Category: 3. Business

In a conversation in Davos, Switzerland, with BlackRock CEO and World Economic Forum interim chair Larry Fink, Musk said AI chip production is increasing exponentially, but electrical power is insufficient, hampering the efficiency of AI data centers in training and deploying AI models.

“I think the limiting factor for AI deployment is fundamentally electrical power,” Musk said in January. “It’s clear that we’re very soon—maybe even later this year—we’ll be producing more chips than we can turn on.”

The U.S. has been grappling with an outdated grid system, the result of decades of underinvestment and an aging infrastructure. As tech companies increasingly rely on grid operators for electrical power, reliability issues and production limitations have threatened the speed of AI implementation, raising investor concerns of an AI bubble and fueling the belief that the U.S. has already lost the battle with Chinese tech.

Two massive data centers in Nvidia’s Santa Clara, Calif., hometown may sit empty for years waiting for electricity to power them, according to energy experts. Meanwhile, the massive increase in demand, combined with the need for updated infrastructure, have driven up electricity bills for the average American.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration and 13 bipartisan governors mounted pressure on operators of the country’s largest grid, PJM Interconnection, to boost power supply, as well as hold an auction for tech firms to make offers on 15-year contracts to build power plants, which would transfer the cost of electricity away from consumers and to data center operators.

“We know that with the demands of AI and the power and the productivity that comes with that, it’s going to transform every job and every company and every industry,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told reporters at the time. “But we need to be able to power that in the race that we are in against China.”

During his remarks at the gathering in Davos, President Donald Trump encouraged tech companies to build their own nuclear plants amid the AI push, which he claimed the administration would approve in just three weeks—although these historically take years to approve.

Why is the U.S. losing the production capacity battle with China?

Just as many AI investors fear, China is already well ahead of the U.S. when it comes to production capacity, and the country isn’t saddled with the same limitations as the U.S., Musk said at Davos. China is primarily reliant on solar power, seen as a less expensive alternative to nuclear power, with quicker deployment and fewer safety risks.

“China’s growth in electricity is tremendous,” he said.

Musk has reportedly already turned to China to supply Tesla’s manufacturing solar panels, with the goal to expand U.S. solar capacity by 100 gigawatts—about enough to power 10 billion LED light bulbs at the same time. CNBC and Reuters reported last week Tesla was in talks with Chinese suppliers such as Suzhou Maxwell Technologies to buy $2.9 billion worth of solar equipment.

According to the Global Energy Monitor’s Global Solar Power Tracker, China has nearly four times the amount of operational electricity from solar power than the U.S. Including potential power, China is expected to have 1,118,442 MWac, or electrical power output, from solar energy compared with the U.S.’s 237,947 MWac.

“Solar is by far the biggest source of energy,” Musk said.

Musk claimed powering the U.S. with solar energy would require very little space, only a 100-mile-by-100-mile square of solar fields needed to power the entire country.

But U.S. policies have thwarted efforts to harness and deploy solar power. Despite urging grid operators to take action to increase production capacity, the Trump administration has opposed a pivot to solar energy, stripping subsidies for renewable energy sources it claimed “compromises our electric grid.”

Tariffs on solar equipment from Asia took effect in May 2025, with import taxes as lofty as 3,500%, following a U.S. International Trade Commission determination that imports of solar modules and cells from Southeast Asian producers in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia were detrimental to U.S. manufacturers.

A working paper published in the National Bureau of Economic Research in October 2025 found solar tariffs increasing energy costs for American consumers, slowed solar adoption, and reduced jobs for solar installation.

“Unfortunately, in the U.S., the tariff barriers for solar are extremely high,” Musk said. “And that makes the economics of deploying solar artificially high.”

A version of this story was published on Fortune.com on Jan. 22, 2026.

