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1. The Wilbert Group is proud to have helped shine a light on a compassionate and important organization, Destroy Pancreatic Cancer. Spokesperson Mark Gelinas and board member Mike Broxterman were recently featured on HLN’s MichaeLA to discuss the foundation’s mission and founder John Couvillon’s legacy. You can watch the full segment here.
2. Amazon has a plan for a new distribution hub in Atlanta that will ultimately employ about 1,000 full-time workers. The new “fulfillment center” in Jefferson will be Amazon’s second in Jackson County, and the announcement comes amid the Fortune 500 company’s push to provide rapid delivery — including same-day — to more customers. Jared Wiesel, partner at Revenue Analytics, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Scott Trubey that Amazon’s push to open more fulfillment centers is part of its goal to enable delivery within hours, saying “Two of Amazon’s greatest competitive strengths are around convenience and price.”
3. Preferred Apartment Communities Inc. (PAC) recently purchased Rockbridge Village, a roughly 102,432-square-foot retail center in Stone Mountain that is anchored by a 68,632-square-foot Kroger grocery store. Commercial Property Executive profiled PAC’s new asset, which it acquired through its wholly owned subsidiary New Market Properties LLC. The company financed the purchase through a non-recourse first mortgage loan originated by The Prudential Insurance Company of America.
4. General contracting firm New South Construction Company has completed construction of two Georgia senior living communities. The Glen at Lake Oconee in Greensboro and Thrive at Frederica in St. Simons are the latest to join New South Construction’s portfolio of senior living communities across the Southeast United States. New South president Huntly Gordon spoke with Multi Housing News about the projects, saying, “We’re proud to deliver modern luxury accommodations for future residents.”
5. In the past few years, there’s been a flood of intown Atlanta chefs and restaurateurs expanding OTP. While that hooped highway known as the perimeter can often feel like a solid wall when it comes to cultural differences, the fact is that literally millions of people live in the suburbs outside 285, all of whom eat and many of whom have the disposable income to eat quite well. A recent Creative Loafing article on the phenomenon profiled several OTP high-end food locations, including Avalon in Alpharetta, home to Ford Fry restaurant El Felix, a sister concept to intown Superica.
1. During the height of rush hour on March 30, thick black smoke swelled above Atlanta. First responders sprung to action to tame the massive fire roaring beneath I-85 in Atlanta. According to North American Properties’ Mark Toro, “This breathtaking moment was a shock to our system – a shock our city sorely needed.” In this Atlanta Journal Constitution op-ed, Toro challenges all Atlantans to use the I-85 collapse as a lesson for why we need to commit to expand MARTA and make it a part of our daily commute.
2. Change is afoot in the commercial insurance industry. The forward-looking technology landscape and the growing regulatory environment are reshaping the vital ways in which the industry engages with customers, especially in the U.S. Laura Calugar recently interviewed Franklin Street’s Ted Holler in Commercial Property Executive to discuss how his company had adapted to recent changes.
3. For investors in Amazon, the most important number to remember is 20. When online sales hit 20 percent of all purchases in a given retail category, a surge in Amazon growth is sure to follow. But not all retailers are falling prey to Amazon’s business model. In this MarketWatch article, Revenue Analytics’ Jared Wiesel said, “Most pockets of retail success today have some sort of protective moat around their business that helps them fend off Amazon.”
4. Recent headlines about Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly have undoubtedly increased awareness regarding sexual harassment in the workplace. With the heightened interest amongst employees regarding workplace rights, Fisher Phillips’ Michelli Rivera says, “Metro Atlanta employers should brace themselves for more sexual harassment-related inquiries.” In this op-ed for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Rivera offers proactive steps that can better protect Atlanta businesses – and hopefully keep them out of the headlines.
5. On the heels of back-to-back grand openings of two major mixed-use developments, the Bayer Properties team arrived at ICSC’s RECon conference in Las Vegas with a fresh viewpoint on how retail is changing and what today’s consumers are seeking. In this Shopping Centers Today article, CEO and president Jeffrey Bayer said, “We are excited to be here this year surrounded by retail experts to learn from each other and discuss the future of the ever-evolving industry.”
On the heels of a disappointing first earnings report for Snap, a new report indicates that the photo-sharing platform is having trouble attracting new users. Downloads for Snapchat in April 2017 fell about 16 percent, while Instagram downloads were up 19 percent. This is significant because Instagram recently unveiled a stories feature its CEO openly admitted was a Snapchat copycat, and it’s proven wildly popular and pulled Snapchat’s heavy Gen Z fan base away. In fact, Instagram announced this morning that it is introducing augmented reality facial filters in yet another Snapchat copycat move.
Facebook launched reactions over a year ago, allowing users to let content creators know if their posts made them feel happy, sad, angry, etc. Typically, the reaction options don’t change for holidays or seasonality like, for example, stickers on Instagram, but Facebook broke that pattern for Mother’s Day. About a week ago, a sweet, purple flower emoji appeared among the reaction options, and Facebook rolled out additional options for showing Mom love on her big day, like custom photo frames.
Mother’s Day wasn’t an arbitrary holiday for Facebook to test this feature: People thanking their mothers drove more posts in one day than any other topic, with more than 105 million Mother’s Day posts in 2016. This just goes to show that more people are taking to social media to celebrate special days, and brands need to have a strategy in place to get the most out of a holiday.
If you’re a casual user, you might not realize that Twitter is struggling, but its shareholders are very aware. In what’s being called an effort to change market perceptions, Twitter is upping its live-streaming game. This move is behind the rest of the market, as Facebook and Instagram have been urging users and brands to “go live” for months, but it appears that Twitter wanted to take its time and make the move into live video carefully, in a way that appeals to both users and advertisers. They’ve struck 12 live streaming content deals with outlets like Bloomberg, Live National and the WNBA to begin this fall, hoping to appeal to millennial cord cutters. For individual users, Twitter and Periscope recently unveiled a new analytics dashboard for live videos in hopes that brands will get on board.
Competing for the title of most hated company in America is obviously the last place any organization wants to be. Yet United Airlines now finds itself in that rarefied air after a public relations disaster of epic proportions that not only will stain the company’s reputation for years to come, but also threatens to undercut its all-important bottom line. A full recap of last week’s event can be found here, but a quick outline will show the train went off the tracks right when United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz “apologized” for “having to re-accommodate” the elderly doctor who was bloodied and manhandled in front of stunned onlookers, and ultimately, millions of online viewers.
Ouch, bam, crash. The bewildering remark was never walked back or corrected in the immediate aftermath, a glaring PR blunder on full display around the globe. If that wasn’t bad enough, Mr. Munoz decided to double down on his awkward stance hours later in a letter he sent to United employees, calling the passenger “disruptive and belligerent” while also managing to praise his employees for going “above and beyond to ensure we fly right”. Like throwing a can of gasoline on a fire, this was a classic and painful example demonstrating how a single blunder or wrongful act by an organization can quickly morph into a full-blown public relations crisis and media circus if mishandled. The most devastating wounds for United and any other organization caught up in these types of situations are always self-inflicted. It’s not the initial blunder or misdeed that can sink you, but rather, the follow-up response.
So what public relations lessons can be learned from the United crisis? Whether the initial problem was caused by an ill-advised decision or events beyond your control doesn’t matter. The correct strategy has a singular focus of putting out the fire ASAP, and sometimes that means your organization must expose itself to short-term pain rather than follow a defensive instinct – which risks much more serious consequences. What you say, or don’t say, in a very narrow time window that opens immediately after the storm begins will likely determine whether the crisis is just a headache that eventually passes or leads to long-term, irreversible damage. A few key principles to remember:
Move Quickly: Don’t dilly-dally or stonewall. The story is going to be told by the media with or without your input, especially if you’re playing at the level United Airlines does. Your audience and customers will form an opinion about your company whether they hear from you or not. The sooner you get moving the more likely you will retain at least some control over your own narrative. The first 24 hours of a potential crisis is where success or failure is usually determined. Keep the stream of information flowing, even if it’s just bits and pieces at first.
Stick With Facts, Tell The Truth: Some PR specialists may advise you to steer clear of the facts and not admit wrongdoing in hopes of skating through potential disaster. But United Airlines is exhibit A of why this is not a good approach. Acknowledge the facts as they are. United’s original response was that the plane was overbooked. That actually was not true. Passengers were removed to make room for other United employees who needed to get to another city. So they created a credibility issue to complement the viral video that was already doing enough damage. See Lance Armstrong, Paula Deen and other notable figures who chose the lying/denying route. This doesn’t help, and leads into the next key principle of…
Apologize: None of us like to admit when we’ve blown it. That’s especially true in the corporate world. But a sincere, forthright and clearly worded apology is probably the number one medicine for stemming the bleeding of a public relations crisis. This is about damage control, not damage avoidance. If Mr. Munoz had originally come out and owned up to what happened, apologized, and immediately assured the public they were taking action to fix the problem, things would not have spiraled out of control. Of course, he did say this the following day, but it was too late by the time of his third statement. The key is to keep it at a mistake (singular), instead of having a pile-up of errors and ensuing controversy.
Don’t Ignore/Insult/Accuse Customers: All language geared toward your paying customers should be neutral in tone and non-accusatory. That’s even when they may be in the wrong, though it certainly wasn’t the case with United. The instinct to “circle the wagons” internally can become a major turn-off for a watching public. This would seem like common sense, but for many, it’s not. Approach your communications from the vantage point of working with your customers to solve a problem they’re having and make amends if necessary. The robotic language displayed in United’s initial statement conveyed a tone-deaf stance, and the visuals certainly didn’t help. The opinions of your customers matter. They are the lifeblood of your business after all.
