Wednesday, March 11, 2015

3.11.15

Entertainment:
·         See below for an article on HBO now and unbundling
·         Netflix now works on the Nintendo Entertainment System (via Polygon), which first debuted in the United States in 1985
·         Ooyala has released its Q4 '14 Global Video Index, once again showing the powerful rise in mobile as a preferred viewing platform for online video
·         Verizon has ordered more than 200 hours of programming annually from DreamWorks Animation units AwesomenessTV and DreamWorksTV, designed to create two new “over-the-top” channels for online video audiences
·         CBS to launch a direct-to-consumer streaming service with Showtime
·         The continuing growth of subscription VOD services led by Netflix in the U.S. may be taking its toll on live-TV watching per the Nielsen Report
·         The five surviving members of legendary British comedy troupe Monty Python will reunite in New York this April for a 40th anniversary screening of their Arthurian comedy “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”
·         South by Southwest has announced today (March 10) it will stream this years' conference offerings on new streaming network SXSW On via Roku players
·         Sony's internet TV service, PlayStation Vue, will come out of beta and launch commercially in three major cities within the next two weeks
·         Through its latest agreement with DIRECTV for Atres Series distribution, Spain's Atresmedia claims to be reaching over 30 million homes across Latin America and the US Hispanic market with its three international networks
·         Barcelona-based broadcasting solutions company VSN claims to be taking sports and live events cataloguing to a new level through the integration of its media assets management (MAM) solution with VSNLogger, a new tool which enables users to directly log contents while these are being ingested
Tech:
·         This morning Google announced what it’s calling Google Cloud Storage Nearline, a cloud-based version of an old-fashioned way to store massive amounts of data too important to delete but not important enough to keep close.
·         Please see below for why Macbook’s USB-C is the port of the future
·         Apple’s digital content stores, as well as the iTunes Connect developer portal, are currently experiencing issues around the world, as customers in several countries have been unable to complete purchases, run updates or login for multiple hours now
·         Facebook launched a new insights product called “Topic Data” in the U.S. and U.K. with the help of brand analytics leader DataSift
·         Google has published a new mobile events application on Google Play called “Interactive Events,” but the app doesn’t appear to be ready for prime time
·         Smart home gadget maker Nest is looking for someone to lead what they are calling Nest Audio, fueling speculation that they are moving into speakers and other audio products
·         See below for an article on what you need to know about the Ellen Pao lawsuit
·         Amazon today announced “Amazon Exclusives” the new section will feature products that are only offered on Amazon or on the creators’ own websites and physical stores
·         Santa Monica-based Cinq Music, which helps music companies distribute their music digitally, through mobile, and physical channels, has raised a round of funding
·         Broadcom reports this morning that it has scored a design win, for what it says is the first, Ultra HD Android set-top box
·         DogVacay announced today that it will begin offering up links to cat sitters, as it expands its service beyond dogs – called CatVacay
·         Google has opened its first-ever branded store, to be called The Google shop, which will be based on London's Tottenham Court Road – a street packed with tech and gadget retailers
·         One of the most interesting features of Apple's new MacBook is its Force Touch touchpad, which can differentiate between normal and strong presses of the finger
Deals:
·         Zuora, the company that helps customers manage their subscription models, today announced a $115MM funding round involving not just Silicon Valley venture capitalists, but also public market investors
·         Google is in talks to buy Bangalore-based start-up InMobi, a mobile advertising network that claims to have over 1B users across 200 countries
·         Univision is prepping for an IPO
Business:
·         Blackstone CEO could bring in more than $1 billion in pay this year, based on the U.S. stock market highs and Blackstone's portfolio of more than 80 companies.
Exec Moves:
·         Hearsay Social, a Sequoia-backed startup helping finance and insurance companies grow sales through social media, announced today that it has hired its first chief financial officer — William Salisbury
·         Lyft hired Peter Morelli as the company’s new VP of engineering
·         Finance education website Investopedia has a new CEO — David Siegel, who was previously president at stock market news and opinion site Seeking Alpha
·         Peter Thiel has joined prominent Silicon Valley incubator Y Combinator as a part-time partner
·         Google’s CFO is retiring to spend more time with his family
Retail:
Startups:
·         Berlin-based DreamCheaper, which has been operating fairly stealthily until now, could soon become the hotel booking industry’s most hated startup
·         Roadie, an alternative shipping service offering a cheaper way to get your items to a remote destination by piggy-backing on drivers heading in that same direction, is today rolling out across the U.S.
Government:
·         A flurry of Chinese economic data released today missed analysts' estimates, raising expectations that more stimulus is yet to come in the world's second-largest economy
·         The euro plunged to a fresh 12-year low this morning, extending a broad decline just days after the ECB launched its €1T bond-buying program
·         Canada and the U.S. are "very close" to announcing stronger new oil tanker rail car standards, intended to limit fires and pollution when oil trains derail, Canadian Transport Minister Lisa Raitt said yesterday
·         The Associated Press sued the State Department to force it to release Hilary Clinton’s emails and government documents
Other:
·         Please see below for a ‘Star Wars’ painting that costs $200k that no one will by
·         In South Africa, ranchers are breeding mutant animals to be hunted

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