More on Elon Musk’s energy strategy:

The enduring impact of teamwork in cardiovascular medicine took center stage during the James T. Dove Lecture at ACC.26, delivered by ACC Past President Cathleen Biga, MSN, MACC. Drawing on the legacy of James T. Dove, MD, MACC, Biga issued a clear and compelling call to action: the future of high-quality cardiovascular care depends not on dashboards or checklists, but on empowered, aligned teams working together with purpose.

Biga reflected on Dove’s pioneering vision, noting that he was among the first leaders to recognize that great cardiovascular care is delivered by teams – not silos. Long before team-based care became a widely embraced model, Dove championed shared accountability, transparency and the thoughtful use of data to drive improvement, she said.

Throughout her lecture, Biga challenged attendees to move beyond measurement alone and focus instead on transforming how care is delivered. While health systems are rich in data, she argued, what is often lacking is alignment, ownership and true implementation science. Real progress requires redesigning workflows and culture so that operational and clinical teams work together seamlessly.

“Quality is not about checking boxes,” she said. “Dashboards don’t change outcomes; teams do.”

Biga outlined core principles that define high-performing cardiovascular teams, including shared accountability, transparent metrics, dyad leadership, and clear operational ownership and alignment. Trust, she stressed, is foundational. “The best cardiovascular care is delivered by teams that trust each other,” she said.

She highlighted the many advantages of team-based care, including improved coordination and integration for patients, as well as greater professional satisfaction among clinicians. For health systems, Biga said effective team-based care leads to more efficient care delivery and use of resources and facilities.

Strong leadership is key to achieving these benefits. Effective team leaders create urgency, articulate a clear vision, communicate consistently, empower others to act, and celebrate wins along the way, Biga said. Just as importantly, they consolidate improvements so that success is scalable and sustainable.

Biga also emphasized the importance of culture, which is built when physicians and administrators lead together and are aligned around strategy. Operational excellence requires physician leadership, administrative partnership through dyad models, a safe work environment, shared goals, and an aligned vision, she said.

The lecture also addressed the role of teams in alleviating clinician burnout and rising complexity in care delivery. “Teams can improve the quality of the care provided and address some of the issues contributing to burnout,” Biga said. “It’s hard to stay on top of everything. That’s where having the right team work with you is going to be critical. The sum is greater than each individual part.”

In closing, Biga offered a powerful tribute to Dove’s legacy – and a challenge to the cardiovascular community. “The best way to honor Dr. Dove’s legacy is by building teams who use data that facilitate the delivery of the next generation of exceptional cardiovascular care,” she said. “No dashboard ever saved a patient. But a great cardiovascular team does it each and every day.”

Keywords:
Cardiology Magazine, ACC Publications, ACC Annual Scientific Session, ACC26

The Brent crude oil price is on track for its biggest monthly gain on record in March after the Iran war caused mayhem in the markets.

Brent crude, the international benchmark, has climbed by 51% since the start of March, LSEG data shows, beating the previous monthly record of 46% in September 1990 after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, leading to the first Gulf war.

Brent closed at $112.57 a barrel on Friday, up from $72.48 a barrel on 27 February, the day before the US-Israeli war on Iran began. Brent traded as high as $119.50 a barrel during March, its highest level since June 2022, after Iran all but closed the strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and gas would normally pass.

US crude prices also rose during March; West Texas Intermediate has gained 48%, on track for its strongest month since May 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic was disrupting the world economy.

Oil prices climbed through the month despite the coordinated release of 400m barrels of oil from emergency reserves announced on 11 March. Analysts at BloombergNEF estimate that 9m barrels of oil per day have been knocked off global oil supply by the Middle East conflict.

Donald Trump appeared to lose his ability to talk down the oil price as the war continued. Earlier in the month, the president’s claims of progress in negotiations pushed down crude prices, but by late March his declaration of a 10-day extension for Iran to reopen the strait of Hormuz was followed by a rising oil price and falling stock markets.

Oil was the best-performing asset during a volatile month for markets, in which shares, government bond prices and precious metals all fell.