One last note: Don’t become complacent. This can happen in any organization. Oscar Munoz was recently honored as “Communicator of the Year” by PRWeek less than a month before this incident. He had impeccable credentials, incredible resources, and access to some of the top PR minds in the industry. And ultimately, none of that mattered.
By sticking to a few key basics, you’ll be able to successfully navigate any storm, minimize damage, and come out stronger on the other side.
1. Are indoor shopping malls becoming extinct? Or is a resurgence upon us? That depends on whom you ask. Many retail industry watchers are down on malls—and with good reason. Big bankruptcies are driving big vacancies. The flip side is, these big vacancies are driving strategic redevelopment opportunities that could revitalize models with an experiential retail twist. GlobeSt.com recently caught up with Nick Garzia, director of leasing for Atlantic Station to get his take. “I don’t think malls are becoming extinct, but I do think they are changing. A stratification of product type has been taking place over the past several years.”
2. If you’re headed to downtown Atlanta this spring, you’ll want to read this Atlanta Journal Constitution article detailing the top restaurants within walking distance of the city’s major sites. Our favorite is Peachtree Center’s retail center, whose culinary options include Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, Panbury’s Hand Pies, Tin Lizzy’s Mexican, Aviva by Kameel Mediterranean and several other spots.
3. Teen members of the U.S. Bank Boys and Girls Club in Cincinnati now have a space all for themselves. Aaron’s, Inc. partnered with Boys and Girls Clubs of America in 2015 to renovate clubs across the country and their latest renovation occurred last week in The Queen City. The teenagers helped design the space and associates from Aaron’s took over from there. See this local CBS article and video for more information about the Teen Center, which is now equipped with new technology, sectional sofas, tables and chairs and a new sound system.
4. Another quarterly earnings season is in the books, and while there were a few star performers, it was another dismal one for retailers. It seems almost a daily occurrence — headlines littered with the next retailer that struggled under the weight of aggressive competition and changing consumer preferences. To help make sense of what retailers can expect from the coming price war, and how they can win each battle, check out Revenue Analytics’ Jared Wiesel’s article in Total Retail.
5. On the latest episode of NPR WUKY’s Business Side, Brennan Fielder talked with Lindsay Bayer-Shipp, creative director and brand strategist at Bayer Properties, the Alabama-based developer set to debut the Summit at Fritz Farm, a sprawling new retail and dining complex on Nicholasville Road at Man O War Boulevard in the shadow of Fayette Mall. The grand opening event is this Thursday, April 27th.
Instagram is already encroaching on Snapchat’s territory with its popular Stories feature – which succeeded in stealing Snapchat users – so it makes sense that the photo-sharing giant is now going after Pinterest with its latest update. To the joy of its users, Instagram introduced the ability to save posts earlier this year. Now, you can sort those posts into “collections” that are eerily reminiscent of Pinterest’s boards. This update makes it more important than ever for content creators to create truly valuable, save-worthy content to allow it to live a second life for a user, whether it’s a recipe, design inspiration or a secret menu dish at a restaurant. As Engadget sums up the opportunity for businesses: “If you can create your ideal outfit by saving posts into collections, you might be more likely to buy that outfit.”
LinkedIn’s facelift is in full swing. While there isn’t one noteworthy update to include here on the blog, I wanted to touch on this because, as social media managers, we’re constantly learning and relearning how to keep our client’s content fresh as LinkedIn shifts seemingly every day. Important changes for content creators include: The ability to use video, new photo sizes and filters and a new algorithm for the feed. LinkedIn also plans to revisit its publishing tools, including the ability to save articles for later and improved tagging, ultimately making the blog posts look much cleaner and full of dynamic content like photos, block quotes and graphics.
Snapchat isn’t just for millennials anymore. The app – which recently made its IPO – is experiencing increased usage in those ages 25 to 44, far from its typical younger audience. Forty-one percent of users ages 25 to 34 used the app more often today than during Jefferies’ first survey last June. Forty-four percent of the 34 to 44 demographic use Snapchat more now, the firm said.
It’s not atypical for older users to follow typically young early adopters to new platforms – just look at Facebook and Twitter. However, that migration sometimes drives the younger users away because the platform isn’t cool anymore, or because grandma and grandpa are now able to view their content. This shift may be a ways off for Snapchat, but something the app should consider moving forward. Hopefully, they can continue to provide content – from news stories to fun face-altering filters – to keep their original base happy while expanding to new audiences.
The draining, dull, dismal workplace has become an archetype in popular culture. For decades, the stereotypical American office has been depicted by movies and television as a maze of cubicles in a sea of gray and white. In the 1999 comedy Office Space, Peter Gibbons exclaims, “We don’t have a lot of time on this earth! We weren’t meant to spend it this way!”
And to be honest, you shouldn’t have to.
Consider a few stats:
One survey from Management Today indicates that 97 percent of workers consider their workplace a symbol of whether or not they are valued by their employers.
A Gallup poll of 25 million American workers suggests that unhappy employees can cost up to $550 billion in lost productivity, annually.
Another recent survey of Americans who work in traditional office spaces reveals nearly half feel their workplace design and décor has no personality. And, only one in four indicate they would be proud to show their office to family and friends.
With those numbers in mind, it’s easy to see why both workers and employers should have a vested interest in office design.
The Wilbert Group entered 2017 with a refreshed office space. With a focus on wellness, our team collaborated with an interior designer to optimize our office design by balancing the ‘me’ with the ‘we.’ By combining community spaces for collaboration with private spaces for focus and relaxation, we created a workplace that inspires us.
1. Hard hats and construction trucks are beginning to move out of Avalon’s new wing, Boulevard East. The experiential mixed-use mecca in Alpharetta will unveil its second phase expansion to the public with a 13-hour grand opening celebration this Thursday, April 13. To see a preview of the new shops and eateries, read this Atlanta Journal Constitution article, which features an inside look at Avalon’s highly anticipated Boulevard East.
2. Any businesses relying on independent contractors – including shared economy or “gig” economy businesses – should pay close attention to a recent court ruling that granted Uber a significant victory in the industry’s ongoing misclassification battle. That’s according to Fisher Phillips Columbia, S.C. attorneys Steve Mitchell and Sheila Bias, who penned an op-ed in Midlands Biz detailing how employers can apply the lessons this ruling teaches. Reviewing the factors the court cited should assist in establishing preferred practices that will minimize the changes of a misclassification lawsuit and maximize the chances of success should such a lawsuit be filed against your business.
3. Atlanta has a new destination where you can grab some lunch and see dozens of artists creating work right in the heart of Midtown: The Creative Hive Project, which has brought individuals and arts organizations to Colony Square. Mixed in with restaurants, retail and offices are a dozen artists or arts groups working right out in the open. To learn more about when you can see the Creative Hive Project at Colony Square, listen to this WABE story.
4. Edward Andrews Homes’ Alpharetta community, Larkspur, is a new take on the “active adult” formula. Its target market is “a generation of buyers that are trading in their large family homes and entering a new chapter lived on their own terms,” says Caroline Simmel, senior vice president of marketing. Imagine yourself living in one of these beautiful homes with this Atlanta magazine article.
5. A new standard of luxury can be found in the Maisonettes at Mandarin Oriental, Atlanta, a collection of three villa-style private residences (from $2.8 million) that are part of The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Atlanta. Each three-level abode features a one-of-a-kind floor plan and plenty of outdoor space. Hardwood floors, marble accents, massive windows, and hand-crafted stone fireplace mantels give the units a sleek, elevated feel. Check out the incredible pictures and learn more in this Robb Report article.
First came Snapchat. Then, Instagram Stories. Now, Facebook Stories is rolling out to users in Chile, Greece and Vietnam. The feature was first tested in Ireland, and its expansion shows that ephemeral photos and videos resonate with users across different platforms, even though other apps already possess this service. While some users grumbled about yet another Snapchat clone arriving (and they have a point – who has time to post short clips three separate times?), it makes sense for brands constantly battling Facebook’s ever-changing algorithm. Brands can’t post more than a few times on the day on the platform if they want to keep a high position in newsfeeds, but Stories would allow them to share content throughout the day and keep constantly atop their audiences feed. If this feature expands to the U.S., it could mean that Facebook will be able to bring back their share-happy younger audience (the average age of an American Facebook user is 40) and brands will be able to up their content game.
Apple has unveiled a new iOS app called Clips, a content creation platform reminiscent of Snapchat, Facebook Live and video editing software like iMovie. It allows users to stitch together videos and photos and add filters to create a “story” (are you sick of that term yet?). The app’s most unique feature is the ability to insert a soundtrack, making it easy to edit higher-quality video content from your smartphone. Clips will not launch alongside its own dedicated social network, but will allow users to post their creative content on Facebook or Instagram. This is great news for brands that don’t have many resources to dedicate to video editing but need to post that kind of content on social media. Video is here to stay, and brands need to get on board.
On the heels of the popularity of Facebook and Instagram’s live video features, Twitter is preparing to launch a live video API with more powerful integrations than the platform’s existing Periscope tie-in. This move raises the question of whether Twitter will stay committed to keeping Periscope its live video app, or if it will roll more of the broadcasting and livestream browsing into its main app.
Twitter makes more sense as a home for live video than Facebook or Instagram, so it’s important they do this right and make it easier for users to share and interact with this type of content. Journalists love Twitter, and millennials and Gen Z use the platform to get their up-to-the-minute news and for coverage of major events rather than tuning into CNN or a traditional broadcast outlet. In fact, 59 percent of Twitter users rely on it for news, so this could make it easier for media outlets to get live video content to an audience of cord cutters and smartphone addicts.


