8.20.14

Entertainment:

·         Turner Broadcasting CEO, John Martin, says he plans to unveil a new corporate structure at the start of 2015 to create a more ‘nimble’ company

o   http://deadline.com/2014/08/turner-broadcasting-layoffs-plan-john-martin-jeff-bewkes-822052/

·         Produced By Conference unveils a NYC version held October 25

o   http://deadline.com/2014/08/produced-by-conference-heads-to-new-york-821671/

·         YouTube music star Lindsey Stirling signs with Maker Studios

o   http://deadline.com/2014/08/maker-studios-youtube-lindsey-stirling-signing-821319/

·         Hollywood awaits Jerry Brown to pass a $1.6B to curtail runaway productions

o   http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/all-eyes-jerry-brown-as-726358

·         NimbleTV, an Aereo type of startup that offers existing pay-TV subscribers access to channels and DVR recordings online, has attracted entertainment lawyers to deem if the service is legal

o   http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/startup-nimbletv-expands-virtual-cable-service-drawing-legal-scrutiny-1201286724/

·         Netflix has signed a deal with Time Warner Cable for guaranteed bandwidth for its users

o   http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/netflix-inks-time-warner-cable-pact-to-pay-for-direct-internet-connections-1201286390/

·         Mixcloud, a music streaming company for long-form EDM content, is offering paid tiers for its radio product

o   http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/digital-and-mobile/6221954/mixcloud-adds-two-paid-tiers

·         Australia’s live entertainment business reaches an all-time high in 2013 with revenue reaching nearly $1.39B USD

o   http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/global/6221935/australias-live-entertainment-biz-reaches-all-time-high-in-2013

·         Medium plans to launch a digital magazine dedicated to stories about music

o   http://recode.net/2014/08/20/next-up-on-mediums-list-a-music-magazine/

Tech:

·         Uber launches Uber Corner Store in Washington DC which allows users to request Uber drivers to get them staple items delivered to them from local stores

o   http://www.wired.com/2014/08/uber-corner-store/

·         LinkedIn makes SlideShare free, a service that allows users to upload and distribute presentations online

o   http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/20/linkedin-slideshare-free/

·         Sqor is a social network dedicated to sports and has 1,5000 professional athletes who share and interact with their fans

o   http://venturebeat.com/2014/08/20/sqor-lets-sports-fans-mingle-with-athletes-and-talk-about-nothing-but-sports/

·         Snapchat plans to add news articles, advertisements, and TV/movie clips to its service, and it is dubbed Snapchat Discovery

o   http://www.socaltech.com/snapchat_eyes_news_advertising/s-0056546.html

·         Twitter suspends accounts that post graphic images of James Foley’s murder

o   http://www.fastcompany.com/3034609/most-innovative-companies/twitter-to-suspend-accounts-posting-graphic-images-of-james-foleys

Deals:

·         GoDaddy acquired Mad Mimi - an email marketing service comparable to MailChimp

o   http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/20/godaddy-acquires-mailchimp-competitor-mad-mimi-to-beef-up-its-email-marketing-service/

·         Thumbtack, a company that connects customers with local service providers, raised $100MM from Google Capital, Tiger Global Management, Sequoia Capital, and Javelin Venture Partners

o   http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/20/service-marketplace-thumbtack-raises-100m-round-led-by-google-capital/

·         Conde Nast to sell Fairchild Fashion Media (WWD and Footwear News) for $100MM

o   http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/20/business/media/penske-to-buy-fairchild-media-for-100-million.html?ref=media&gwh=8D6D27C4ED3F210388141222632A599D&gwt=pay&assetType=nyt_now

Business:

·         Apple’s shares are currently at $100.82 (a record high) making its market cap $604.05B

o   http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/19/apples-valuation-nears-record-highs/

·         Overstock is prepping to accept bitcoin

o   http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/08/19/overstock-to-allow-international-customers-to-pay-in-bitcoin/

·         Starbucks launches coffee/food trucks around college campuses

o   http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-08-20/starbucks-plans-to-serve-coffee-at-colleges-from-food-trucks#r=hp-ls

Exec Moves:

·         Steve Ballmer steps down from Microsoft’s board

o   http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/19/ballmer-steps-down-from-microsofts-board/

·         DigiTour adds two new execs to its roster: Erick Nordan (CFO), and Diego Prats (Chief Growth Officer)

o   http://deadline.com/2014/08/digitour-cfo-chief-growth-officer-ben-silverman-guy-oseary-allen-debevoise-821600/

Retail:

Startups:

·         Wells Fargo launches an accelerator to promote innovation in the financial services industry

o http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/20/wells-fargo-launches-accelerator-to-promote-innovation-in-financial-services/

·         Blurb allows authors to publish, distribute, and sell both print/eBooks through its platform with relative ease

o http://venturebeat.com/2014/08/19/self-publishing-startup-blurb-signs-book-distribution-deals-with-amazon-ingram/

Government:

Other: