Entertainment:
·
MUBI, the global curated film streaming service, has closed a
new $15MM funding round
·
Netflix published a short blog post, making its case against
the creation of so-called “Internet fast-lanes.”
·
Cognitive Networks is an interactive experience that detects
what you’re watching on your smart TV
·
Best Buy will embed Roku streaming into its Insignia-brand TVs
this spring, and also Haier will begin selling Roku-powered streaming TVs later
in the year to support 4K streaming
·
Please see below for an interesting article on the future of
digital media, penned by the CEO of Manatt Digital Media
·
Below is an article with more speculation on Twitter’s native
video player, which will rival YouTube
o
http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/02/details-unveiled-for-twitters-native-video-player-to-rival-youtube/
·
GoPro announced that it is launching an app that will bring a
GoPro channel to LG’s smart TV platform - which can be viewed in 4K
·
DreamWorks Animation is shaking up its creative ranks after a
series of disappointments at the box office
·
Syfy is putting in development Hackers, a reality series,
“which will take viewers deep inside the shadowy and dangerous world of
high-tech hackers.”
·
Prominent ESPN SportsCenter anchor Stuart Scott has died at 49
after a long and public battle with cancer
·
Warner Bros Pictures International had a record year in 2014,
grossing $3.17B
·
An FCC rep said that the five-member panel will consider a
proposal from Chairman Tom Wheeler on net neutrality rules next month
·
NBCUniversal and Cable One agreed on a carriage deal, averting
a New Year's Day blackout of NBCU networks, including USA, Syfy, CNBC, among
others
o
http://deadline.com/2015/01/nbcuniversal-cable-one-reach-carriage-deal-blackout-averted-1201339449/
·
One of Hollywood’s most powerful black agents, Charles King,
is leaving WME to form MACRO, a startup that will focus on developing content
for multicultural audiences
·
Dish Network has taken the wraps off Sling TV, its long-awaited
Internet pay-television service that initially will offer a smattering of about
a dozen channels
·
Luke Bryan was Ticketmaster’s most searched artist in 2014
·
Netflix is going to start anointing some Internet-connected TV
sets with a seal of approval
·
The U.S. government tightened sanctions on North Korea in
retaliation for the devastating cyber-attacks against Sony
Tech:
·
Amazon is reportedly working on a 2015 launch in India for its
shipping and media streaming subscriptions
·
Tencent, one of the top Internet companies in China, launched
the country’s first private online bank today
·
Zuckerberg’s New Year’s Resolution is to start a worldwide
book club
o http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/04/mark-zuckerberg-starts-a-book-club-becomes-this-generations-oprah/
·
Please see below for an interesting article on AI’s inability
to recognize simple pictures
·
Google is launching its own streaming audio solution, which is
designed to let hardware partners embed Chromecast audio capabilities into
their speakers, soundbars, receivers and other sound-producing devices
·
Snapchat has raised $485.6MM in a new funding round, according
to a regulatory filing from the company on New Year's Eve
·
Scribd, a digital library, featuring e-book subscription
services on iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet, raised $22MM in its
Series D
·
Sony is launching a PlayStation Now subscription option for
$19.99 a month
·
Sharp's new range of 4K TVs start well under $1,000
Deals:
·
3D Systems has announced it’s
acquired the London-based 3D color printer startup BotObjects
·
China-based Wanda E-commerce, which
hopes to position itself as a rival against Alibaba, has raised $161MM in
funding from investment funds Centec Networks and Xude Rendao
·
NeuLion, which provides
Internet-video streaming services to sports leagues and other media companies,
announced plans to acquire DivX, a developer of video-compression and playback
software, in a deal worth $62.5MM
Business:
·
Investors bought into nearly $250B in global IPOs in 2014
·
Hot on the heels of a partnership with Dun & Bradstreet,
the announcement of the Datalogix acquisition marks an aggressive move on
Oracle’s part — an attempt to prove to the market that they’re getting serious
about data-driven marketing
·
UEI reported a win this morning with Comcast, saying that it
will supply voice remote controls for Comcast's XFINITY services
·
Please see below for Dealbook’s most popular stories of 2014
·
BMW has agreed to pay $820MM to its distributors in China to
help cover their losses after the retailers stopped ordering cars from the
manufacturer.
o http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-05/bmw-to-pay-820-million-to-china-car-dealers-group-says.html
·
West Texas Intermediate oil fell below $50 a barrel for the
first time since April 2009 as surging supply signaled that the global glut
that drove crude into a bear market will persist
·
Thomas Piketty (author of Capital) is facing a trial conducted
by some of the world’s top academic economists – his peers
Exec Moves:
Retail:
Startups:
·
Lalamove, an Uber-like logistics service,
has raised $10MM to expand its presence across Asia, where it already operates
in six cities
·
Kuaidi Dache, the largest global car
service app and is rapidly transforming the concept of moving people - starting
in China, raised $700MM in its Series D
Government:
·
The German government wants Greece to stay in the euro zone
and there are no contingency plans to the contrary, said Vice Chancellor Sigmar
Gabriel, responding to an earlier report that Berlin believes the currency union
could manage without Greece
Other:
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