Wednesday, December 10, 2014

12.10.14

Entertainment:
·         Please see below for an interesting article on how GIFs could make for a new form of graphic novel storytelling
·         Amazon’s living room devices, the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, can now run web applications
·         Youku Toudo has announced they’re entering the hardware business with three devices—a WiFi router, smart TV box, and 15.6-inch Android tablet— which will be available next January
·         Rdio is trying to make itself the most attractive streaming music service for those who own a Roku set-top box
·         HBO has chosen to outsource the backend technology for its upcoming standalone OTT service to MLBAM, abandoning its own efforts to build the necessary technology
·         DreamWorks Animation plans to launch its own television channel in 19 Asian countries during the second half of 2015 as part of a diversification strategy to find much-needed revenue outside of movie theaters
·         David Letterman will bow out as host of CBS' Late Show on Wednesday, May 2, 2015
·         Bona Film Group chairman Yu Dong, private equity firm Tembusu Partners and Singapore media entrepreneur Calvin Cheng have joined forces to launch a $100MM fund aimed at China's media and entertainment industry
·         Fullscreen is teaming with India's Qyuki in a move that aims to enhance opportunities for content creators in the rapidly growing video market
·         NBCUniversal has launched Radius, an on-demand video service focused on health and fitness programming, with Under Armour among the launch partners
·         Bonnie Hammer tops the women in entertainment power list
·         See below for an analysis on the SAG award nominations
·         Vestax, the Japanese manufacturer of DJ equipment including turntables and digital mixers, has reportedly filed for bankruptcy
·         Avicii has the most Shazamed song of all time - "Wake Me Up"
·         Grooveshark has spent years fighting major record labels and music publishers, but now the streaming service is taking a different tact: a DMCA-compliant Internet radio service called Broadcasts
·         The Sony hackers have revealed scathing emails written from and about industry heavyweights
·         See below for an interesting article on Netflix’s $90MM “Marco Polo”
·         As a partner within the Rakuten Group, Civolution's content protection technology NexGuard is being used to enable Wuaki.tv to roll out session-based watermarking for 4K movies
Tech:
·         Shazam launched an update to both its app and its website that helps users find new music through trending charts
·         Just nine months after hitting 200 million users, Instagram now says 300 million people use its photo app every month, with 70% of them coming from outside the US
·         Apple and IBM’s enterprise partnership is resulting in its first outward-facing software today, with new apps in IBM’s MobileFirst for iOS making their way to iPhones and iPads at partner enterprises
·         The SF and LA District Attorneys are now suing Uber
·         BlackPhone, the post-Snowden, pro-privacy Android smartphone joint venture between secure comms company Silent Circle and phone maker Geeksphone, has confirmed it will be adding an app store to its PrivatOS in an update early next year
·         Facebook is launching trending topics on mobile
·         NextVR, which is developing virtual reality capture technology aimed at bringing rock concerts, sporting events, fashion shows, and other events to users via immersive, virtual reality, said it has released its first content release
·         Researchers created a dress with Kinematics, a 4D printing system, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City has acquired the creation for its permanent collection
Deals:
·         Twitch announced that it will acquire GoodGame, a full-service agency dedicated to serving the needs to pro-gamers and brands looking to be involved in the eSports industry
·         Cisco has bought Neohapsis to bolster its cloud and mobile security savvy
·         Apax Partners have agreed to buy Norwegian technology firm Evry in a deal valuing the shares at $596MM
·         Samsung Electronics is merging Samsung Electronics America and Samsung Telecommunications America, two sales subsidiaries in the U.S., to enhance efficiency and streamline its organization
Business:
·         Analysts suspect that the falling gas prices are hurting Tesla - the price of Tesla shares has fallen by nearly 20% since mid-November
·         The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit tossed out the cases against two former hedge fund traders, Todd Newman and Anthony Chiasson, citing the trial judge’s “erroneous” instruction to jurors
·         Nike is accusing three of its former senior shoe designers of stealing commercial secrets, including the company's future shoe line plans, and making off for German rival Adidas
·         Phibro Trading LLC is closing its doors in the U.S., marking the end of an era for a commodities firm that came to prominence under oil trader Andrew Hall
Exec Moves:
·         Multiplatform distributor Cinedigm promoted Director of Theatrical Releasing Kristin Harris to a newly expanded Senior Director position following the exit of SVP of Theatrical Releasing Vincent Scordino
Retail:
Startups:
·         Gallop Labs is announcing that it has raised $2MM in seed funding to help mobile publishers find and monetize users
·         Seoul-based Coupang, an online retailer, announced today that it has raised $300MM in new funding led by BlackRock Private Equity Partners
·         ToyTalk, the kids entertainment applications startup founded by former Pixar execs, has raised $15MM in a Series B round of financing led by Khosla Ventures
Government:
·         A final agreement has been reached on a $1.1T U.S. spending bill that would prevent a government shutdown at midnight on Thursday and fund every government agency but the Department of Homeland Security through next September
·         The United States launched 20 airstrikes against Islamic State militants in recent days
·         Australia's government has presented the country’s ISPs with a 120-day deadline to create an industry code for blocking copyright infringing content
Other:
·         Hallmark has pulled Hanukkah wrapping paper from shelves after someone complained it was covered in swastikas



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