Weekly news round-up: Google faces gender pay gap action & Netflix borrows $2bn more

Google faces pay discrimination class action 
A group of women have sued Google for gender pay discrimination and are advancing a class-action lawsuit in California likely to affect more than 8,000 current and former employees. According to The Guardian, the civil complaint alleged Google paid women less than men for the same job and denied promotions and career opportunities, Google argued it has a system in place to ensure fairness for their employee’s salaries. 

Netflix borrows $2bn more 
The streaming giant announced on Monday it plans to roll out a new round of notes likely to include content acquisitions, production and development as well as capital expenditures and investments, CNBC reported. The new debt adds to the “growing debt burden on Netflix’s balance sheet,” with reports stating $12 billion in total at the end of September.   

UK Netflix unlikely warns ITV boss 
ITV Chief Executive Carolyn McCall has warned UK broadcasters the “window is closing” to create a viable alternative to the US streaming giants offering which continues to grow with speed. According to The Guardian, McCall has made the developments in creating a subscription video-on-demand service as a priority, urging the limited time to act and the need to collaborate with public service broadcasters “because it makes sense.” 

Apple backs strict privacy laws
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cooks endorsed tougher privacy laws for Europe and the US and urged the need to protect users personal data. Cook warned that technology’s promise to drive revolutionary changes to benefit humanity can easily be jeopardised by the harm it may cause, reported the Financial Post. Apple is setting the privacy standard they see for widespread adoption Cook announced urging tech giants to tighten their security measures. 

Canon cuts down on cameras and chip
Japanese camera and chip manufacturer Canon have reduced its full-year earnings outlook for the second time this year because of lower sales than predicted. Canon has shifted its product strategy and launched its first full-frame mirrorless camera, Reuters reported, the company missed an average estimate of 86.57 billion yen making the market value approximately $41 billion. 

Vodafone turns on 5G for the UK
Vodafone has become the first company to carry full 5G coverage over a commercial network leading the roll out across the UK. Advanced Television reported the live mobile data traffic is now being streamed to and from the internet from a base near Manchester. 

Dash radio raises $8.8m with 10m listeners
Radio streaming start-up Dash has reached 10 million monthly listeners and has successfully raised $8.8 million in a seed funding round. Tech Crunch reported Founder Scott Keeney has created a curated and personality-driven experience setting itself apart from Apple and Spotify music services taking a different approach cutting out long advertisements and avoiding sponsorships.  

BBC’s Bodyguard smashes UK drama records
The final episode of UK favourite hit drama series has become the country’s most-watched episode reaching 17.1 million viewers, which is the highest of any drama series across all channels since 2002 according to BARB’s measurement figures, Rapid TV News reported. Netflix bought the rights to the series set to premiere globally outside of the UK, Ireland and China on 24 October.