10.14.14

Entertainment:

·         comScore released a survey on video viewing habits, which found that Netflix is the leading brand among US households that subscribe to paid digital video subscription services, and that millennials spend 1/3 of their TV time on digital platforms

o   http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/14/netflix-leads-in-u-s-paid-digital-video-usage-in-home-and-among-millennials/

o   http://iq.videonuze.com/article/comscore-millennials-spend-1-3-of-their-tv-time-watching-on-digital-platforms

o   http://recode.net/2014/10/14/good-news-tv-guys-comscore-found-your-missing-tv-watchers/

·         Allegedly, Sony Pictures Entertainment, has installed the largest, corporate deployment of electric vehicle charging stations in Southern California

o   http://www.socaltech.com/sony_pictures_entertainment_gets_massive_ev_charging_install/s-0057375.html

·         Alibaba Pictures and Hengdian Film Industrial Park form a Film/TV partnership

o   http://deadline.com/2014/10/alibaba-pictures-hengdian-film-industrial-park-partnership-851012/

·         Netflix is aiming to launch in Japan in the near future

o   http://deadline.com/2014/10/netflix-ted-sarandos-japan-windows-distribution-sandler-mipcom-850804/

·         Maker Studios said it will partner with digital-video channel Fusion (owned by a Disney/ABC joint venture with Univision) to create a Maker block of branded programming

o   http://deadline.com/2014/10/maker-studios-fusion-walt-disney-maker-block-850749/

·         Robert Downey Jr. is on the verge of signing on to ‘Captain America 3’ with Tony Stark’s Iron Man set to play a key role in the Civil War storyline

o   http://variety.com/2014/film/news/robert-downey-jr-to-join-captain-america-3-exclusive-1201312229/

·         Neil Diamond signs to Universal Music Publishing Group

o   http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/publishing/6281663/neil-diamond-signs-to-universal-music-publishing-group

·         YouTube has confirmed it will pay $1B in payouts from its ContentID copyright earmarking system since its launch seven years ago

o   http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/digital-and-mobile/6281697/youtube-pays-out-1-billion-with-content-id

·         Marvel is setting its sights on the young adult novel business

o   http://www.vox.com/2014/10/14/6972775/marvel-young-adult-novel

·         Amazon and Viacom have closed a subscription deal to bring six US TV series to Amazon Prime Instant Video members in the UK

o   http://www.rapidtvnews.com/2014101435653/amazon-viacom-forge-multi-year-prime-instant-video-deal-in-the-uk.html#axzz3G8ef2oRJ

Tech:

·         Transcense is a new app that accurately translates conversations in real time so the deaf and hard of hearing can participate in meetings, presentations and conversations

o   http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/14/an-app-that-lets-you-converse-with-the-deaf-no-sign-language-necessary/

·         Skype has launched a new video messaging application called Skype Qik

o   http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/14/skype-launches-a-new-video-messaging-app-for-the-mobile-first-era-skype-qik/

o   http://venturebeat.com/2014/10/14/skype-launches-mobile-video-chat-app-qik-with-clips-that-disappear-after-two-weeks/

·         Vine has launched on the Xbox One and is available to Xbox Live members in 34 countries

o   http://venturebeat.com/2014/10/14/vine-launches-on-xbox-one-available-only-to-xbox-live-members-in-34-countries/

·         NewHive is a social network that lets users showcase their creativity on their profiles

o   http://www.fastcompany.com/3036791/my-creative-life/the-weird-wonderful-social-network-that-puts-your-creativity-first

Deals:

·         SoftBank to acquire DramaFever, the Korean online video company

·         http://venturebeat.com/2014/10/14/softbank-to-buy-online-video-giant-dramafever/

o   http://deadline.com/2014/10/softbank-buys-dramafever-continuing-its-hunt-for-entertainment-850976/

·         Iliad, a French telecommunications company, has ended its $15B bid for control of T-Mobile US

o   http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/10/14/an-ill-fated-bid-for-t-mobile-is-the-latest-in-a-year-of-failed-deals/?_php=true&_type=blogs&module=BlogPost-Title&version=Blog%20Main&contentCollection=Mergers%20&%20Acquisitions&action=Click&pgtype=Blogs&region=Body&_r=0

Business:

·         Tribune Media to repurchase $400MM of its stock

o   http://deadline.com/2014/10/tribune-media-stock-repurchase-850907/

Exec Moves:

·         Marcus Startzel, formerly of Millennial Media, has joined MediaGlu as its CEO

o   http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/13/marcus-startzel-joins-mediaglu/

Retail:

·         Costco plans to enter the Chinese market by opening an online flagship store on Alibaba's Tmall Global Platform

o   http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/10/14/uk-costco-wholesale-china-idUKKCN0I30XW20141014

Startups:

·         Please see below for an article on why there will soon be many big data startups around space exploration/commercialized travel

o http://www.wired.com/2014/10/space-big-data/

·         Checkr, which seeks to automate the process of professional background checks, has raised $9MM in its Series A

o http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/checkr

Government:

·         Mark Zuckerberg has just announced that he and his wife Priscilla Chan have made a grant of $25MM to the Centers for Disease Control Foundation in support of fighting Ebola

o http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/14/mark-zuckerberg-and-wife-priscilla-donate-25m-to-fight-ebola/

Other:

·         Last Sunday, Ferrari took over Rodeo Drive, lining the street with 60 of its best, most famous, and latest offerings to celebrate 60 years in the US

o   http://www.wired.com/2014/10/ferrari-los-angeles-celebration/

·         Ebola is killing 70% of people who contract the disease

o   http://online.wsj.com/articles/up-to-10-000-new-ebola-cases-could-occur-each-week-says-who-1413293490?mod=WSJ_hp_RightTopStories