast furnaces to electric arc versions that can run on zero-carbon electricity.

Tata, which employs over 8,000 people in the United Kingdom, will also invest approximately 750 million pounds in the project but has warned that the proposals will result in consultations regarding a “deep potential restructuring” – a euphemism for job losses.

In a second statement issued Friday, the UK’s Department for Business and Trade stated steelworks that the arrangement will only protect about 5,000 jobs from Tata’s total workforce.

Tata stated that the agreement established the groundwork for long-term regional steel production and pledged to hold “meaningful” consultations with labor organizations.

Around 3,000 workers at Britain’s largest steelworks face job losses as part of a government-backed plan announced Friday to make the factory “greener.”

“With the support of the UK government and the dedicated efforts of Tata Steel UK employees and all stakeholders, we will work to transform Tata Steel UK into a green, modern, future-ready business,” said TV Narendran, CEO and Managing Director of Tata Steel.

The agreement comes two months after Tata announced intentions to establish a 4 billion-pound battery facility in the United Kingdom with government subsidies.

Unions were outraged at the prospect of job losses at Port Talbot, which employed over 20,000 people at its peak in the 1960s before cheaper alternatives from across the world took over manufacturing.

“The cost to local people and the wider Port Talbot community will be immense,” said Gary Smith, general secretary of the GMB trade union. “Once again, we have leaders hyping the fantasy land of a ‘just transition,’ while the harsh reality for workers is being laid off.”

After receiving regulatory and planning permits, the 1.25 billion-pound furnaces will be operational within three years.

Around 3,000 workers at Britain’s largest steelworks face job losses as part of a government-backed plan announced Friday to make the factory “greener.”

Tata warned last year that its operations in the United Kingdom would be jeopardized unless it received government support to help it transition to less carbon-intensive electric arc furnaces.

According to Luke Murphy, head of the Institute for Public Policy Research’s fair transition team, the government has “ignored or abandoned” the interests of unions and workers.

“The use of coal in steelworks must end, but this appears to be a bad deal for workers, the Port Talbot community, and Britain,” he said.

He emphasized that Germany has committed to working with unions to protect jobs and has invested more than $53 billion in decarbonizing heavy industry.

“The United Kingdom has nothing on the scale of this commitment to steelworks and has done nothing to improve investment conditions,” he continued.

SOURCE – (AP)