HBO and HBO Max gained 3 million subscribers before splitting from AT&T

HBO Max and HBO picked up 3 million subscribers in the same quarter that Netflix lost 200,000 of them for the first time in years, Variety reported. The streaming/cable service reported earnings under former parent AT&T for the last time, as it’s set to become part of the new Warner Bros. Discovery media conglomerate.

The lion’s share of new HBO/HBO Max subs were in the US (1.8 mllion), and the services now count 48.6 million subscribers domestically and 76.8 million worldwide. That’s up 12.8 million over last year, showing solid growth. (HBO Max costs $15 per month ad-free or $10 with ads, and HBO on cable is $15 per month.)

However, it was still a drag on parent AT&T (for the last time). WarnerMedia revenue was down 32.7 percent over last year to $1.3 billion due to investments in HBO Max and the failed launch of CNN+.

That’s essentially why AT&T decided to divest WarnerMedia and focus strictly on its core telecom business. To wit, the company announced its largest gain in post-paid phone net additions in more than a decade. Excluding WarnerMedia and other divested businesses, AT&T revenue was $29.7 billion, up 2.5 percent over the same quarter last year.

With WarnerMedia and Discovery divested, AT&T plans to invest any free cash in 5G and fiber deployments (it still has $169 billion in debt, despite the $43 billion dollar deal to sell WarnerMedia.) “AT&T has entered a new era,” said CEO John Stankey in a prepared statement during the company’s earnings call.

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為慶祝《星球大戰》（Star Wars）電影系列在過去、現在和未來所產生的深遠影響，向他們最喜愛的電影場景致敬，Casetify 將於今天「星戰日」推出《星球大戰》聯乘系列，並在 Casetify 網站及門市發售。這次除了 Apple 產品以外，特定型號的 Samsung 以及 Google Pixel 手機亦有份，《星戰》粉絲一定不能錯過。…

A new ‘Tales from the Borderlands’ game is coming this year

2022 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Borderlands fans. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has announced at PAX East that the developer will be releasing a new entry in the Tales from the Borderlands series this year. While it’s technically a sequel to the first Tales game, it will feature all new characters in a brand new story and adventure. 

According to Kotaku, the game will be created “in-house” by Gearbox, unlike the first title that was developed by the now-defunct Telltale Games. It will also be published by 2K, which is the same publisher behind the main Borderlands titles. Pitchford’s announcement kept details about the game to a minimum, so we’ve yet to know what kind of adventure we can expect. 

The first title was an interactive graphic adventure game with five episodes released over the course of a year. In it, players can make choices that significantly impact the story. It centers around Hyperion employee Rhys and a con-artist named Fiona who worked together to accomplish a common goal, but the new game having all new characters means we may not be seeing more of them.

Gearbox released the Borderlands spin-off Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, a first-person shooter, in March. The Borderlands movie, which finished filming in 2021 and features a star-studded cast that includes Cate Blanchett and Jack Black, is also expected to hit theatres this year. Gearbox doesn’t have an exact release date for the new Tales from the Borderlands game yet, but it promises to make a full announcement for it this summer. 

OnlyFans temporarily halts services for Russian creators

OnlyFans has temporarily paused accounts and payments for its Russian creators, reportedMotherboard. The UK-based platform — up until now — was one of the few Western tech companies to keep its door open to Russian users. Although OnlyFans momentarily blocked access to Russian creators in February, it soon restored the accounts, saying that full functionalities would be available “as long as we have the payment methods to support them.”

But now even tighter payment restrictions appears to have forced OnlyFans’ hand.

“OnlyFans is a creator first business. Over the past few months we have explored several options to continue providing our services to creators impacted by the Russia / Ukraine war. However, due to a further tightening of payment restrictions to and from Russia, OnlyFans can no longer properly serve our Russian creator community. As a result, we are taking steps to temporarily pause accounts where payments are received in Russia. We have asked impacted creators to contact support@onlyfans.com who can help address any queries regarding their accounts,” said a statement provided to Motherboard by OnlyFans.

It’s unclear if OnlyFans users in Russia can still access their accounts and pay for services on the platform. Engadget has reached out for clarification and will update if we hear back.

Spending and earning money in Russia has become even more difficult in recent weeks as countries continue to pile on sanctions. Russian creators and merchants have been barred from making money on a number of Western platforms, including Twitch, YouTube, Etsy, Fiverr and Meta-owned Instagram and Facebook. Visa, Paypal, American Express and Mastercard have suspended operations in the country, making it impossible for many Russians to receive or send foreign payments. A partial SWIFT ban on Russia means that a number of its major banks are unable to make transactions with the rest of the world.

FCC wants to fine wireless carrier Truphone for ties to Russian oligarchs

The FCC’s crackdown on Russian ties to US telecom is making headway. The agency voted today to fine Montana-based wireless carrier Truphone for not disclosing that it is indirectly owned by Russian oligarchs, reportedReuters. Any company with an FCC common carrier license has to receive approval from the agency before letting a foreign entity hold more than 25 percent of its equity or voting interests. For violating that rule, the agency proposed a fine of $660,639 and is requiring Truphone to repeat parts of the FCC’s vetting process.

The ownership of Truphone and control of its FCC licenses were repeatedly transferred to foreign entities without proper vetting by the FCC, according to a press release. 

FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks told Reuters that the company has been indirectly owned by “a small group of Russian oligarchs since at least 2011 … With the importance of the internet and the shifting national security environment facing our nation, protecting our communications networks has never been more critical.”

One of those Russian oligarchs is Chelsea Premier League football club owner Roman Abramovich, who has been sanctioned by the UK, EU and Canada. Truphone raised $200 million from funds owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, making him a minority owner. The company acknowledged its ties to Abramovich in a statement back in April, and said an outside advisory firm would be reviewing its strategic operations.

Truphone is only the latest company to fall under FCC scrutiny. Last month the agency put Russian cyber firm Kaspersky Labs on its national security threat list, meaning that US firms are banned from using FCC subsidies to pay for its services.