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Watch out, Amazon: the Kobo eReader now has a Goodreads rival
Another challenge to the Amazon Kindle-Goodreads book tracking empire has emerged.
On Monday, the reading tracker StoryGraph teamed up with Rakuten’s Kobo, the maker of a more open eReader (and Kindle alternative), allowing book lovers to automatically track their reading habits.
The integration was first announced in May, and is now live for all Kobo account-based content.
This makes the Kobo the first eReader to integrate with StoryGraph’s book community platform, and serves as another way to chip away at Amazon’s dominance in the digital books market. Traditionally, Amazon has managed to retain its readers by offering low prices on books and ebooks and combining that with a robust online reading community and social network, Goodreads.
While many Goodreads competitors emerged over the years, few have been able to establish a solid footprint because they lacked the ability to integrate with customers’ e-reading devices, as Goodreads does with Kindle devices.
The StoryGraph-Kobo integration changes that, as it will now automatically sync a user’s reading progress with their StoryGraph account. That means when you finish a book on your Kobo eReader, it will automatically be marked as “Read” on StoryGraph, keeping your reading stats up-to-date. The feature will work with both ebooks and audiobooks, the companies said, and it works with any Kobo device and Kobo’s apps.
Book trackers like StoryGraph are popular because they offer an easy way for people to keep a record of their reading history, favorite books, and offer ways to discover recommendations based on what others are reading. As StoryGraph’s name implies, its analytics tend to go deeper, offering readers detailed charts about their reading moods, pace, and more, to improve reading habits.
It also offers an online community where you can participate in reading challenges and join book clubs, while staying motivated to read by earning “streaks.” (Typically, we don’t like addictive gamification measures in social apps, but for encouraging reading, we’ll make an exception.)
Founded by Black British engineer Nadia Odunayo and CTO Rob Frelow in 2019, StoryGraph began as a side project and didn’t take in outside funding. It has since evolved into a community of over 5 million readers. The Kobo integration will now put the app in front of the eReader maker’s 12 million users in 190 countries.
Kobo and StoryGraph aren’t alone in capitalizing on the cultural revival of reading, driven by online communities like #booktok and reading apps. According to Pew Research, around three-in-ten U.S. adults (31%) reported reading an ebook in the past year, up from 17% in 2011.
The startup Everand, which offers a marketplace for ebooks and audiobooks, also recently bought the digital book community app maker Fable to offer a similar integration — without the hardware. (Perhaps Kobo could be eyeing StoryGraph for its own M&A in the future, we have to wonder?)
The new Kobo-StoryGraph integration doesn’t require a subscription, though the StoryGraph app does offer a $5 per month Plus subscription that adds deeper stats, filters, custom charts, and comparison tools.
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News
Lagos State Claims Showtime Bowl XIV Title As Lagos Knights End Abia Warriors’ Reign In Historic Championship Triumph
Lagos State is celebrating a new champion after the Lagos Knights delivered a sensational performance to defeat defending champions Abia-Warriors 47-7 and capture the Showtime Bowl XIV title on Sunday at Showtime Arena, Elegushi, Lekki.
The emphatic victory completed one of the greatest redemption stories in Showtime Flag Football history. After finishing as runners-up in both Showtime Bowl XII and Showtime Bowl XIII, the Knights finally climbed to the summit, ending the Warriors’ championship reign and denying the Abia-based side the opportunity to complete a historic third consecutive Showtime Bowl title.
The championship victory also earned the Lagos Knights the champions’ share of Showtime Bowl XIV’s record ₦30 million total prize pool, alongside the prestigious Showtime Bowl championship trophy and exclusive championship rings. The landmark reward package is the richest ever assembled in the league’s history, reflecting Showtime’s continued commitment to rewarding excellence while raising the standard of flag football in Nigeria.
Played before an energetic crowd and watched by thousands of fans following the action live online, the championship lived up to expectations as the biggest event on the Showtime calendar. It was the unprecedented third consecutive Showtime Bowl Final between the Warriors and the Knights, but unlike the previous two editions that ended in favour of Abia-Warriors, this year’s contest belonged entirely to the Lagos side.
From the opening whistle, the Knights imposed themselves on the game with disciplined offense, relentless defensive pressure and clinical execution. Their attack consistently found openings against one of the league’s strongest defenses, while their own defensive unit frustrated the Warriors throughout the contest, limiting the two-time defending champions to just seven points in one of the most dominant performances ever seen in a Showtime Bowl Final.
