FTI Consulting News Bytes – 19 June 2026

FTI Consulting News Bytes

In another busy week across the TMT landscape, we begin with news that the UK government has decided to proceed with plans to introduce a social media ban for under-16s, in an effort to protect children from harmful online content and excessive screen time. We then turn to another milestone in SpaceX’s history, as the company became the fifth most valuable company in the world, overtaking Amazon. Next, we examine Microsoft’s decision to move Copilot Cowork to usage-based pricing, alongside potential plans to deploy a Microsoft-hosted version of DeepSeek. Elsewhere, Fox has agreed to acquire Roku in an aggressive move within the streaming market. Finally, we cover this week’s G7 Summit in France, which featured discussions between leading AI CEOs and world leaders focused on growing concerns around international AI governance.

This week’s news

Social media ban to be implemented by UK government 

Dominating this week’s news cycle, the BBC reports that Keir Starmer confirmed the UK government will ban social media for under-16s. Livestreaming and tools which allow users to communicate with strangers will also be blocked for under-16s, and restricted by default for 17-year-olds, the U.K. prime minister said. Starmer told a Downing Street press conference “a full ban is the right choice,” adding he is not “prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children.” The ban has not come without huge challenges, with Ofcom’s Group Director for Online Safety, Oliver Griffiths, pointing out that the U.K.’s online safety regime remains complicated, and Ofcom will need clear direction from the government to make it work.

Space X leapfrogs Amazon to become the world’s fifth most valuable company

SpaceX has leapfrogged Amazon to become the world’s fifth most valuable company as the company extended its blistering rally following its record-breaking initial public offering, the Financial Times reports. The company’s shares climbed as much as 17% on Tuesday, its third day of trading after Friday’s debut before ending the day 4.8% higher. CNBC adds that SpaceX briefly overtook Microsoft as well in market cap. The outlet also notes that on Tuesday, SpaceX announced it would acquire popular AI coding startup Cursor for $60 billion, which helps software developers generate, edit and review code. The deal, which is expected to close in the third quarter of this year is reportedly going to give SpaceX an edge against leading AI labs OpenAI and Anthropic, which also offer coding tools.

Microsoft weighs DeepSeek for Copilot Cowork

Microsoft is moving Copilot Cowork to usage-based pricing as it expands access to the enterprise AI tool and is considering a Microsoft-hosted version of DeepSeek as a cheaper model option. According to Axios, the company has said companies using Copilot Cowork will pay based on how much compute they use and that they’re also exploring a fine-tuned version of DeepSeek V4 or another open-source model, as a lower cost alternative to the Anthropic and OpenAI models now powering Copilot Cowork. Microsoft said it expects to make a lower-cost model available in the coming weeks and will confirm its choice then. Axios notes that the testing reflects Microsoft’s broader push toward a multi-model approach rather than relying only on models from OpenAI and Anthropic.

Fox to buy Roku streaming firm in $22bn deal

Media giant Fox is considering buying streaming firm Roku in a deal the companies say will create the third largest player in US TV by share of viewing. The company said on Monday that it would buy Roku for $160 per share with a combination of cash and Fox stock. The Financial Times notes that the combined company will become the third-largest in US television by share of viewing and highlights how Roku’s platform reaches more than 100m global streaming households, including more than half of US broadband households, giving Fox a broad distribution for its live news and sports across linear networks and streaming platforms. In its piece, CNBC quotes Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoc who called it a “defining moment” for the company and added that Fox was both “an early investor in Roku and a longtime commercial partner.” 

AI CEOs challenge G7 to improve international AI governance

A group of the leading AI CEOs have used their appearance at the G7 summit to challenge leaders to accelerate their plans to regulate AI and warned against ceding their “responsibilities to AI labs”. According to Sky News, the heads of the three leading AI companies – OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis and Anthropic boss Dario Amodei called on leaders to act fast, given AI could soon become the dominant source of economic and military power. Dario notably told G7 leaders they must “resist the temptation to splinter” over the rollout of advanced AI tools. All of this comes after Anthropic was forced to cut off access to its most advanced AI models by the US government last week. 

Top Tweets of the Week

• Scott Bryan, TV Critic and Broadcaster: BREAKING – BBC CUTS: Radio 4 to end The World Tonight, Midnight News, Money Box Live, AntiSocial, The Law Show and Crossing Continents next year. Newshour will replace The World Tonight on Radio 4 and World Service.
• Reuters Tech News: President Trump said in a Trust Social post that Apple has agreed to work with Intel to design and manufacture its chips in the United States.
• Iain Martin, Senior Editor, Europe at Forbes: France’s domestic intelligence agency, DGSI, will replace Palantir Technologies Inc. data tools with a local alternative made by Chapsvision, as European countries increasingly seek to reduce their dependence on US tech firms.

Number of the week

13mn The  number of Instagram followers Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper Josimar Dias Vozinha has gained in two days following a heroic performance in a 0-0 draw vs Spain. (Yahoo)