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Major Sponsors Drop Kanye West London Gigs as PM Voices Concern

Kanye West is due to play three nights at the Wireless festival in London. JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX / AFP/File
Kanye West is due to play three nights at the Wireless festival in London. JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX / AFP/File
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Major Sponsors Drop Kanye West London Gigs as PM Voices Concern

Kanye West is due to play three nights at the Wireless festival in London. JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX / AFP/File
Kanye West is due to play three nights at the Wireless festival in London. JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX / AFP/File

Drinks giants Pepsi and Diageo on Sunday pulled out of sponsoring a music festival in London headlined by US rapper Kanye West, who has a history of “antisemitic” outbursts.

The disgraced 48-year-old hip-hop star -- now known as Ye -- is due to play three nights at the Wireless Festival in London in July as part of a European comeback tour.

A spokesperson for Pepsi, the festival's top sponsor, told AFP on Sunday that the brand "has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless Festival", without giving a reason.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed concern about West's appearances, while campaigners against “antisemitism” urged the government to stop the rapper entering the UK.

Starmer told The Sun newspaper it was "deeply concerning Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism".

He added that "antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly".

Diageo, whose labels Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan were slated to be partner brands, also dropped out.

"We have informed the organizers of our concerns and as it stands, Diageo will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless Festival," a spokesman told AFP.

The festival's operating company, Live Nation, has not so far responded to a request for comment from AFP.

Festival organizers announced West's appearance on social media last month, prompting criticism from Jewish organizations and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Campaign Against Antisemitism, a British charity, on Sunday urged Starmer not to be a "bystander" and to ban West from entering the country.

"Surely this is a clear case," the charity said on X, suggesting West could be banned as a non-citizen whose presence is not "conducive to the public good".

West's European tour has already provoked controversy. In France, the mayor of Marseille said the rapper was "not welcome" for a concert there in June.

West has expressed regret over his “antisemitic” rants, which he blamed on his bipolar disorder.

In May 2025, he released a song called "Heil Hitler" to mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

The song was banned by major streaming platforms.

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Entertainment

China's First AI Film Hits Cinemas, But Ticket Sales Lag

Nearly 100 people took more than two years to make the film. Hector RETAMAL / AFP
Nearly 100 people took more than two years to make the film. Hector RETAMAL / AFP
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China's First AI Film Hits Cinemas, But Ticket Sales Lag

Nearly 100 people took more than two years to make the film. Hector RETAMAL / AFP
Nearly 100 people took more than two years to make the film. Hector RETAMAL / AFP

China's first fully AI-generated feature film opens in cinemas on Friday in what promises to be a tough box-office test for the country's booming tech industry as advance ticket sales lag.

More than 10,000 screenings of the sci-fi thriller "Sanxingdui: Future Past" are scheduled for Friday, according to ticketing platform Maoyan.

Public reception, however, has been less than enthusiastic, said AFP.

Presale revenue as of Friday morning stood at 80,000 yuan ($11,980), while total box-office takings were forecast to remain below 150,000 yuan, only a fraction of the reported production cost, according to Maoyan.

Ticket prices range from 20 to 90 yuan, bringing the number sold to a few thousand at most.

Jiang Defu, CEO of the production company Bona Film Group, acknowledged the lukewarm reception in a recent interview but said the film was pushing boundaries.

"We are the first to try it, the first to get a theatrical release permit, and the first to be tested by the audience," he told Chinese film industry outlet Yuli.

"I think that is not easy at all."

Nearly 100 people took more than two years to make the film, which cost more than 10 million yuan ($1.5 million), Bona said, although all the actors, their voices and the backdrops are AI-generated.

The film touches on the theme of humanity in a future shaped by AI.

But that was not enough to convince Iris Yang, who attended a free preview screening of the film on Thursday for acquaintances of the production team and industry workers.

Yang said she would not have paid for a ticket, given the movie's quality.

"If AI generation can match the theatrical experience of 'Avatar', I think I would be willing to pay for it," she said, referring to the US franchise known for the quality of its animation.

AI-generated video has gained popularity in the world's second-largest economy. On Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, AI-generated short dramas garnered more than 200 billion views in September alone.

But "the audience won't automatically pay for the tickets just because it's an AI-generated film", independent AI director Zhang Jun told AFP.

