Spotify is playing the long game with podcasting: Though it's bankrolling the creation of new podcasts on its platform for now, it could pay off in a few years' time with the podcast ad industry set to boom.

Spotify opens advertising to the UK and Germany. The streaming audio company is bringing its proprietary ad tech to Europe, as it looks to pull more brands into its podcast fold.

France to make Google pay for news: It took two years, an EU copyright directive, and battle with antitrust regulators—but France's success could set a precedent for other news publishers in Europe.