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Suffering from a shortage of sunshine? You don’t need an A-list budget — or unlimited free time — to find a winter bolthole. We seek out the hottest second-home destinations within a four-hour flight.
Admittedly, it has been the scene of speculative development and a cataclysmic property crash, but Marbella, a 2½-hour flight from London, is back in favour. The 1960s playground of the rich and famous — who came to the Spanish city for the beautiful coastline, stunning mountain scenery, year-round sunshine, fine restaurants and bars, and high-end shopping — is once again drawing in investors by the truckload.
A Post Office report this year showed that the Costa del Sol has one of the lowest costs of living of winter-sun destinations. “The peace and quiet in winter is just great after a hectic season,” says Marc Pritchard, sales and marketing director of the builder Taylor Wimpey España.
Read more: http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/

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Apple should cease promoting its iPhone 12 mannequin in France attributable to above-threshold radiation ranges, France’s junior minister for the digital economic system informed newspaper Le Parisien in an interview printed on Tuesday.
France’s radiation watchdog ANFR notified Apple of its resolution to ban iPhone 12 gross sales after it had carried out assessments which confirmed the smartphone’s Particular Absorption Price (SAR) was barely increased than legally allowed, Jean-Noel Barrot informed the paper.
Apple didn’t instantly reply to a Reuters request for remark.
Barrot mentioned a software program replace can be enough to repair the radiation points linked to the telephone which the U.S. firm has been promoting since 2020.
“Apple is predicted to reply inside two weeks”, he mentioned, including: “In the event that they fail to take action, I’m ready to order a recall of all iPhones 12 in circulation. The rule is similar for everybody, together with the digital giants.”
The European Union has set security limits for SAR values linked to publicity to cellphones, which might improve the chance of some types of most cancers in accordance with scientific research.
The French watchdog will now cross on its findings to regulators in different EU member states. “In sensible phrases, this resolution might have a snowball impact”, mentioned Barrot.
In 2020, France widened laws requiring retailers to show the radiation worth of merchandise on packaging past cell telephones, together with tablets and different digital units.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by Ednbox employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)


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Volkswagen of America reported its best May sales in the US since 2013, with 35,702 total units reported. Year-to-date sales are 152,883 units, up 6.2% over 2018.
May 2019 was VW’s best May since 2013 and the best month yet for sales of its Atlas SUV, with 8,273 units. Atlas sales are up 24% year-to-date. Overall, VW SUV sales hit 18,979 in May, making up 53% of sales.
The Tiguan SUV was VW’s top seller, with the 10,687 units sold marking a 25% jump from the same period last year.


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AMD lowered its forecast for first-quarter performance today and announced that it intends to cut approximately 10 percent of its workforce (1,600 to 1,700 workers) by the end of the third quarter. The company said that it expects first-quarter revenue to come in at $1.5 billion. That's a healthy 22 percent increase compared to Q1 2007, but is still 15 percent lower than the fourth quarter of 2007. Previously, AMD had been expected to report first quarter revenue of approximately $1.6 billion dollars.
Wider Phenom availability, new ATI HD 3000-series cards, and price cuts for the Radeon HD 3850 and HD 3870 were evidently unable to stem the company's losses, and AMD says that the revenue shortfall is due to lower-than-expected sales across all market segments. The company will release additional financial data and information on market segment performance when it reports its quarterly results on April 17.
There's at least some reason to think AMD's second quarter may be better than its first, thanks to a stronger product mix. B3-based Phenoms and triple-core processors should both be widely available in-channel through most of the quarter, and the 780G chipset, which launched in the middle of the first quarter to strong reviews, is the obvious platform of choice for either processor. AMD has already stated, however, that it intends to take an undetermined restructuring charge in the second quarter, which could potentially put quite a dent in the company's earnings for that period.
AMD gave no guidance on how its revenue shortfall and job cuts will affect either its next-generation 45nm Shanghai processor or Hector Ruiz's much-publicized plan to return AMD to profitability by the second quarter of this year. Today's announcement isn't particularly surprising—bad news from AMD in general is no longer surprising—but the company's eggs are increasingly lying in a single code-named basket. All current information suggests that Shanghai's development is going well, but returning to competitive status may require a performance leap of Athlon XP-to-Athlon 64 proportions by the time the processor actually ships. Such jumps are not impossible, but reports like this only serve to increase the pressure on AMD's next-generation production team.


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Oliver Cispa will take the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of the German automaker BMW since August 16.
German carmaker BMW announced the appointment of a new Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company. The post is Oliver Cispa. He will begin duties on August 16.
Cispa was on the Board of Directors of the company in 2015 and is currently responsible for the production unit.
He joined the company in 1991, has held a number of senior positions.
In early July, the previous head of BMW Harald Krueger announced its intention not to renew his contract.
According to media reports, the dismissal of the Kruger due to the fact that in 2016, BMW has lost the status as the best producer of premium cars, giving it to Mercedes-Bens. Also the top Manager is accused of being too slow transfer of the model range of electricity.
BMW recall in Europe more than 500 thousand cars
Recall, BMW will pay a fine worth more than a billion euros due to accusations by the European Commission in a cartel.
News from the Reporter.net Telegram. Subscribe to our channel https://t.me/korrespondentnet


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After three consecutive quarterly declines, ed tech investments rebounded and are on track to cross 500 deals this year.
Last year, the ed tech industry’s three-year growth streak ended with a dip in both deals and total funding. However, last quarter deals ticked back up to 135, the highest quarterly deal count since Q3’15. This strong start puts the category on track to surpass 2016 in deals and dollars.
We define ed tech startups as those working to replace or supplement traditional education systems for both students and professionals. Companies in this category offer products and services ranging from exam grading software to online learning platforms and even secondary education systems that offer alternatives to traditional schooling.
Using CB Insights data, we dug into funding trends in ed tech. This research brief covers:
Annual financing trends
Between 2013 and 2015, investors consistently increased investment to the ed tech industry. Deals hit a record of 522 with a combined value of $3.44B in funding in 2015.
Investment seems to be coming back this year as the industry has already seen 219 deals across $1.26B, already more than total funding in 2013. At the current run-rate, global ed tech investment activity is projected to reach 506 deals across $2.9B. This represents deal growth of 17% and funding growth of 24% from 2016. But deals and dollars will still fall short of 2015′s record at the current run rate.
The largest investment so far in 2017 went to EverFi, a DC-based startup that has created a digital learning platform for K-12 schools, universities, corporations, sports leagues, and non-profits. In April, EverFi raised a $190M Series D round led by The Rise Fund with participation from existing investors Allen & Company, Advance Publications, Rethink Impact, Eric Schmidt, and Evan Williams. New investors include Main Street Advisors, TPG Growth, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and U2’s Bono.
Quarterly funding trends
Quarterly deals to ed tech startups have fluctuated in the past four years. Q1 of this year saw a rise to 135 deals, higher than any quarter since Q3’15.
Q4’15 saw a record surge in funding, up 58% from the previous high set in Q1’15. The one-off spike was not driven by any particular outliers but rather a flood of investment to Asian companies. Shanghai startups iTutorGroup and HuJiang raised $200M and $157M in Series C and D rounds, respectively. China is the third most active country in ed tech, accounting for roughly 7% of all deals since 2013. The US accounts for 58% of all global deals, while India accounts for 7.8%.
Annual financing trends by stage
Broken down by stage, early-stage deals (seed/angel and Series A) have seen their share of deals decrease over the past five years. So far this year, early-stage deals represent 62% of all deals, roughly equal to 2016’s breakdown but still down from 71% in 2013. The top early-stage deal in 2017 YTD was a $21 Series A investment to Examity from investors including University Ventures and Inherent Group. The Massachusetts-based startup uses proprietary keystroke identification technology to provide clients with online exam proctoring software.
Mid-stage deals (Series B and C) represent 11% of all deals YTD, with the largest deal being Shanghai-based Xuebajun’s $100M Series C round. Xuebajun is a mobile app that provides students with answers from both proprietary robots and online teachers. AltSchool, previously backed by Andreessen Horowitz among others, also received a notable $40M Series C investment from existing investors First Round Capital and Founders Fund. AltSchool is a network of micro-schools that offer personalized, child-centered learning experiences. Meanwhile, late-stage deals represent 6% of all deals this year, with the largest being EverFi’s Series D round.
Want more data on ed tech startups? Log in to CB Insights or sign up for free below.If you aren’t already a client, sign up for a free trial to learn more about our platform.


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Orange Money reaches 3 million
VALUE ADDED SERVICESBy BiztechAfrica - Nov. 24, 2011, 7:49 p.m.
Orange Money has reached the threshold of 3 million customers in the eight countries where it is now offered. Orange says this growth makes it now one of the most powerful electronic money services in Africa.
Orange Money has tripled its customer base in the past year and continues to grow with the recent launch of services in two new countries: in Botswana in partnership with the Standard Chartered Bank, and in Cameroon in partnership with the BICEC (BPCE group).
Orange Money is a mobile phone-based payment service designed to meet the needs of customers in Africa and the Middle East. The company says such services offer a huge potential in sub-Saharan Africa in particular, where less than 10% of the population have access to a bank account but more than 60% have a mobile phone.
In countries where it is available, mobile phone customers may open an Orange Money account whether or not they have a bank account. Orange Money allows customers to carry out simple banking operations and transactions in total security. The three key services include money transfers, payments and financial services.
Orange says it plans to expand the Orange Money offer in the near future to include the possibility of receiving international money transfers. Orange and Western Union, a global leader in international money transfer services, have joined forces to develop this new service, which will enable Orange Money customers to receive transfers directly on their mobile phones via Western Union's global system. According to the World Bank, countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia (AMEA) in which the Group operates receive more than 25 million transfers every year.
“Western Union is leading the way in bringing cross-border remittances to people around the globe via their mobile phones,” said Gregg Marshall, Global Head, Mobile Services, Western Union. “We are pioneering a full range of ways for our consumers to send and receive money. This alliance with Orange - one of the world's most successful mobile operators - will introduce cross-border remittances to an entirely new segment of customers by allowing them to receive money using just their mobile phones."
Commenting on the development of Orange Money, Marc Rennard, Orange’s Executive Director for AMEA operations, said: “Orange Money is a very important part of our strategy in Africa and emerging markets. Mobile payment services have the potential to bring cost-effective and secure access to banking services to people with low incomes, who often live in rural or remote areas. By providing our customers with the means to save money, pay bills, run their businesses and receive money from abroad, we are not only reinforcing customer fidelity but we are also able to play an active role in the economic and social development of the country.”
First launched in Côte d’Ivoire in December 2008, Orange Money is also available in Senegal, Madagascar, Mali, Niger and Kenya, as well as in Botswana and Cameroon. It will soon be launched in Mauritius.
MORE VALUE ADDED SERVICES NEWS
Mobile payments to rise 40% this yearA new report from Juniper Research has found that the value of global payments via mobile devices will reach around $507 billion this year, a rise of nearly 40% year-on-year. Read More
MTN, Bharti Airtel to launch international money transferMTN Group and Bharti Airtel have announced a cross-border remittance partnership for Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. Read More
Glo connects subscribers to millions of organisations through Directory ServiceMillions of subscribers on the Glo Mobile network have been given a unique opportunity to access the addresses of millions of organisations in Nigeria as the leading telecommunication company has introduced the Glo Service Directory. Read More
Local search to push mobile search & discovery adspend to nearly $17bn by 2018A new report from hi-tech analysts Juniper Research has revealed that by 2018, the total advertising spend on mobile search & discovery will reach $16.8 billion. Read More
Glo unveils games store for Nigerian mobile usersGlobacom has introduced a unique Games Store for Nigerian mobile users, offering premium games for all types of mobile devices. Read More
130 million mobile video callers by 2018While users of mobile video calling services such as Skype are forecast to increase to over 130 million users by 2018, question marks remain over the potential for mobile video calling to generate revenues, says a new report. Read More
MTN, Ecobank partner to improve access to mobile financial servicesMTN Mobile Money users, who are also Ecobank customers in 12 African countries, will soon be able to withdraw cash from Ecobank ATMs. Read More
Net1, Supa Pesa bring advance airtime to MalawiSA-based Net1 Mobile Solutions and its long-time partner Supa Pesa, has expanded its Advance Airtime African footprint with the launch of TNM Airtime Credit service, Pasavute. Read More
10bn mobile contactless transactions by 2018A new report from Juniper Research has found that the number of contactless transactions via mobile handsets will exceed 9.9 billion globally by 2018, up from just over 3 billion this year. Read More
FEATURED STORYKenyan bloggers get their act together
Bloggers seem to be gaining a formidable position in Kenya’s online media fraternity, reports Semaj Itosno.
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In the post-earnings conference call, Reliance Communications brass revealed the reason behind the variations in revenues it reported to the stock exchange BSE and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI): revenue from sale of handsets was included in its wireless revenues. The Indian Department of Telecommunication (DoT) had appointed a special audit task force to review financials of the telco, which was under suspicion of manipulating its accounts to the tune of Rs. 29.15 billion and evading licence fees to the tune of Rs. 3.16 billion. The task force reported no findings on the alleged inflation of revenue and RCOM clarified 2 weeks ago that the differences in revenues, brought into the limelight by analysts, were in fact reconciliations prepared and filed by the company. From the earnings call: "The debate on the difference between the financial report revenue and the revenue reported to the TRAI for AGR purposes , the reconciliation has also been submitted and which is in the domain of everybody. The handsets which were of proprietary nature were part of it along with the cost of the proprietary handsets." Interestingly, following this, Tata Teleservices Maharashtra was asked on their earnings conference call whether they include handset revenues revenues in their wireless revenues. They said they do not. Multi-SIM Cards Early signs and trends following the launch of the telco's Simply Reliance Plan in the first week of October were encouraging thanks, in part, to the prevalence of multi-SIM cards. Idea Cellular had noted in its earnings…
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Amazon announced that it will integrate its logistics network and SmartCommerce services with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
India's smartphone operating system BharOS has received much buzz in the media lately, but does it really merit this attention?
After using the Mapples app as his default navigation app for a week, Sarvesh draws a comparison between Google Maps and Mapples
In the case of the ‘deemed consent' provision in the draft data protection law, brevity comes at the cost of clarity and user protection
The regulatory ambivalence around an instrument so essential to facilitate data exchange – the CM framework – is disconcerting for several reasons.
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Netflix, which has 27 million subscribers in the nation and 33 million worldwide, ran the numbers. It already knew that a healthy share had streamed the work of Mr. Fincher, the director of “The Social Network,” from beginning to end. And films featuring Mr. Spacey had always done well, as had the British version of “House of Cards.” With those three circles of interest, Netflix was able to find a Venn diagram intersection that suggested that buying the series would be a very good bet on original programming.
Even if this isn’t true, it should be. Very cool.
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Walgreens Boots Alliance is reviewing options to sell or spin off assets including its Boots pharmacies in the United Kingdom, according to media reports outside the U.S.
Walgreens was unavailable for comment Friday afternoon on a report in Sky News that the parent of more than 2,000 Boots pharmacies, Walgreens Boots Alliance, is “lining up Goldman Sachs to work on a potential disposal of the UK’s biggest and best-known chain of high street chemists.”
The report on the U.K. business comes as Walgreens is spending billions of dollars on its U.S. drugstore operations at the direction of new chief executive officer Roz Brewer. Walgreens recently invested another $5.2 billion in VillageMD to escalate the expansion of doctor-staffed clinics across the U.S. under a new “Walgreens Health” business.
Lately, Walgreens new management has been investing much more on the U.S. operation. Brewer has high hopes for the much larger U.S. business and sees the potential to help remake the healthcare experience in the U.S.
“Imagine a day when 45% of our Walgreens stores – of the 9,100 stores that happen to be within five miles of 75% of the homes across the United States – where you can walk in and see a primary care physician that’s attached to a Walgreens drugstore,” Brewer said in an interview this week during the Forbes Healthcare Summit.
Walgreens and VillageMD said they “on track to open 1,000 primary care practices by 2027.”
“And you come into this beautiful lobby and there are eight exam rooms with two physicians and a staff,” Brewer added. “And they can do the testing that you need that day when they take a blood sample or urinalysis and you can manage that right in the building and then walk over and get your script done. That’s our goal.”
But Walgreens has been recently investing in operations in Europe and around the world as well.
Earlier this week, Walgreens Boots Alliance and McKesson Corporation said they reached an agreement for Walgreens to acquire the remaining 30% share of their GEHE Pharma Handel and Alliance Healthcare Deutschland joint venture in Germany. “Following this transaction, WBA will become the 100% owner of the combined GEHE and Alliance Healthcare businesses in Germany,” the companies said.
Walgreens has more about 13,000 retail locations across the U.S., Europe and Latin America.


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|I:DJI||DOW JONES AVERAGES||29590.41||-486.27||-1.62%|
|I:COMP||NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX||10867.926195||-198.88||-1.80%|
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 153 points, or 0.44%, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.42% and 0.11%, respectively. Both the Dow and the S&P hit intraday all-time highs, but neither was able to close in record territory.
U.S. GDP grew at a 6.5% seasonally adjusted annualized rate in the second quarter, according to the Census Department. The reading, which was below the 8.5% pace that analysts surveyed by Refinitiv had expected, was impacted by the supply-chain disruptions and labor shortages that have developed in the wake of the pandemic.
In stocks, Robinhood Markets Inc. shares fell more than 8% in their Nasdaq debut after opening for trading at $38 apiece, where they priced on Wednesday evening. Robinhood's IPO, which raised about $2.1 billion, gave the company a market value of nearly $32 billion.
|HOOD||ROBINHOOD MARKETS INC.||9.44||-0.21||-2.18%|
Facebook Inc. reported earnings and sales that exceeded Wall Street estimates, but warned revenue growth would slow due to tough comparisons. On the company’s quarterly earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook will in the coming years transition from a social media company into a metaverse company.
Ford Motor Co. posted a surprise quarterly profit and raised its earnings guidance as the chip shortage has caused the automaker to focus on higher-margin vehicles.
|F||FORD MOTOR CO.||12.31||-0.47||-3.64%|
|GM||GENERAL MOTORS CO.||35.52||-1.85||-4.96%|
Amazon Inc. shares slipped ahead of the release of its quarterly results, which were due out after Thursday’s closing bell.
Elsewhere, the U.S. government charged Nikola founder Trevor Milton with lying to investors about the capabilities of his company's electric and hydrogen-powered trucks. Milton pleaded not guilty to two counts of securities fraud and one count of wire fraud.
Meanwhile, SoftBank Group is selling 45 million Uber Technologies shares in order to cover losses in its Didi Global and Alibaba, according to CNBC.
Didi Global surged after a separate report said the ride-hailing company was considering going private to appease Chinese authorities. Didi, which called the report a "rumor," went public on the New York Stock Exchange on June 30.
|UBER||UBER TECHNOLOGIES INC.||27.82||-0.76||-2.66%|
In commodities, West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose $1.23 to $73.62 a barrel and gold jumped $31.50 to $1,831.20 an ounce.
Overseas markets were in rally mode.
In Europe, Britain’s FTSE 100 advanced 0.88%, France’s CAC 30 climbed 0.45% and Germany’s DAX 30 edged up 0.37%.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index paced the gains in Asia, surging 3.3%, while China’s Shanghai Composite index and Japan’s Nikkei 225 traded up 1.49% and 0.73%, respectively.


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Add Best Buy Canada and its sister chain, Future Shop, to the growing list of retailers struggling in Canada.
The U.S.-based retailer posted better-than-expected earnings for the first quarter, turning an $81-million loss this time last year into a $461 million profit this year, despite falling revenues. But the company’s Canadian division proved a drag on the numbers.
Best Buy doesn’t break out numbers specifically for Canada, but its international division covering Canada, China and Mexico saw revenue plunge 10.5 per cent, to $1.25 billion U.S. Same-store sales (excluding newly-opened or closed stores) fell 5.8 per cent, the company reported.
“Canada, at this point in consumer electronics, is a very, very soft market,” Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly said in a conference call Thursday, as quoted at the Financial Post.
“We’ve seen significant industry declines. We’re holding our own very well in comparison to the market.”
Best Buy has been struggling in recent years, both in Canada and elsewhere, as consumers turn to online retailers like Amazon and to specialized retailers like Apple and Samsung stores.
The company abruptly shut down 15 Best Buy and Future Shop locations last year, laying off 900 people. It announced another 950 layoffs this January.
Story continues below
9 Retailers Closing The Most Stores
Best Buy is not alone in the growing crisis among traditional retailers. The Post notes revenue from electronics retail sales has fallen for the past half year, sliding 2.6 per cent in the quarter ending May 3.
Overall retail sales in Canada have seen tepid growth. The latest numbers showed a decline of 0.1 per cent in retail in March, surprising economists who had expected to see growth.
In this harsh environment, Sears Canada has been busily closing stores and the U.S.-based parent company has been musing about selling off the Canadian operation. (Question: Who would buy it, and why?)
Target entered Canada last year with expectations it would turn a profit by the end of 2013, but has so far lost $1.5 billion since opening its first stores last spring.
Homegrown retailers are also struggling, with fashion chain Jacob announcing recently it will close all its stores.
And as if that wasn’t enough pressure on the industry, a new problem is emerging: Gas prices.
In a report released this week, National Bank of Canada noted that the percentage of retail spending going to gas is near an all-time high, above 13 per cent of all retail spending in Canada.
By comparison, in the U.S. gas amounts to about 10.5 per cent of retail spending -- a record high gap between the U.S. and Canada. Canadians now pay about 30 per cent more for gas than Americans.
National Bank says this is eating into spending in the rest of the economy, helping to explain sluggish retail sales.
The report also noted that Canada’s job growth has hit a weak patch, with essentially no net new jobs created in the six months to April. That, too, impacts retailers’ ability to grow sales.