Gold failed to live up to its reputation as a safe haven against inflation. The spot price of gold has fallen by almost 15% since the start of March, on track for its worst month since 2008, and the fifth-biggest monthly fall in the past 50 years.

Some investors may have been forced to sell gold to cover losses, or margin calls, on other positions in the market.

Gold was also under pressure from the sale of about $3bn of bullion by the Turkish Central Bank last week. It cut its reserves by almost 50 tonnes to 772 tonnes, to fund efforts to stabilise the Turkish lira.

Losses on Wall Street during March pulled the Dow Jones industrial average into a correction at the end of last week, more than 10% below its record high. Stocks fell despite Trump’s latest extension on planned strikes against Iran’s energy infrastructure, as investors anticipated prolonged disruption to oil from the Gulf.

“Markets appear to be placing less weight on White House jawboning and focusing more on the underlying supply risks,” said Fawad Razaqzada, a analyst at City Index.

Britain’s stock market had a poor month too, with the FTSE 100 index falling more than 8% – on track for its worst month since March 2020, when Covid-19 rocked financial markets. Almost all of its gains in January and February have been wiped out, with the FTSE 100 ending last week back below 10,000 points.

UK government bonds weakened through March too, as traders ripped up forecasts for the Bank of England to cut interest rates this year. As bond prices fell, the yield (or interest rate) on 10-year UK bonds rose by 17% to nearly 5%, which would be the biggest monthly percentage rise in borrowing costs since September 2022 when Liz Truss’s mini-budget sparked a bond sell-off.

Other European government bonds were also hit; Italian two-year debt was heading for its worst month since May 2018.

Modupe Adegbembo, an economist at Jefferies, said European governments were operating from a much weaker fiscal starting point than in 2022, the last energy price shock, meaning they had less scope for large‑scale fiscal intervention.

“As a result, more of the adjustment is likely to fall on demand,” which is negative for the growth outlook, Adegbembo added.

Cars didn’t always have steering wheels. The very first car—the 1885 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, invented by Karl Benz—used a tiller system: a horizontal bar with a handle mounted to a vertical bar. The lever-like handle was similar in many respects to a boat’s rudder. Amazingly, it would be another nine years before French engineer Alfred Vacheron saw sense and fitted the first known steering wheel to his 4-horsepower Panhard for the Paris-Rouen race. Just four years later, in 1898, Panhard made the infinitely preferable and safer steering wheel standard on all its cars. And we’ve been using them ever since.

Hans-Peter Wunderlich is Mercedes’ creative director of interior design. He has been designing steering wheels for 35 years. “I started in 1991 on my first,” he tells me. “A steering wheel is really the most challenging and difficult element to sculpture, to design, to develop in the car.” It is so difficult that Wunderlich has used the wheel as a test on potential recruits.

“When we hire a designer, I have given them the task, after I see a nice portfolio, to draw me a steering wheel,” he says. “The steering wheel is, for me, the proof. Should I hire them or not? If a designer is able to create a perfect steering wheel, even just as a scribble, then they will be a good designer for the total interior of a car.”

It was this challenge, in part, that attracted Ive and his team. “Our starting point was trying to understand the essential nature of the problem to be solved, and that normally means dismissing received wisdom,” Ive tells me. “A car is the aggregation of multiple products, and, in many ways, we’re designing furniture. We’re designing complex and sophisticated input methods. One of the challenges was to try to create cohesion. You don’t get something to be cohesive by a set of rules. That was a wonderful new challenge, and one wrestled with over a number of years.”

For both Ive and Wunderlich, science accompanies the art of design. They talk of the intricacies of the ergonomics, the logic of the switches, factoring in an “exploding element in the center” (the airbag), which is getting more and more complicated, says Wunderlich. “Even the rim is an ergonomic science in itself,” he adds, saying that his team works hand in glove with Mercedes’ in-house ergonomics department on these stages. “It’s almost 50-50. We get requirements data from engineering and ergonomics.”

