Tuesday, October 21, 2014

10.21.14

Entertainment:
·         Please see below for a review of Pixar’s upcoming film ‘Big Hero 6’
·         Sony Movie Channel has signed a new multi-year distribution agreement with Suddenlink, the seventh largest cable distributor in the U.S.
·         Another carriage dispute resulted in blackouts for TV networks - several Turner Broadcast nets, including CNN, Cartoon Network, and TruTV, are no longer available on Dish Network after Turner and the satellite provider could not reach a new deal
·         Rainn Wilson is producing ‘Hollywood and Vine’, which gives Vine creators their own TV show
·         FX Networks will unveil its “Simpsons World” immersive, interactive digital and online experience
·         Please see below for an article penned by Ted Hope on how more quality films will stream on online platforms
·         SPI International has made marketing and platform enhancements to its FilmBox multiscreen VOD service as it comes to the PlayStation4
Tech:
·         Nielsen announced that it’s expanding its ratings system to all kinds of digital content to give both its creators and advertisers a more meaningful way to measure popularity in the online era
·         Please see below for an interesting article on online/Internet TV
·         With today’s iOS update, Vine is letting users follow entire channels, like Comedy or Music, to get the best editor-picked Vines sent to your main feed
·         Microsoft launches ‘Music Deals’ for Windows and Windows Phone, and offers albums between $0.99 and $1.99 every Tuesday
·         Cross-network advertising platform AdStage has added the ability to purchase ads on Twitter
·         A report from Yahoo’s mobile analytics firm ‘Flurry’ revealed that sports apps are on the rise, and that TV broadcasters should worry
·         Tinder is looking to start earning revenue with plans to launch a new premium service
·         Pixability is introducing new capabilities which aim to optimize YouTube TrueView ads by enabling programmatic management of AdWords for video buying
·         Facebook sues multiple law firms (including DLA Piper) representing Paul Ceglia for pressing an ownership case
·         Digital distributor TuneCore has announced the launch of YouTube Money, a new service that gives all TuneCore-associated artists a way to monetize their recordings on YouTube
·         Tsu advertises itself as the first combined social network and payment platform that lets users maintain ownership of the content they post
·         Facebook is a bigger source for political news than CNN and Fox
·         Hoverboards are soon to become reality
·         Sulia, a curation startup that went through several incarnations and ended up trying to be a “subject-based social network,” has shut down
Deals:
·         HelloWorld, a location sharing startup, has been acquired by Life360 for an undisclosed seven-figure sum
·         Yahoo! is in talks to acquire BrightRoll, the cross-platform digital video advertising service, for around $700MM
·         Ooyala, the video company that was acquired by Telstra earlier this year, has now acquired Videoplaza, a UK-based video advertising startup
·         TPG has taken a 53% stake in CAA for $225MM
Business:
·         Yelp has partnered up with Hipmunk that will allow people to book hotels within the business review platform
·         GrabTaxi, an on demand taxi service active in six countries, announced a $65MM investment in hopes that it will defeat Uber in Southeast Asia
·         Virgin Galactic to set up a new round of test flights for its SpaceShipTwo vehicle
·         Amazon and Simon & Schuster have signed a multi-year contract over the price of e-books
·         Christophe de Margerie, the CEO and chairman of the French energy giant Total, was killed in a private plane accident in Moscow last night
·         Apple beats Q3 earnings
Exec Moves:
·         Mesa Global has hired Kevin Covert as a new MD
Retail:
·         Quiksilver plans on restructuring its brand as its stock dwindles
Startups:
·         Magic Leap raised an insane $542MM in its Series B to boost its proprietary wearable technology that will enable people to interact with digital devices in a completely visually cinematic way (investors include Andreessen, Google, Kleiner Perkins, Legendary Entertainment and more)
Government:
·         Hilary Clinton’s Brentwood dinner fundraiser netted $2.1MM for Democrats
Other:
·         Oscar Pistorious begins his prison sentence
·         Fashion designer, Oscar de la Renta, has died at 82


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