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VTB issues Mir payment cards in Kazakhstan
VTB Bank Kazakhstan has started issuing plastic Mir payment cards, according to the Interfax news agency citing the bank’s press service.
The bank has also been issuing digital Mir cards since December 2022.
According to Stanislav Kozyakov, head of retail business in VTB Kazakhstan, the bank sees high demand for Mir cards from retail clients who make online payments or travel to Russia.
«Our bank is number one in Kazakhstan in terms of money withdrawal with the help of Mir cards,» he said.
The bank says that it can issue a plastic card within one day in Almaty and within five days in other cities of the country.
In December 2022, Kazakhstan’s Agency for Regulation and Development of Financial Market said that the U.S. Ministry of Commerce doesn’t mind Russian migrants using Mir cards in their day-to-day life and won’t go for those Kazakhstani banks that support transactions with these cards.
So far, VTB is the only Russian bank that still operates in Kazakhstan. As of February 1, 2023, the bank was ranked 17th out of 21 commercial banks in Kazakhstan in terms of assets.


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Author: Karamjit Singh
Heikal M. Ali, executive director of Jalenas, still dreams of providing affordable high-speed broadband to Malaysians, and is putting his money where his mouth is.
The man behind virtualmalaysia is now building a travel platform that he reckons will be the global standard for matching B2C travel packages to allow travelers to make smarter buying choices. To read the free version of this article, go here
The inaugural 1337 Bus Hackathon got off to a great start, with close to 30 participants involved. DNA founder and CEO Karamjit Singh spent some time with the programming geeks to get a glimpse into what the community can do and reports from it.
The Prime Minister of Malaysia missed out on driving home important messages when a foreign company announced RM4 billion worth of investments. As "CEO" of Mlaaysia, what Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak can do more of is to speak about innovation and doing things better. This is after all the year of the National Science and Innovation Movement Year 2012. He should infuse all his speeches with works such as innovation, not being afraid to fail, dare to be different.
virtualmalaysia has rebranded its B2B search engine to Smart Online Travel Assistant (SOTA), not the decidedly awkward Standard Online Tourism Architecture, as part of a move to help consumers get to information more effectively.
Friendster, acquired by Asia’s leading e-payment and e-lifestyle provider MOL Global Pte Ltd in 2009, has been officially re-launched as ‘South-East Asia’s social discovery and gaming platform.’
Computer Science used to be a four-year program in all our public universities, but was changed in the late 1990s under the mistaken belief that cutting one year off university education was the answer to the industry’s need for talent. It was a recipe for disaster, and USM is intent on turning the ride.
The various professional development initiatives in Malaysia have seen the number of people taking part in up-skilling and training programs rising to 133,566 in 2010 versus the 39,606 in 2000, the majority of which were from the engineering and ICT sectors. But this is not enough to satiate the hunger of the tech industry for more talent.
The 2nd Integrated Content Development Program (ICON2) gave funding of between RM50,000 and RM200,000 to successful applicants and saw 69 apps introduced to the iTunes and Android App Store. More than that, it has encouraged Malaysian app developers to be more bold in their thinking and grand in their ambitions when creating apps.
GfK says that smartphone penetration in Malaysia has already reached a high of 88%, while Nielsen estimates it at 27%. Disparate figures, but both agree that we Malaysians love our smartphones.


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The upcoming model, 2018 Ford Mustang will bring a lot of changes and updates. Ford is currently on a roll and their Mustang managed to sell a lot better than the newer Camaro mostly because it was released nearly a full year in advance. In order to keep their lead, Ford already announced that they are quite far into the process of developing a mid-life facelift for their Mustang which is scheduled to be released with the 2018 Ford Mustang.
This update will not only add a few new trim levels to the range but it will also improve the Mustang’s engines, it will add a new design as well as likely a new interior. Also, the most important news is comeback a Mach 1 edition and all-new 10-speed automatic transmission.
Redesign – Interior & Exterior
The design of the new 2018 Ford Mustang will be one of the bigger changes on the new model. Ford said that they will replace the front fascia entirely which could mean that the base models could move to the design of the 350 and 350R which get lower mounted headlights, a new hood and fenders as well as a more aggressive bumpers. These will make it more aerodynamic and it will allow the base Mustang to be more efficient while having a higher top speed.
A special edition model is also going to be added to the range which will be slotted higher than the 350R. The Mach 1 could feature a similar design to the original, one of the more powerful engines fitted in a Mustang and a unique interior, its only drawback being that it will likely be a limited production model.
Inside the cabin we expect a few changes as well, most of them being to the quality of the materials which is rather poor on the current model. We hope that the over $40,000 Mustangs will get better fittings and trimmings, less assembly problems and more premium materials such as leather on the dashboard and better sportier seats. Just like before, the cars will come with Ford’s latest infotainment system while a special package could allow anyone to get Recaro seats for their car.
Under the Hood & Performance
Under the hood of the 2018 Ford Mustang we might see some pretty radical changes. Firstly, the car’s current naturally aspirated V6 could be discontinued altogether and replaced with the smaller but more powerful 2.3 liter EcoBoost which could offer over 310 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque with ease. Also, instead of the old V6, Ford might install under the Mustang’s hood a 2.7 liter twin-turbo V6 which would slot in perfectly under the 5 liter V8, at around 350 horsepower and 370 lb-ft of torque while the V8 will be able to push out more than 440 horsepower and 440 lb-ft of torque thanks to a few upgrades they are planning for it.
The 350 and 350R will likely stick to their flat-plane crank V8 while the Mach 1 could get a slightly more impressive powertrain. Some even said that this particular model would be the first Mustang to get Ford’s 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6 tuned for performance rather than fuel consumption. It could provide upwards of 560 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of toque which could be really interesting. All models will be available with a 6 speed manual while Ford’s new 10 speed automatic will be offered as an option.
2018 Ford Mustang Price & Release date
However, the car’s chassis will remain the same which is quite normal for a facelift. However, they also said that the suspension system will be re-tuned in order to work better with the new engines available in the car and they should also modify the prices of the car.
Just like before, it will be a globally sold model, so the base model will start around $25,000 while the top end and special edition versions could reach as much as $160,000 or more which is something considering it still remains a Mustang.
More info at link.