Spinning Out

Look closely at your steering wheel rim; in cross-section, it won’t be round. Cut it into segments, and each will likely have a different profile, aiming to optimize grip wherever your hands grasp the wheel. Even the padding has to be just right. “It mustn’t be like bone but also not too fat. You need a nice balance,” Wunderlich says. “[It must say] this car is solid, it’s quality, it’s strong, it’s powerful, but it’s not crude.”

“If you hold the wheel on the three and nine o’clock positions, you can carve in with your fingers on the rear of the rim—so you have the hump, the scallop of the rim,” Wunderlich says. “And then we carve into a valley where your fingers could rest. That means your hands can close. You have the feeling you’re holding the car. This is so challenging, because in that area you have such a technical structure to maintain—complex electronics and heating elements. We torture the engineers to keep that area so small so we can sculpt it out.”

Ive tortured Raffaele De Simone, Ferrari’s chief engineer and head development driver. De Simone is sometimes described at the company as “Customer No. 1” because, apparently, no Ferrari road car leaves the factory until he is satisfied with its performance.

Table of Contents

The sun is rising, flowers are beginning to bloom, and pollen is in the air (so much pollen). This all means spring is finally here, and Amazon is ready to celebrate in its customary fashion: with deals across tons of categories.

We’re halfway through the third annual Amazon Big Spring Sale, with discounts set to run through March 31, just like last year. The Amazon Spring Sale is your best chance to save until Prime Day in June (or maybe July?), so don’t miss out.

The deals featured in this sale reflect the spirit of the season: Outdoor gear and yard care supplies, spring cleaning supplies, spring fashion, and other household essentials will be the major featured deals. However, there’s no shortage of savings on QLED TVs, flagship Sony headphones, Apple devices, Shark and Dyson hair tools, and of course, Amazon devices like Kindles and Echo smart speakers.

Each day of the Big Spring Sale will also feature daily deal drops on categories from spring cleaning to beauty. Mashable’s shopping team will be keeping an eye on the best deals from before sunrise to midnight, so keep checking back to be the first to hear about the latest price drops. And be sure to check out our live blog for real-time updates.

Our editors’ most recommended deals will be marked with a 🔥 emoji. Deals that are no longer available will be noted with strikethrough.

Best Apple deal

Why we like it

According to our review, Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 are an “easy buy” if you’ve been looking for a new pair of AirPods. It’s easy to see why: They have excellent ANC, eight hours of listening time per charge, a built-in heart rate monitor, and live translation features. While they hit a lower price of $184 back in February, this markdown is still worth checking out.

AirPods deals

AirTag deals

MacBook deals

• Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $689.99 $699 (save $9.01)

• Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $899 $999 (save $100) 🔥

• Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $949 $1,199 (save $250)

• Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $949 $1,199 (save $250)

• Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,049 $1,099 (save $50)

iPad deals

• Apple iPad, 11-inch (A16, WiFi, 128GB) — $299 $349 (save $50)

• Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M3, WiFi + Cellular, 128GB) — $549.99 $749 (save $199.01)

• Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M4, WiFi, 128GB) — $559 $599 (save $40) 🔥

• Apple iPad Air, 13-inch (M4, WiFi, 128GB) — $732.99 $799 (save $66.01)

• Apple iPad Air, 13-inch (M4, WiFi, 1TB) — $979 $1,099 (save $120)

• Apple iPad Pro, 13-inch (M4, WiFi, 256GB) — $1,099 $1,299 (save $200)

Apple Watch deals

Best headphones deal

Why we like it

The JBuds Lux ANC are the best budget headphones we’ve tested in recent memory, offering decent noise cancellation, a long battery life, and balanced sound. (Just note that their fit can be hit or miss.) They’re a great value at their regular price of $80, but a coupon on their Amazon product page bumps them down to just $37.79 — a 50% savings. We saw them dip to $27 at Walmart on Black Friday, but this is their lowest-ever price on Amazon.

