Spotify To Increase Premium Prices Again

Jun 5 2024

Spotify is raising rates for its monthly streaming plans in the U.S. for the second time in a year.

The Spotify Premium Individual plan will increase from $10.99 to $11.99 per month, and the Premium Family plan will rise from $16.99 to $19.99 per month.

Despite currently making changes in the US, measures like these will inevitably trickle down and reach users in Europe and, by extension, Malta.

These changes come after the company raised prices in July 2023, the first increase since launching in the U.S. in 2011. Subscribers will be notified via email and given a one-month grace period before the new prices take effect.

The Premium Duo plan, offering two accounts, will increase from $14.99 to $16.99 per month, while the Student plan remains at $5.99 per month, including Hulu with ads. Despite the hikes, Spotify’s prices will now be higher than Apple Music’s, which charges $10.99 per month for an individual plan and $16.99 for a family plan.

As of the end of Q1 2024, Spotify had 239 million Premium subscribers worldwide, a gain of 3 million. The overall listener base, including free and paid users, reached 615 million globally. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek stated that the company regularly assesses its value-to-price ratio and adjusts prices accordingly to continue delivering value to consumers.

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Extra Time Denies Malta A Draw Against Bosnia

Jun 5 2024

WATCH: Maria Farrugia scores in the 9th minute against Bosnia.

A goal in extra time awarded by the referee denied the Maltese women’s national team a draw in their match against Bosnia, resulting in a 2-1 loss.

This was their second encounter, following a 1-0 win for Bosnia in Malta a few days earlier. Despite the loss, the Maltese team played significantly better, creating several chances but remaining at the bottom of the standings with only one point from four games.

Malta took an early lead in the 9th minute with Maria Farrugia scoring from a setup by Brenda Borg. They nearly doubled their lead in the 12th minute when Rachel Cuschieri’s cross-shot hit the post.

Bosnia’s first significant chance came in the 14th minute but missed narrowly. Malta continued to threaten, with Haley Bugeja missing a rebound in the 32nd minute, and held a 1-0 lead at halftime.

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In the second half, Bosnia equalized in the 64th minute with a header by Milena Nikolic. The match remained tense, with both teams creating chances. In the 93rd minute, Nikolic scored again, securing the victory for Bosnia. Malta’s efforts were commendable, but they were unable to secure the draw.

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Peppi Azzopardi Clip Reportedly Edited To Support Norman Lowell

Jun 5 2024

Taking to social media, Peppi Azzopardi explained on video that he had a clip of him manipulated to make him sound as if he supports Imperium Europa’s Norman Lowell.

The clip was taken from a podcast episode of Jon Mallia, wherein Azzopardi was discussing Lowell and exclaiming that he does not in any way shape or form support him and his party’s ideas.

Peppi showed the edited clip which is followed by Lowell urging an end to the two party duopoly as he tears a red-blue paper in half.

The Xarabank host goes on to highlight why he does not agree with Lowell, quoting the latter’s alleged support of killing of babies with disabilities, the ruling used by Adolf Hitler and letting drug users overdosing out in the streets without support.

Azzopardi then says that the advert is being broadcast on the National Broadcaster, urging for action to be taken and have it taken down.

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Late Evening Car Crash In Sliema

Jun 5 2024

A video sent to this newsroom shows a car crash between two vehicles which reportedly took place yesterday at around 11:30pm at the bottom of Manuel Dimech Street, Tas-Sliema.

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Times of Malta reported that no injuries were sustained in the accident.

One car can be seen resting on the other’s front, with the car on the bottom sustaining heavy damage to the point of contact.

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