Weekly news round-up: Sony relocates UK HQ and IBM & Vodafone's 5G venture

Sony UK to relocate HQ  
Sony is moving its European HQ from London to the Netherlands in a move to avoid any disruption caused by Brexit, however, Sony Pictures Entertainment’s UK division will remain at its base in London. According to Deadline, the purpose in relocating is to avoid customs issues related to the UK’s exit from the EU.

Atomos and Red announce tech deal
Red Digital Cinema and Atomos have penned a deal for the latter to use some of the camera manufacturer’s intellectual property, reported Broadcast Pro Me. The companies said there was a significant opportunity to enhance the integration of their product lines to produce what “they both expect to be a trail-blazing new camera recording systems”. 

IBM and Vodafone launch 5G venture
IBM and Vodafone have partnered to launch a new venture aimed at boosting European 5G, artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud capabilities according to Channel Web. IBM will manage Vodafone’s business cloud in a deal worth around £425m over an eight-year period, aiming to help customers with digital transformation, while Vodafone customers will be given access to IBM’s cloud portfolio.

Juniper invests $2.5m in tech accelerator 
Silicon Valley accelerator Alchemist has announced a new $2.5m investment from cybersecurity solutions firm Juniper Networks with participation from Siemens’ venture capital unit Next47. Alchemist provides participating teams with six months of mentorship and a $36,000 investment, according to Tech Crunch.

Apple lays off 200 staff 
Apple’s top-secret division codenamed Project Titan has taken a cull with a major restructuring under new leadership. The self-driving car division has culled 200 employees roles this week with other employees being transferred to different key areas. Engadget reported the changes have come after Apple hired former Tesla senior engineering VP Doug Field last August who has “massive changes” planned. 

US set to seek extradition of Huawei CFO 
The US Justice Department is pursuing the extradition of Huawei’s chief finance officer Meng Wanzhou who has been arrested in Canada. Reuters reported Wanzhou has been accused by the US for misrepresenting the technology company’s links to a firm that attempted to sell equipment to Iran despite US sanctions.  

Verizon cuts 7% of staff
Verizon Media Group, the umbrella organisation of Yahoo and AOL is laying off 7% of its staff as the telecom giant focuses on its cellular business. The reduction of jobs will impact around 800 employees within the division responsible for TechCrunch, HuffPost and Tumblr, according to The Wall Street Journal. Staff were informed via email and told the business would focus on mobile and video-centric products. 

Netflix leads TV on-demand growth
Over 11m households in the UK have subscribed to an online streaming service, an increase of 22% compared to last year. According to the Telegraph, The Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB) released new data yesterday which shows a dramatic rise in British people paying for streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Now TV. The report estimated that Netflix had added 2.2m households in the UK since 2017, while Amazon added around 1 million.