Online, Chinese social media users also seemed unconvinced by the launch of AI movies in cinemas.

"If it's free to watch on streaming platforms, it could become legendary. But paying to watch? People are not going to accept it at this stage," one user on Weibo commented.

In Hollywood, the rise of AI has sparked concern among film workers about the prospect of job losses.

An AI-generated sci-fi feature called "Gods Don't Give Gifts" is scheduled for US release on December 4.

And a virtual Hollywood actor called Tilly Norwood, whose interviews have gone viral while fueling job fears, is also set to star in an upcoming movie called "Misaligned".

Entertainment

Spotify Adds 11 Mn Active Users in 3rd Quarter to Reach 788 Mn

FILE PHOTO: Small figurines are seen in front of displayed Spotify logo in this illustration taken February 11, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Ilustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Small figurines are seen in front of displayed Spotify logo in this illustration taken February 11, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Ilustration/File Photo
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Spotify Adds 11 Mn Active Users in 3rd Quarter to Reach 788 Mn

FILE PHOTO: Small figurines are seen in front of displayed Spotify logo in this illustration taken February 11, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Ilustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Small figurines are seen in front of displayed Spotify logo in this illustration taken February 11, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Ilustration/File Photo

Music streaming giant Spotify on Thursday said it had added 11 million monthly active users in the third quarter and had reached 788 million active users by the end of September, in line with the company's forecast.

The uptick represented an 11-percent growth in users compared to a year earlier, Spotify said in a statement, adding that paying subscribers had grown by nine percent compared to a year earlier, reaching 306 million, just above the company's forecasted 305 million.

"This was a quarter where we did what we said. We've built a strong business that keeps compounding," AFP quoted co-chief executive Alex Norstrom as saying in a statement.

Revenue for the third quarter came in at 4.97 billion euros ($5.6 billion), up 16 percent from a year earlier.

Operating income meanwhile rose 15 percent to 672 million euros.

Looking forward, the company said it expected to add 30 million additional active users to the platform by the end of the year to reach 818 million.

Spotify also said it expects to reach 316 paying subscribers.

In recent years, the company has started expanding from music, first investing heavily into podcasts and now offering audiobooks.

In early October, the streaming giant announced that it was expanding access to its audiobook service to more than 180 markets, up from the previous 22.

Amid growing concern across the music industry over AI-generated content overwhelming streaming catalogues, the company has recently taken steps to identify and label AI content.

Earlier this week it reported that it had taken "more than 50 million slop and spam tracks" out of recommendations -- meaning the songs would not be suggested to listeners -- this year.

In August it announced that it was launching a new "AI Persona" badge to identify content producers that are AI-generated and not real people.

In April, the company launched its "Verified by Spotify" badge, signaling that a profile has been reviewed and meets its authenticity standard.

Entertainment

UK Actor Noel Clarke Pleads Not Guilty to Six Offence Charges

Actor Noel Clarke poses for photographers at the British Academy Film Awards Nominees Party at Kensington Palace in London, Britain February 11, 2017. REUTERS/Neil Hall
Actor Noel Clarke poses for photographers at the British Academy Film Awards Nominees Party at Kensington Palace in London, Britain February 11, 2017. REUTERS/Neil Hall
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UK Actor Noel Clarke Pleads Not Guilty to Six Offence Charges

Actor Noel Clarke poses for photographers at the British Academy Film Awards Nominees Party at Kensington Palace in London, Britain February 11, 2017. REUTERS/Neil Hall
Actor Noel Clarke poses for photographers at the British Academy Film Awards Nominees Party at Kensington Palace in London, Britain February 11, 2017. REUTERS/Neil Hall

British actor and filmmaker Noel Clarke appeared in a London court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to six charges, including two counts of sexual assault.

Clarke also denied three ‌counts of ‌voyeurism and ‌one ⁠count of exposing himself, ⁠with the allegations spanning 2007 to 2016, Reuters said.

The 50-year-old stood in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court ⁠and spoke only to ‌confirm ‌his name, date of birth ‌and address and ‌enter his not guilty pleas.

He was granted bail ahead of his next ‌appearance at Southwark Crown Court on November ⁠18.

Clarke ⁠is best known for writing and starring in "Kidulthood" (2006), which explored bullying, drug abuse and extreme violence among young people in London, and for a recurring role in sci-fi show "Doctor Who".