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Romanian DIY market – For all our readers abroad, these are the most important news from Romanian DIY market, in march 2016, with focus on DIY retail (home improvement, home&deco, home&garden, interior decoration, furniture, constructions, power tools etc), in english.
Arabesque, Praktiker, TEKZEN, eMAG.ro, Carrefour, Vivre.ro, evoMag.ro, Progreen, Honest, GardenPedia.ro, Network One Distribution (NOD), Brico Construct, Global Plast, Sentosa, JoyJoy.ro, ELVILA and Bam Boo are the first romanian companies who already confirmed the presence at international B2B event from Milan, Italy – BUYER POINT – from 10-11 may 2016.
Arabesque, the main supplier of building materials and finishing in Romania, inaugurated in Pitesti city the biggest store Arabesque (over 9.000 sqm) and the first oriented to private customers. The investment, worth about 10 million, creating over 100 new jobs.
Brico Depot Romania, part of DIY retailer Kingfisher, had losses of 9 million £ in the financial year 2015 (February 2015 – January 2016), according to the british group’s financial results. The total sales of the New Country Development of Kinkfisher who includes operations in Romania, Portugal and Germany were 111 million £ with losses of 17 million £ (in 2014/15: was reported a retail loss of 22 million £), reflecting a more challenging environment for Brico Dépôt Romania (£9 million loss).
The bauMax stores from Suceava and Bacau entered into transformation process in Leroy Merlin stores. There are still 3 bauMax units to transform (in Craiova, Iasi and Timisoara) from the total of 15 stores at the acquisition date, when Adeo Group bought the bauMax network from Romania.
In the ather hand, Leroy Merlin opened this month another store in Targu Mures city. The total number of Leroy Merlin store in Romania is 11 (transformed and builded from the scratch), at this moment,
Elvila, a leading furniture manufacturers and retailers in Romania, launched its new online store – www.elvila.ro – with products home furnishings, custom-made furniture and furnishings for Horeca.
Romanian DIY market, in every month
Every month, you get for free, directly to your e-mail address, the latest news from romanian DIY market. Subscribe HERE to our FREE newsletter, in ENGLISH.
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OSN CEO: “OTT a Big Part of Our Future”
OSN could launch an Ultra-HD offering by the end of the year, OSN CEO Martin Stewart told Via Satellite in an exclusive interview. OSN is one of the largest buyers of capacity in the Middle East. It has around 14 transponders at the moment, and Stewart believes that there is enough spare capacity if OSN wanted to launch a 4K offering later in the year. However, Stewart said OSN’s focus is putting out more HD content over the next 12 to 18 months.
Currently, OSN has around 65 HD channels. “I think there is still capacity room for us to improve on that front. That will be the primary focus. I have seen a lot of the developments over the last few years from a technology point of view haven’t really run through the market like [Personal Video Recorders] PVR, HD, connection of [set-top-]boxes to the networks — all of those things, we will focus on them. Because we want to make sure customers use the functionality we have already given them. We will see about 4K later in the year,” Stewart said.
One of the challenges facing any satellite pay-TV operator now is coping with the emergence of Over-The-Top (OTT) television and technologies. The Middle East, in particular, seems a region that is primed for growth in OTT with strong fiber networks in many countries. Stewart believes OTT will be successful, and it will be up to OSN to come up with a winning strategy.
OSN has launched a service called WAVO, a hybrid offering of linear channels, and more Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) offerings. Stewart admits that the operator sees OTT “as a big part of the future.” OSN believes services such as WAVO will be a big attraction to its subscriber base over the next three to five years. It will be particularly important in markets such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and North Africa.
“It gives us a way to penetrate those markets in a way that consumers want. We have a very young, tech savvy, Millennial-based population across the region and they consume content in a different way. Traditional linear offerings won’t cut it with them in the future. Customers want OTT-based services that will primarily be available on mobile. I think the future for the industry and us is a mobile one,” said Stewart. “There are a number of things to overcome to make that a reality but mobile is the one big winner in the future. We can complement those subscribers and distribution with satellite and traditional IPTV. But this is going to be a mobile market.”
However, it is clear that OSN is looking beyond just traditional satellite pay-TV. WAVO is already an indication of the direction it is going, but this will not be the only major product launch the operator is involved in. “We are heading down a world where mobile delivery will be of paramount importance to us. In addition to WAVO, we are about to launch ASLI, which is the first short-formed curated content platform for the region. It will appear on WAVO for free and it will highlight all the wonderful content creators that this region has to offer. You are talking about people who have millions of followers; they will be major content creators in the future. This is a way that OSN will differentiate itself in the future,” Stewart added.
It is clear that Netflix is disrupting things for traditional pay-TV heavyweights. “I think they have reminded everyone that the customer is king. They focus on the customer experience, and on direct feedback on what customers are watching,” said Stewart. “They use that data to provide an even better service to subscribers. The other thing that they have changed is that fundamentally I see Netflix as a studio, but what is different about them is they are selling directly to customers rather than going through a third-party distributor. We are working with Netflix. It is important for us that if that customer is in our world, they can watch that content, whether it is Netflix, Paramount, or Disney — the key is they can watch it from an OSN box.”
Satellite Capacity Needs
With initiatives such as WAVO and a belief that OTT will make a strong impact in the region, it begs the question: will pay-TV operators such as OSN use more or less satellite going forward? What will be their future demands for satellite capacity? Stewart says he doesn’t think OSN will be using much less capacity but adds, somewhat ominously, that whether it will be using a lot more remains to be seen. Stewart believes it is about making sure the operator rationalizes the services so it can make best use of the capacity it has got.
“It is an interesting time regarding the deals we have for satellite capacity. A lot of the satellite deals are up for renewal over the next 18 months. We will be sitting with our various partners to discuss what is best for us, and best for them. We will plan our three- to five-year needs. I think satellite is always going to be important,” he added, when pressed on whether OSN was in the market for more capacity.
However, because it operates across many countries in the Middle East and North Africa, it is difficult to make apples-to-apples comparisons. Stewart points to the fact there are countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has a highly developed broadband infrastructure, but that this is not true everywhere else, and broadband infrastructure is developing at different speeds across the region.
“I think satellite will have a very important part to play in the region as a whole, so you can have ubiquity of coverage. Satellite is also the only way to distribute Free-to-Air (FTA) channels across the entire region. It is always going to have a strong position. I think for us as a company, given the competitive challenges that we face, we need to have an offering that is distinct, and that is clearly understood in the minds of consumers,” he added.
OSN operates in well over 20 countries in the region. Some markets are well-developed; some are not. In terms of which markets offer most opportunity for the operator going forward, Stewart highlighted three regions to look out for, the first being Saudi Arabia, which is a very well-developed market with high levels of income and good infrastructure. He believes there is a huge propensity to consume content in all forms. The second one Stewart mentioned is Egypt, due to the sheer size and scale of the market. He doesn’t believe anyone has really cracked this market from a pay-TV proposition yet. Finally, he talked about the whole of North Africa, which is also completely new territory. OSN is working to develop its French language content and its subtitling to penetrate that market, he added.
In terms of technology investments, OSN will be bringing a couple of new set-top boxes to market. OSN will also be investing in a new digital head-end platform so its streaming capability will be state-of-the-art. “We will be looking at the data we will be gathering from customers and how we can surprise and delight those customers in real time. That is the really big change that companies like ours are going through. You have to be at the point where a lot of the new OTT competitors are and that is being able to use data in a way that really allows you to be very precise when offering the best customer experience possible, almost on a one-to-one basis,” said Stewart.


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After long lines for toilet paper and masks, another item is flying off Hong Kong shelves during coronavirus outbreak – flour
Apr. 11 Uncategorized Comments Off on After long lines for toilet paper and masks, another item is flying off Hong Kong shelves during coronavirus outbreak – flour
After an earlier run on masks, hand sanitiser and toilet paper, the latest item proving almost impossible to find in Hong Kong during the coronavirus outbreak is flour, forcing baking enthusiasts to make do with substitutesIn supermarkets across the city, the cooking staple has been flying off the shelves, with residents scouring different neighbourhood branches hoping to find a few overlooked boxes.Tara Chan Chung-yee, a 30-year-old lawyer, checked more than a dozen grocery stores on Hong Kong…
Apr. 02 Uncategorized Comments Off on New England Patriots team plane flying 1.2 million medical masks from China
A New England Patriots team plane loaded with 1.2 million N95 protective masks is on its way back to Boston after picking up the vital supplies in China.


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Justin Timberlake & Amanda Seyfried Skip To Madrid To Promote ‘In Time’
They have been globe trotting nonstop to bring attention to their film recently landing in London, New York and Los Angeles.
Justin opted for a dressy casual look, wearing a black wash jean with a tweed jacket and vest and black boots displaying a more rugged masculine style.
Amanda kept things classic, wearing a silk multicolored dress with burgundy heels that compliment her fair skin and blonde hair.
The two should congratulate their stylists for doing an outstanding job of keeping them looking fresh and young continuously during this press circuit.