And if you’re looking to spend a bit more for a more comfortable fit and top-notch ANC, flagship headphones from Apple, Bose, and Sony are all on sale.

More headphone deals

Earbud deals

Bluetooth speaker deals

Best vacuum deal

Why we like it

Mashable reporter (and dog parent) Tim Marcin called this Shark stick vac “life changing” when he wrote about it for us. Marcin said, “[It’s] my personal favorite vacuum — the best I’ve ever owned — which has made my life much easier. The long and short of it: It’s light, super-effective at sucking up fur, affordable, and lasts for quite some time on a charge. It also converts into a hand vacuum when needed.”

If you have some spring cleaning to do, select Shark vacuums are 50% to 60% off.

Robot vacuum deals

Cordless vacuum and wet-dry vacuum deals

Best Amazon device deal

Why we like it

The newest Fire TV Stick in Amazon’s lineup, the 4K Select, was one of Mashable readers’ (and editors’) favorite deals from Black Friday. We saw it drop to a wildly low price of $9.99 during that sale, but right now you can grab it for $14.99 using the code FTVSELECT. It offers support for Alexa+, HDR10+, Amazon Kids+, Amazon Luna, Xbox Game Pass, and NordVPN, and it’s already more than 50% off.

Fire TV streaming deals

Echo device deals

Kindle deals

Best outdoor deal

Why we like it

Weighing in at just under 25 pounds, Anker’s Solix C1000 Gen 2 portable power station makes an excellent camping companion. The power station can keep your devices juiced up and even has enough oomph to power up some cute fairy lights or whip up a quick meal in the air fryer. It can also recharge in under 50 minutes, which can really come in handy when you’re off the grid. Mashable’s reviewer called it “the perfect model for taking on a weekend camping trip or keeping around the house for occasional power outages.”

More outdoor deals

More portable power station deals

• Anker Solix C300 — $169.99 $249.99 (save $80)

• Jackery Explorer 300 — $188.99 $259 (save $70.01)

• Jackery SolarSaga 100W Bifacial Portable Solar Panel — $197.99 $299 (save $101.01)

• Bluetti Elite 30 V2 — $218.99 $299 (save $80.01)

• EcoFlow River 3 Plus — $249 $299 (save $50)

• Jackery Solar Generator 1000 v2 + 200W Solar Panel — $698.99 $1,299 (save $609.01) 🔥

• Bluetti Elite 100 V2 with 200W Solar Panel — $699 $1,399 (save $700)

• Bluetti Elite 200 V2 — $749 $949 (save $200)

• Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 — $749 $1,499 (save $750)

• Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 — $749 $1,499 (save $750)

• Anker Solix F2000 — $799.99 $1,999 (save $1,199.01)

• Bluetti Elite 300 — $1,099 $1,699 (save $600) 🔥

• EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 — $2,099 $3,699 (save $1,600)

Best DJI deal

Why we like it

The Neo is the perfect starter drone for people just venturing into the drone hobby for the first time — and not just because of the low price. This camera offers a 4K camera for shooting gorgeous aerial videos and a 12MP camera. It can take off from the palm of your hand, and it’s super portable. For creators and hobbyists, it’s a great entry point.

More DJI deals

Best TV deal

Why we like it

There’s a reason Samsung has been the most popular TV brand in the world for 20 years in a row: The Korean tech giant makes reliable TVs that last a long time. This QLED Samsung TV was just released in 2025, and for the Amazon Spring Sale, it just got its first big price cut. It’s also got a ton of ports and a sleek design.

43-inch TVs and under

50- to 55-inch TVs

65-inch TVs

75-inch TVs and up

Best Windows laptop deal

Why we like it

If you’re an on-the-go gamer, the Asus ROG Flow Z13 should make your shortlist. It has a 180Hz display (so smooth), a detachable keyboard, and an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 chip that offers RTX 4060-level graphics performance.

