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
o
http://venturebeat.com/2014/12/10/instagram-now-has-300m-accounts-debuts-verified-badges-for-brands/
·
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
o http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/09/toytalk-raises-15-million-in-series-b-round-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
o http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/6397826/australias-govt-starts-clock-on-isps-anti-piracy-code
Other:
·
Hallmark has pulled Hanukkah
wrapping paper from shelves after someone complained it was covered in
swastikas
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