US Hits Apple with Antitrust Lawsuit; Paid Subscriptions to Music Streaming Services Exceed 500m for First Time; Warner Bros Discovery’s Max to Launch in Europe

by Aimee Newell Tarín on 25th Mar 2024 in News

On today’s news digest: US Hits Apple with Antitrust Lawsuit; Paid Subscriptions to Music Streaming Services Exceed 500m for First Time; Warner Bros Discovery’s Max to Launch in Europe

Apple is caught up in more legal troubles: the US Department of Justice and 15 US states have sued the tech giant, bringing forward a civil lawsuit alleging it monopolised smartphone markets. The lawsuit represents the first major antitrust effort brought against Apple by the Biden administration.

In the audio landscape, music streaming subscriptions continue to soar. Global paid subscriptions to music streaming services have exceeded 500 million for the first time with more than 667 million users of such accounts, reports IFPI’s Global Music Report. Subscription streaming revenues rose 11.2% last year, making up most of the music industry’s revenue growth for 2023. Interestingly, physical format revenues such as CDs and vinyl also rose 13.4%.

Staying in the ambit of streaming, Warner Bros Discovery’s Max platform will be rolled out in Europe this spring, with the aim of global market expansion as it looks to offset the decline in its US traditional TV business. The service will merge content from Discovery Plus and HBO Max. From May, it will be available across central and eastern Europe as well as the Nordics and Iberia. The launch will later follow in France, Poland, Belgium and the Netherlands. The UK will be waiting slightly longer: the broadcaster will be unable to progress with a UK launch until the end of a deal to distribute its content with Sky in 2025.