US Business

Netflix said it expects to add a much smaller number of subscribers this quarter than it did a year ago as it adjusts to growing competition and lasting disruptions from the coronavirus pandemic, sending the video streamer’s shares down sharply.

Apple, Amazon and Google say the bipartisan legislation barring tech platforms from favoring their own products could disrupt popular services for businesses and consumers.

Holiday travel helped major U.S. carriers bring in more revenue at the end of last year than any quarter since the pandemic began. But U.S. airlines lost money and have said Omicron and a surge of cases have temporarily dimmed their prospects.

Microsoft described the $75 billion acquisition of videogame giant as a pathway to the metaverse, a future vision of the internet that is the subject of growing hype.

Verizon and AT&T began providing much of the service, while airlines prepare for potential cancellations and regulators work to clear aircraft to operate in certain conditions.

The carrier is scaling back its flight schedule for early this year amid a falloff in demand, but says the setback will be temporary.

Meta Platforms’ Instagram is launching trials of a subscription service that enables creators to charge users for exclusive content, as social-media companies battle to attract individuals who can drive traffic to their platforms.

Unilever, maker of Dove soap and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, said it won’t boost its $68 billion offer for GlaxoSmithKline’s consumer healthcare business, effectively ending its effort to buy the maker of Aquafresh toothpaste and Advil pain relievers.

With its $75 billion deal for Activision Blizzard, Microsoft aims to shake up the gaming industry by building out its library of blockbusters and bolstering its efforts to entice consumers onto its cloud-gaming service.

Sony Group’s shares fell nearly 13% in Tokyo on concerns about tough new competition for its videogame business from the newly announced combination of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard.