Thursday, November 13, 2014

11.13.14

Entertainment:      
·         Sony is the latest contender to enter the content streaming game after it announced plans to launch PlayStation Vue, a cloud-based service that includes programming from 75 channels
·         Viddsee, a Singapore-based startup, launched an iOS app that showcases more than 700 films from independent filmmakers across Asia
·         Hasbro is in advanced talks to buy DreamWorks Animation
·         Comcast is going "full steam ahead" with its acquisition of Time Warner Cable, despite the regulatory review process and looming regulation governing net neutrality
·         Producers Guild of America has marked out Saturday, January 23, 2016 as the date for its 27th annual Producers Guild Awards
·         CBS Films will cede its wide-release distribution operations to Lionsgate beginning in 2015 as part of a multiyear output agreement the two companies unveiled this morning
·         Leading pay TV operator Sky, previously known as BSkyB, has finally completed its acquisition of Sky Italia and majority interest in Sky Deutschland to create a European TV giant in a deal worth nearly $11B
·         Music remains a key focal point for PTTOW!'s latest ventures - a cultural advisory board - featuring members like the iHeartMedia chairman and the Roc Nation president
·         TV technology provider ADB has announced a 'light' version of its GraphyneTV cross-screen linear, on-demand and over-the-top (OTT) video delivery software
Tech:
·         YouTube's new service Music Key will allow users to play music in the background on mobile devices and even take tracks offline
·         Facebook has condensed its complex and legalese-loaded privacy policy by two-thirds, in hopes of making it easier for the average user to understand
·         A team of researchers at Northeastern University recently analyzed how e-commerce sites tailor prices to specific shoppers based on their digital habits and demographics
·         Amazon and the Hachette Book Group have agreed on a new, “multi-year” agreement for ebook and print sales
·         PhotoTime is a photo gallery app which uses image and facial recognition technologies to allow users to search for photos based on who’s in them, what the photo is of, or where it was taken
·         Spotify announced that it will be removing the App Finder and no longer supporting apps in its desktop client
·         Samsung is hoping to make it easier for developers to build apps for its smart TV devices by enabling developers to leverage the Tizen operating system
·         Amazon will open an office in Austin, TX, creating at least 250 jobs
Deals:
·         Dinein.co.uk has acquired local rival MyDeliveryCab — a move that sees it add a further 60+ premium restaurant partners in London
·         Microsoft confirmed that it has acquired Aorato, an Israel-based maker of security solutions, for $200MM
·         Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate run by Warren E. Buffett, will acquire Duracell
·         Virgin Money, the British financial services company, raised gross proceeds of $495.2MM in its initial public offering in London
Business:
·         According to Twitter’s CFO, the company could reach $14B in annual sales in the next ten years, ten times the $1.4B it is forecast to record this year according to the average analyst estimate
·         Goldman Sachs has named a new class of partners
·         The German media group Bertelsmann reported Thursday that revenues increased 4.3% to 11.82 billion euros (previous year: 11.33 billion) in the first nine months of 2014
Exec Moves:
Retail:
Startups:
·         The creator of SXSW’s official mobile event guide app, Eventbase, has raised $2MM in Series A funding from the coffers of the music, film and interactive festival
·         Scopely, a Los Angeles startup that has built a platform for distributing and monetizing mobile games, announced that it has raised $35MM in Series A funding
Government:
Other:


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