GTA V star Ned Luke recently told Mashable he uses this gaming laptop when he travels, calling it “an animal.” The model with 32GB of RAM and a terabyte of disk space is $330 off on Amazon, and it comes with a free copy of Crimson Desert. It’s never been cheaper before. (Best Buy is price-matching it, but doesn’t throw in the free game code.)

More Windows laptop deals

• Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X Plus, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $949.99 $1,199.99 (save $250)

• Asus TUF Gaming F16 (Intel Core i5-13450HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $999.99 $1,299.99 (save $300)

• Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,199.99 $1,599.99 (save $400) 🔥

• Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 (Intel Core Ultra 7 256V, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,199.99 $1,699.99 (save $500)

• Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, 15-inch (Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,299.99 $1,699.99 (save $400) 🔥

• Asus ROG Strix G18 (AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,394.99 $1,699 (save $305) + free Crimson Desert code 🔥

• Lenovo Legion 5i (Intel Core i7-14700HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,469.99 $1,669.99 (save $200) + free 3-month Xbox PC Game Pass subscription

• Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, 15-inch (Snapdragon X Elite, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,549.99 $2,099.99 (save $550)

• Asus ROG Strix G16 (Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,464.99 $2,899.99 (save $435)

• LG gram Pro 16 (Intel Core Ultra 9 285H, Nvidia RTX 5050, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — $2,499.99 $3,149.99 (save $650)

Best kitchen deal

Why we like it

We’re happy to report that the bestselling Ninja Creami is just as great as TikTok says it is. Once you fill and freeze its pints with the base of your choice, “It makes ice cream, gelato, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and smoothie bowls with just the press of a button,” writes Mashable’s Samantha Mangino.

This TikTok-famous appliance is marked down to $199.99 during the Big Spring Sale (or $30 off), which matches deals at Best Buy, Target, and the SharkNinja website. However, Amazon one-ups them all by throwing in a free $19.96 credit on top of that discount; you save about $50 total there.

Check out Mashable’s full review of the Ninja Creami.

More ice cream maker deals

Air fryer, countertop oven, and multicooker deals

Blender deals

Coffee and espresso machine deals

Mixer deals

Best Lego deal

Why we like it

Lego’s Botanicals sets are always a delight to have up on display, and this Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree is sure to add a lovely pop of red, orange, and green to your home. At the moment, it’s on sale at Amazon for $47.99, which is just pennies away from its lowest-ever price point of $47.95, according to price tracker camelcamelcamel. What better time to scoop up this 474-piece set if it’s caught your eye?

More Lego deals

Best beauty deal

Why we like it

The Laifen hair dryer that Mashable’s hair tool expert, Bethany Allard, named as the best Dyson Supersonic dupe is on sale for the spring sale. But maybe you won’t be as hard-pressed to find a good dupe when the fanciest Supersonic is at a new record-low price.

The Supersonic Nural’s main flex over the regular Supersonic is a system of sensors that automatically lower heat near your head, preventing a sizzling scalp. The Nural can also remember your preferred settings just based on the attachment being used, and knows to pause airflow when you set it down.

More hair tool deals

Skincare device deals

Best home deal

Why we like it

Warmer weather means open windows at home. And for the lucky folks, open windows at home mean allergy-induced sniffles. Make this the year that you finally get an air purifier for your home. This Blueair model can clean up to 1,858 square feet in an hour (a much larger reach than other purifiers under $200 in this list). The powerful HEPA filter can remove airborne particles that irritate our respiratory systems, like pollen, dust, mold spores, pet dander, and smoke, so you’ll benefit from the benefits of filtered air indoors year-round.

