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

Sony inks deal with Wattpad Studio
Sony Pictures Television has entered a co-production deal with Wattpad for original TV programming. Wattpad Studio, which describes itself as ”a global network of readers and writers with a monthly global audience of 70m”, connects unsigned talent with global entertainment media companies. The deal will enable Sony to choose from Wattpad’s 500 million stories for its next entertainment offering, according to Variety, Wattpad has 70 million monthly users and almost 1,000 stories posted on the service which have been adapted to books, TV shows, films or digital projects. 

Game of Thrones pirated 54m times
The Game of Thrones season eight premiere was pirated 54 million times in its first 24 hours, while only 17 million people watched the premiere legally. Digital Trends reported, whilst the piracy was high the official broadcasters still marked the biggest one-day viewing event in HBO history. 76.6% of pirates watched Game of Thrones on unlicensed streams, while web-based downloads accounted for another 12.2% and torrents from pirate sites made up just over 10% of the final total.

Samsung Galaxy Fold reported faulty 
Samsung Electronics has confirmed it has received “a few” reports of damage to the displays of samples of its upcoming foldable smartphone, according to Reuters. The handset is priced at $1,980 and resembles a conventional smartphone but opens like a book to a second display similar to a tablet. The company has confirmed it will “thoroughly inspect these units,” to identify the cause.   

Qualcomm stock jumps after Apple settlement 
Qualcomm shares jumped 23% to $70.45 in regular trading marking its biggest gain in more than 19 years and then hit $75.25 in after-hours trading. Qualcomm won a major victory in its wide-ranging legal dispute with Apple on Tuesday as the companies reached a “surprise” settlement, reported Reuters. The decision confirmed the iPhone will resume the use of Qualcomm modem chips. 

UKTV launches live streaming
The UK multi-channel broadcaster UKTV has introduced live streaming of five channels on its UKTV Play website, according to Digital TV Europe, which said the availability of TV and mobile apps will follow. Viewers will be able to watch Dave, Drama, Yesterday, Really and Home live as well as on-demand with personalised recommendations to be surfaced. 

Assassin’s Creed to rebuild Notre-Dame?
Gaming franchise Assassin’s Creed Unity replica of the Notre-Dame could be used by architects to restore the Notre-Dame after it was damaged in a fire earlier this week. According to The Next Web, the detail gaming developers have put into the creation of the landmark could aid in the rebuilding of the church with one of the game’s artists Caroline Miousse dedicating two years to replicating the texture and layout of the building.    

Netflix reports biggest subs increase
Netflix has reported its biggest increase in subscribers since it launched 12 years ago, adding 9.6 million in the first quarter with some 1.74 million people signed up in the US and 7.86 million signed up elsewhere. According to Sky News, the pace is forecast to slow with Netflix expecting to add only five million more subscribers in the next financial quarter. 

Huawei denies talks with Apple on 5G chipsets
China’s Huawei Technologies said it has not held talks with Apple about supplying 5G chipsets, however, Huawei’s rotating Chairman Ken Hu said the company looks forward to Apple’s competition in the 5G phone market. Reuters reported, his comments were made a day after Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei said the firm was “open” to selling its 5G chips to Apple.  

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