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Sports orgs are looking for ways to engage their total, global fanbase, leading them to explore virtual interactive sports experiences.

Sport is well-placed to overcome many of the obstacles in the way of the metaverse. In particular, many of the asset development and experience design issues are much closer to being solved than in other verticals.

There are different routes to a true sports metaverse, with the most promising being expanding existing sports simulation games. Crypto, NFTs, and social gaming platforms are largely distractions.

Mobile service revenue growth rose to +6%—its highest level in over a decade as price increases fed through and roaming picked up.

However, there were early signs of a worsening economic environment: handset revenues and contract volumes were subdued and churn popped up for most operators.

Growth may soften from here as the roaming boost subsides and economic conditions worsen, but price rises of up to 15% in the spring could provide more resilience if fully implemented.

The UK’s cost-of-living crisis will compress real household disposable income by 4.3% in fiscal 2022/23, despite the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) in place for this winter, with the pain compounded by rising interest rates until mid 2023, provoking a mild peak-to-trough decline in GDP of 2-3%

With CPI inflation forecast at 7% in 2023, and real private consumption forecast to decline by 1.9% (OBR) at the very least, advertising could still rise by 2-3% in 2023, a decline in real terms, with H1 particularly affected relative to H2, when declining CPI will allow monetary policy to relax

Not all households are equally affected by economic headwinds, and those that are more resilient will be the most attractive targets for businesses in 2023: those in  the top half of the income distribution, particularly older, empty-nested homeowners without mortgages

In 2023, the BBC will launch BBC News globally, merging its two 24-hour broadcast news services: the UK news channel and the international BBC World News. This merger will challenge the BBC to balance its coverage of both international and local news

As a result of cuts to licence fee funding there is now little leeway when deciding where best to invest for a digital-first news future. Efficiencies are seemingly all sought out and only cuts to services and output are left

Older viewers may lose access to in-depth 24-hour coverage of UK news stories from the BBC—the UK's most trusted and valued provider of news. Competitors will fill the breach, with any impact felt later