More air purifier deals

Smart light deals

Sheets, comforter, and pillow deals

Stain remover tool and upholstery deep cleaner deals

Best phone accessory deals

More phone accessory deals

Best streaming deal

Prime Video add-ons

More streaming service deals

The UK will have its first Easter without the traditional barrage of TV ads for chocolate eggs and hot cross buns as the ban on junk food advertising makes the sweetest tradition of the year a sugar-free viewing experience.

New regulations, which came into force at the beginning of the year, prohibit products high in fat, sugar and salt from appearing in TV ads before 9pm, as part of efforts to tackle rising childhood obesity.

This means that this year the Cadbury Creme Egg – more than 200m of which are eaten in the “season” post-Christmas until the end of Easter – will not be appearing in TV ads before 9pm.

The UK advertising industry voluntarily chose to start adhering to the new rules from October, making for TV’s first-ever “healthy” Christmas TV ads, and the impact on broadcasters’ advertising revenues has been stark.

TV advertising spending by confectionery and snacks brands almost halved year-on-year between October and February, according to research conducted for the Guardian.

An analysis covering the vast majority of firms that advertise all the products that fall under the government’s “less healthy foods” regulations show that overall TV ad spend is down at least 15% year-on-year.

Industry bodies and broadcasters have argued that the ban is more political PR than an effective policy. The chief executive of ITV, Carolyn McCall, and former Channel 4 boss, Alex Mahon, previously pointing out that the government’s own research showed that the number of calories saved would be 1.7 a day, about a third of a Smartie.

“The advertising and marketing of products is one consideration for helping tackle childhood obesity,” said a spokesperson for ISBA, the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers. “But successive governments have treated bans or restrictions as a silver bullet … legislating on the basis of headlines, not evidence.”

For health campaigners, the regulations do not go far enough after the food industry won a concession to continue to allow “brand” advertising, as long as the commercials do not show an “identifiable” product that breaks the junk food rules.

Advertisers such as Lindt have adhered to the rules by running ads featuring the Master Chocolatier, which promotes its brand but does not show any of the 14 products in the Lindor range.

“The policy is riddled with loopholes which allow industry to continue to advertise branding for unhealthy products like Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Caramel or McDonald’s McFlurries,” said Fran Bernhardt, of the campaign group Sustain. “Aside from a few tweaks to adverts, this Easter will be much like Easters before. Industry will continue more or less as usual.”

Campaigners argue that big food companies are compensating for the ban – which also extends to paid online advertising at any time of the day – by upping marketing budgets on other media.

Media agency sources say that outdoor media such as billboards and poster sites, which are only subject to junk food ad bans if they are located within 100 metres of premises such as schools or leisure centres, and radio have been significant beneficiaries of the TV and online ban.

Although the new regulations have been in place for less than three months, and the UK advertising watchdog is understood to have only received a small number of complaints that have to be assessed to see if they actually breach any rules, a battle is already brewing over the likely introduction of further restrictions.

The current regulations are based on a nutrient profiling model that was created in the early noughties to assess whether a product is a “junk” food. In 2018, an updated model was developed but it was not introduced.

On Wednesday, the government, which has said that it is likely to adopt the newer model, launched a consultation which would see a far wider range of products deemed to be too high in fat, salt and sugar banned from next year.

The Food and Drink Federation said that as it stands the updated model would ban the advertising of products including 100% fruit juices, many cereals including Kellogg’s Bran Flakes, Ambrosia rice pudding pots, the Mr Kipling Delicious and Light range and Doritos, which parent company PepsiCo spent millions reformulating to make healthier to meet the existing ad rules.

The ISBA spokesperson said: “What goes into our food is important, but the updated nutrient profiling model threatens to discourage the investment which companies have put into changing what we eat and drink. Swathes more products which have not been considered ‘unhealthy’ will be barred.

“A holistic plan would also think about how we incentivise healthier eating and buying by consumers, promoting food education, and creating a more active population. They are the things that will really move the dial, rather than always taking the easy path of yet more restrictions on advertisers.”