At the start of the month, the CEO of Walmart explained challenges in predicting the post-holiday sales outlook for 2024. Meanwhile, Amazon is mastering the art of balance by cashing in on ads, inserting them into Prime Video content from Jan. 29 onward. During an interview with CNBC on Dec. 6, Doug McMillon rang up concerns about consumer spending, citing elevated credit card balances and tightened household budgets and casted doubt on the extent of their expenditures despite their recent resilience. “If w ...

Apple can resume selling its latest smartwatches in spite of a recent import ban.A federal appeals court on Wednesday (Dec. 27) paused that ban, CNBC reported, allowing the tech giant to once again sell its Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches.The ban went into place last week following a ruling by the International Trade Commission (ITC) order that found the blood oxygen sensor in the devices had infringed on intellectual property from medical technology firm Masimo.“The motion for an interim stay is granted to th ...

Amazon has apparently set a date for adding ads to its Prime Video content.The company will begin introducing commercials to movies and TV shows for viewers in the U.S. beginning Jan. 29, Deadline reported, citing a letter to subscribers.The change will come to customers in the U.K., Germany and Canada on Feb. 5, followed by France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and Australia later this year.The letter said Amazon is adding “limited advertisements” to allow Prime “to continue investing in compelling content and keep ...

Amazon has set the date for Prime Video’s addition of advertisements into the viewing experience, as streaming companies increasingly find new ways to drive revenue from their content libraries.The eCommerce giant informed subscribers in an email that it will add ad breaks starting Jan. 29, charging an extra $2.99/month for the option to continue watching content without these interruptions, according to The Verge.“We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers,” the c ...

The New York Times filed a lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI, alleging copyright infringement.The newspaper claimed the tech companies used its content without permission to develop their artificial intelligence products, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Wednesday (Dec. 27).Neither Microsoft nor OpenAI immediately replied to PYMNTS’ request for comment.In its own article about the lawsuit, The New York Times said that the suit accuses the two companies of “using the Times’s content without payment ...

Apple is appealing a ban that threatens its $17 billion smartwatch business.The tech giant filed a challenge to the ban imposed by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) — the result of a patent dispute — at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday (Dec. 26).In addition, the report said, Apple filed an emergency motion asking that the ban be stayed while the court considers the appeal.The move came after the White House — seen as Apple’s last hope in avoiding ...

In a bold play to score big in the sports content arena, Amazon is rumored to be eyeing an investment in Diamond Sports Group, aiming to become the MVP of regional sports programming. Meanwhile, in the retail financing league, Walmart has extended its partnership with Affirm to let consumers bag now, pay later at self-checkout.Amazon’s Attempt to Score Big Although Diamond Sports Group had money problems earlier this year, it is bouncing back. According to a Monday (Dec. 18) Wall Street Journal report, the ...

Nike has taken its game to the next level in the women’s market, boasting a reported business of around $9 billion — excluding Jordan and Converse. “Our women’s business has grown high single digits on average over the past three years,” Nike President and CEO John Donahoe said during an earnings call with analysts on Thursday (Dec 21). Donahoe highlighted that approximately 40% of Nike’s members are women consumers — and this group is growing, representing a rising portion of new members. This trend indica ...

Apple stopped selling its latest smartwatches, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, in its online store Thursday (Dec. 21) due on to an ongoing patent dispute.The company will no longer provide repair services for out-of-warranty watch models either, Bloomberg reported Thursday.The sales ban on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 was imposed by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) after ruling that Apple had infringed upon two health-technology patents related to blood oxygen sensing ...

Alternative asset manager Blackstone is reportedly set to acquire an 80% stake in Sony Payment Services, a payment service provider under Sony Group. The deal, valued at approximately $280 million, is expected to be announced as soon as Friday (Dec. 22), Bloomberg reported Thursday (Dec. 21), citing an unnamed source. Neither Blackstone nor Sony Payment Services immediately replied to PYMNTS’ request for comment. Sony Group, renowned for its electronics and entertainment offerings, also operates a financial ...