Elon Musk’s Twitter starts the FIFA World Cup, traditionally one of the platform’s busiest periods, with a depleted staff, potentially leading to serious issues (Alexa Corse/Wall Street Journal)

Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is building an advertising network for live television as part of its deal to stream Major League Soccer games from February 2023  —  Apple Inc. is building an advertising network for live television as part of its deal to stream Major League Soccer games next year, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Peter White / Deadline:
Apple plans to launch its Major League Soccer Season Pass on February 1 for $15/month or $99/season and $13/month or $79/season for Apple TV+ subscribers  —  Apple has unveiled more plans for its launch of Major League Soccer (MLS).  —  The streamer has revealed the pricing and launch details …

Alexa Corse / Wall Street Journal:
Elon Musk’s Twitter deal comes as the company is weakened by macroeconomic trends and Musk’s own actions; analysts expect just 4.5% revenue growth in 2022  —  Social-media platform faces advertising hurdles and fallout from billionaire’s efforts to quit the deal

Vas Panagiotopoulos / Wired:
A look at the use of biometric surveillance tech in European soccer stadiums; 15,000+ cameras will monitor fans in eight stadiums at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar  —  Stadiums around the world, including at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, are subjecting spectators to invasive biometric surveillance tech.

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Amazon Alexa gains smart home features like a multi-camera view; Amazon says Alexa triggers 30%+ of users’ smart home interactions without users saying anything  —  Amazon today announced a number of new smart features designed to allow Alexa device owners to better control their smart home …

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Amazon will roll out Customers Ask Alexa, which lets brands answer some common customer questions and provide links to their storefronts, starting in late 2022  —  Amazon wants Alexa owners to buy more things.  That’s the clear impetus behind the new Alexa feature announced today …