Tuesday, November 4, 2014

11.4.14

Entertainment:      
·         Xiaomi announced that it plans to invest $1B in online video content to support its smart television ecosystem
·         Disney and Google have teamed up to let users watch Disney, Pixar and Marvel movies on any device via Google Play
·         Please see below for an article that overviews Google’s Nexus Player, Google’s set top box
·         LightSquared, the bankrupt wireless broadband company owned by Harbinger Capital Partners, has reached a deal to bring the company out of bankruptcy under the control of Charles W. Ergen - the chairman of Dish Network
·         Hollywood's stars (and suits) have aligned behind Bobby Shriver, who has emerged as the entertainment industry's clear favorite in the race for the L.A. County Board of Supervisors
·         Tom Hanks has pacted with publisher Knopf Doubleday on a collection of stories inspired by his personal collection of typewriters
·         National CineMedia shares plummeted about 19.5% following the Justice Department's announcement that it will oppose the acquisition of Screenvision
·         RealD says that its board has “unanimously determined not to pursue” a $600MM unsolicited offer from Starboard Value
·         ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ will return on NBC on January 4th
·         Please see below for a list of trailers of this season’s most anticipated films, including Hunger Games and Fast & Furious 7
·         A Beyoncé Platinum Edition Box Set will be released on Nov. 24th, not a surprise album
·         Warner Bros. to begin its planned layoffs today
·         Please see the below article for a sneak peak look at George Lucas’ Museum of Narrative Art
·         YouView aims to spread its UK reach to 10 million homes by adding a direct link to Netflix through the EPG of its non-subscription on-demand service
·         Telefónica is readying to launch its pay-TV platform Movistar TV by presenting the catalogue of its new premium video-on-demand HD series channel
Tech:
·         Google’s new design language, material design, makes its debut this week in Lollipop, the latest version of Android
·         Mobile versions of Microsoft Office will soon include direct file-saving and syncing through Dropbox
·         Please see below for an interesting article on tech companies working on bringing back jobs to America
·         Enterprise Wi-Fi provider Aruba Networks officially lit up their homegrown beacon network and accompanying smartphone app at Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers
·         BeON Home’s smart lighting system aims to out-smart would-be intruders with their ‘smart lightbulbs’
·         Dasher has partnered with Venmo to bring peer-to-peer payments to its messaging app
·         Oculus VR CEO has confirmed that consumer headsets are “months, not years away”
·         Online video ad platform Eyeview is now enabling advertisers to dynamically serve personalized video ads based on current weather
Deals:
·         New York-based cloud services provider Fusion Telecommunications International has acquired cloud-based communications service provider PingTone in a cash and stock deal valued at $10MM
Business:
·         Intel Capital will invest $355MM overall in 2014
·         Please see below for today’s top tech funding stories
·         Apple is preparing for a potential blockbuster debt sale as global corporations take advantage of a drop in borrowing costs to raise the last batch of funds this year
·         Alibaba's revenue surged by 54% to $2.74B in the September quarter thanks in part to strong growth in shoppers
·         JPMorgan Chase recently added $2.4B to its estimate of the amount of legal costs it may face, the latest sign that investigations into the possible manipulation of the currency market are gaining momentum
Exec Moves:
·         Tinder’s CEO, Sean Rad, has been demoted from CEO but will serve as President of the Board
Retail:
Startups:
·         Gigya, a company that helps online businesses and publishers manage customer logins, is announcing that it has raised $35MM in funding led by Intel Capital
·         Riffsy, the maker of a popular GIF keyboard for iOS 8, has raised $3.5MM
·         DeltaDNA has raised $3MM for its game analytics and “personalization platform,” which helps companies target specific gamers with marketing in free-to-play, cross-platform games and apps
Government:
·         The Republican Party appears poised to gain the six Senate seats needed to win the chamber, even if that outcome isn't immediately known late Tuesday or early Wednesday
·         Hollywood Democrats still haven't warmed to the super PACs, opting instead to give directly to individual candidates
·         Please see below for an interesting article in regards to the Mid-Term Elections and the music industry
·         Please see below for live updates of the 2014 Mid-Term Elections
Other:


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