It has been confirmed by German publishing giant Axel Springer that it will be closing its news outlet Upday by the end of this year. Notably, Upday comes pre-installed on Samsung smartphones under a deal between Axel Springer and the South Korean news giant in 2015. Upday is available on Samsung phones in 34 European countries.
With the shutdown of Upday's news platform in its current form, Axel Springer is all set to revive the service as AI-based news in the summer of 2024. As per a spokesperson at Upday, several people are being laid off due to the transformation process. The company is discussing whether staff can continue to work elsewhere within the group or not.
Moreover, out of the 150 working staff, 70 staff members will remain with the news platform for the revival process. The company says that the transformation is to explore, “the opportunities that (artificial intelligence) presents for journalism and the news industry.” FYI, Axel Springer owns two of the top-selling German tabloids Bild and Welt, as well as the U.S. political news website Politico.
According to Reuters, the main aim of the company is to transform its print media into digital media. So, if you own a Samsung smartphone in any of the European countries and use Upday, it's time for you to look for an alternative and be updated with the world news.
