Your guide to what’s happened this week in the media, entertainment and technology industry.

Comcast explores NBC-Sky channel
Comcast chief executive Brian Roberts announced during its Q1 earnings call the company is “moving ahead” to combine NBCUniversal and Sky assets with some European TV channels and global content distribution businesses. Digital TV Europe reported, one of the conditions set by the UK government to approve Comcast’s takeover of Sky was that Sky News would need to maintain its editorial neutrality. Roberts gave no further details of its plans. 

Samsung bets on vertical TVs
The manufacturers latest TV offering is the Sero, a 43-inch TV that was specifically designed for the millennial generation to replicate a larger version of a smartphone and pivots between horizontal and vertical to encourage content from smartphones to be projected onto the TV. The Verge reported it is expected to go to market at the end of May in South Korea for $1,600 featuring 4.1-channel, 60W speakers and an integrated stand to function as a TV and a “piece of furniture.”   

Huawei plans for 5G TV
Chinese telecom and smartphone manufacturer Huawei is reportedly working on a 5G television with an 8K resolution display, according to Tech Radar. The next-generation TV would be the first of its kind on the 5G spectrum and would be able to share the gigabit connection like a wireless router to other devices.    

US warns UK on Huawei 
The Chinese firm’s 5G equipment has been described as a security risk after the UK council gives the partial go-ahead. According to The Guardian, a US official has warned the UK Huawei “was not a trusted vendor” and the use of its technology in 5G networks is a risk. Gavin Williamson has been sacked as defence secretary following an inquiry into the leaking of a plan to allow Huawei limited access to help build the UK’s 5G network.

Line of Duty UK’s most-watched TV series 
The first four episodes of the series attracted larger audiences than any other programme this year, averaging 10.6 million viewers. The BBC revealed it is currently the most watched programme on Britsh TV this year with episode five gaining an average of 7.9 million and a peak of 8.3 million viewers, according to TVB Europe. 

Apple nears $1 trillion value forecast 
The technology firms shares have increased by almost 5% pushing its market valuation back towards $1 trillion despite iPhone sales dropping 17%. However, the company’s services revenue beat Wall Street expectations and it forecast an upbeat third quarter, according to Reuters. Twenty-one analysts recommend buying Apple’s stock, while 18 analysts are neutral and two recommend selling, according to Refinitiv data on Wednesday.

Harry Potter AR game live Down Under 
The augmented reality (AR) Harry Potter Wizards Unite game has kicked off a beta in Australia and New Zealand with developers noting the overall appearance and design is not final. Variety reported the core interaction of the game operates like Pokemon Go, with players discovering magic places and battle creatures in the real world.

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