The convincing victory capped a remarkable postseason run for the Knights, who had battled through the Wildcard round before defeating city rivals Lagos Rebels in the semi-finals to earn another opportunity against their long-time rivals. This time, they seized the moment in emphatic fashion.
Leading the charge throughout the season was Kayode Mafe, whose outstanding performances earned him the prestigious Showtime Bowl XIV Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. His consistency, leadership and ability to perform under pressure made him one of the league’s standout players and a driving force behind the Knights’ historic championship campaign.
Speaking after lifting both the championship trophy and his MVP award, Mafe reflected on the team’s journey from heartbreak to glory.
“We’ve waited a long time for this moment. Losing the last two finals was painful, but those experiences made us stronger. We never stopped believing in ourselves, and today we showed what this team is truly capable of. Winning the championship and the MVP award is something I’ll cherish forever.”
Teammate Dabo Green described the triumph as the reward for years of sacrifice and perseverance.
“This victory means everything to us because people only see the final result, not the hard work behind it. We stayed together, trusted the process and kept believing that our opportunity would come. Today, we’ve made history for the Lagos Knights and for Lagos State.”
Although the result brought an end to Abia-Warriors’ hopes of completing a historic three-peat, the Warriors once again demonstrated why they remain one of the most successful teams in Showtime history by reaching a third consecutive championship game. Their achievements over the past three seasons have helped build one of the greatest rivalries in Nigerian flag football and have played a significant role in elevating the standard of the competition.
Beyond crowning a new champion, Showtime Bowl XIV represented another milestone in the continued growth of Showtime Flag Football. The packed atmosphere at Showtime Arena, the expanding global livestream audience, the presence of distinguished guests from across Nigeria’s sporting community, and the introduction of the league’s biggest-ever prize pool all underscored Showtime’s ambition to build a world-class flag football competition.
Season XIV delivered unforgettable rivalries, emerging stars, dramatic playoff football and a championship finale worthy of the occasion. With increasing fan engagement, growing media coverage and rising interest from commercial partners, Showtime continues to strengthen its position as Nigeria’s premier co-ed flag football league while creating greater opportunities for athletes and inspiring the next generation of players.
For the Lagos Knights, however, this season will always be remembered for one defining achievement. After back-to-back runner-up finishes, they finally broke through, brought the Showtime Bowl trophy back to Lagos and etched their names into league history as the champions of Showtime Bowl XIV.
Wema Bank Plc has suspended its operations on Telegram following a surge in scams involving fake accounts impersonating the bank and defrauding customers.
The bank disclosed this in an email to customers on Monday, urging them not to engage with any Telegram accounts impersonating Wema Bank.
This is coming amid Wema Bank’s effort to contain the increasing number of accounts impersonating the bank on social media in recent times.
On 7 June, Wema Bank temporarily blocked communication on its account X, citing the need to protect customers from fraudulent activities and account impersonation.
The lender urged customers to halt interactions with its ‘Wema’ and ‘Alat’ accounts on the platform until further notice.
On Monday, Wema Bank said its routine security checks revealed a spike in the rate of accounts impersonating the bank and trying to defraud its customers on Telegram.
The financial institution stated that its efforts to suspend its operations aim at protecting the interests of its customers, noting that its ALAT platform is not available on Telegram.
ALAT is the lender’s digital banking platform.
“Our routine checks and security sweeps have shown a spike in the rate of customers falling victim to scam accounts and fraudsters using fake Telegram accounts.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to proactively protect your interests, we want to remind you that Wema Bank and ALAT are NOT on Telegram,” the bank stated.
The move emphasises the growing cybersecurity threats facing Nigeria’s banking sector and other institutions in Nigeria.
Responding to the threat, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in March gave banks a three-week deadline to complete a mandatory cybersecurity self-assessment as part of efforts to strengthen the resilience of the country’s financial system.
CBN said the exercise is designed to improve risk-based supervision and strengthen regulatory oversight of cybersecurity risks across Nigeria’s financial ecosystem.
“We are not on Telegram. Please do not contact us on Telegram or engage with any Telegram account claiming to represent Wema Bank or ALAT. Please do not attempt to contact us on Telegram,” Wema Bank said, urging customers to contact the bank only through its verified Instagram account, official email address, and customer service phone lines.
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