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Hynix has reported a slowing down of growth in the memory chip profits as it posted its first drop in quarterly profit in two years, casting doubt on medium-term revenue growth.
SK Hynix President Kim Joon-ho told analysts that the problem was a change in product mix and a transition to more complex production technology will crimp third-quarter shipments growth for the key DRAM business. Analysts are concerned that DRAM shipments growth will be increasingly limited in the latter half of the year, given the technology migration issues, which would lead to slower top-line growth. But Hong said such concerns were overblown, as limited shipments growth would help keep supply tight and support chip prices.
Hynix posted an operating profit of $1.07 billion for the April-June period which is not to be sneezed at. But that result was 2.7 percent below the same quarter a year earlier. The other problem is the rise in the value of the won, which toll on revenue, which fell 0.2 percent compared with the previous corresponding period. The currency on average gained more than 9 percent against the dollar during the April-June quarter from a year ago.
President Kim said growth in shipments of DRAM chips, mainly used in personal computers and servers, would slow to a mid-single-digit percent rate in the third quarter, from 13 percent in the April-June period. Shipments of NAND chips, typically used in mobile devices, would slow to a high 20 percent rate from 54 percent.
He said that DRAM market trends will remain favourable due to better-than-expected demand for personal computers as well as data centre-related server demand.
"The launch of new mobile products by major companies and the development of LTE-related demand in China will likely keep demand-side conditions firm," he added.
Analysts played down concerns of a supply glut arising from the company's plans for capital investment in the second half of 2015, and expected short-term earnings to remain firm.


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JAPAN: Nissan exits Chinese heavy vehicle market
Nissan has said it will transfer its Chinese medium and heavy commercial vehicle business to its partner in the country, Dongfeng Motor Group.
The automaker, which long ago sold off its Nissan Diesel heavy truck unit, has already withdrawn from the medium and heavy commercial vehicle market in Japan and said it intends to refocus on passenger and light commercial vehicles, the Japan Times reported.
Nissan did not disclose the price of the Dongfeng deal.
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iflix, the world’s leading subscription video on demand (SVoD) service for emerging markets, has introduced onto the Ghanaian market a new platform to help promote local content.
The platform serves as a digital hosting and distribution channel for Western and Asian dramas obtained through partnerships with over 150 studios and content distributors globally, including Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Disney, Warner Bros, Paramount, NBC Universal, Fox, CBS, BBC, Sony Pictures and Discovery.
Country Manager of iflix Ghana, Abner Briandt, speaking at the launch of the application in Accra said; “From today, consumers could sign up for a one-month free trial through iflix’s platform, or by downloading the app to their phone or tablet from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.”
“It will give them unlimited access to thousands of the world’s best television shows, movies and more,” he said.
He said their presence in Ghana and on the continent demonstrates iflix’s confidence in Africa, adding that, Africa was without question one of the world’s most dynamic regions with an astronomical growth in population driven by a strong youth ratio.
Given that in 2020, Africa will have 720 million smartphone users, Mr Briandt said iflix Ghana was taking steps to meet the entertainment needs of those growingly connected viewers.
“There is something overwhelmingly exciting about operating in an emerging market such as Ghana, where innovation can leapfrog decades of development,” he added.


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ITV executive chairman Michael Grade hit out at Ofcom's restrictions on junk food TV advertising last night, calling the move "nonsense."
Grade was speaking on a panel of TV chief executives at a seminar on "The Third Age of Television" put on by commercial TV marketing body Thinkbox at the Roundhouse in London's Camden.
Grade said: "There is common cause between broadcasters and advertisers to wean the government off the idea that the answer to problems is restricting advertising. Thinking that will change the way people behave is nonsense. Either ban the products or get out of our lives!"
Responding to a question as to whether new technology would harm TV scheduling, Grade said it would be the consumer would decide how it wants to view programmes. "They will enjoy a range of choices and they will tell us. What excites me is that it extends the value chain of what we do best, which is to create content. The internet will never compete with what we do, it's an add-on," he added.
Talking about the power of the commercial TV industry, he said: "We've got to put the story of how potent TV is as a marketing weapon at the centre of the radar. We have a hell of a good story to tell and we don't do a good enough job of telling it."
In response to what he'd like to see in the next three years, Grade replied: "I'd like to wake up one morning to find everyone is digital enabled and has high-definition. That would be wonderful."


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By Juliet Bennet Rylah
WEST HOLLYWOOD — The city will experiment with a car-free Robertson Boulevard on weekends this spring in an effort to increase foot and bicycle traffic and provide additional opportunities for outdoor dining and other activities.
The City Council unanimously voted in favor of the proposal, co-sponsored by Councilmen John D’Amico and John Erickson, during a virtual meeting Feb. 16. Starting in mid-April, Robertson will be closed to vehicles at 6 p.m. Saturday through 2 a.m. Monday. The southbound closures will extend from Santa Monica Boulevard to the driveway at Anawalt Lumber, while the northbound lane will close from Santa Monica to El Tovar Place. The closure is designed to allow access to public parking lots and space for cars to turn around, if necessary.
Robertson Boulevard is a busy street, especially where it crosses Santa Monica. According to a city staff report, this “highly trafficked intersection is the epicenter of West Hollywood’s nightlife, with dozens of bars, nightclubs and restaurants within walking distance.”
Though the pandemic has caused a sharp downturn in nightlife everywhere, this particular area can get crowded with too many pedestrians for the sidewalks to accommodate and congestion caused by vehicle traffic, including taxi and rideshare drivers picking up and dropping off customers.
Throughout the three-month pilot, the city will monitor feedback from residents and business owners, particularly those that may be affected by the closures. This includes Hedley’s, a restaurant that uses the street for food pickups; and Anawalt Lumber. Owner Fred Anawalt wrote in opposition to the pilot program, saying it would negatively impact weekend sales by impeding customer access. After the pilot has ended, the city will decide if it wants to continue through the summer or expand hours to include Friday evenings.
The city has considered a pedestrian-friendly Robertson Boulevard for several years. In 2012, the City Council asked staff to evaluate a similar proposal, but deferred the issue due to concerns over parking.
This time around, the council cited several potential positives when making its decision, including pedestrian safety and more space for nearby businesses to offer outdoor pop-ups — something that’s become especially common during the pandemic through the city’s Outdoor Use Temporary (OUT) Zones program. In addition to outdoor dining, D’Amico suggested yoga classes, food trucks or carts and using the space to resume Alcoholics Anonymous or other support group meetings.
The motion received considerable support via public comment from residents who said the area lacks pedestrian space, such as Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, and noted that it’s sometimes hard to navigate crowded sidewalks without walking in the street anyhow. Supporters also indicated they would like to see Robertson become a pedestrian zone every day, and would be interested in doing the same to other streets.
David Cooley, who owns the nearby restaurant and nightclub The Abbey, also voiced his support during public comment, as did CicLAvia founder Aaron Paley. Paley wrote that in his experience with open streets events, he’s seen the benefits they can offer nearby businesses and how important open spaces are for people.
“We’re actually seeing that in the pandemic,” Paley told a reporter. “Businesses need to spill out into the public space, and the public space is inadequate. We have these very narrow sidewalks because we have spent the last century in Los Angeles taking the public space away from the public and giving it to the cars.”
In 2015, Madeline Brozen of the Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, part of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, published a study examining the economic impact of four CivLAvia events in 2013 and 2014. It found that while some businesses, such as grocery stores, received less business on CivLAvia days, smaller retail outlets like convenience stores and restaurants saw increased business. Additionally, businesses that actively participated in the community event saw a 50% increase in sales on average.
Opposition to the closure came from residents concerned about increased traffic on residential side streets, which they argued could prevent or limit emergency vehicle access, and a loss of parking.
Councilwoman Sepi Shyne pointed out that most residents have permit parking on their streets and because the closures still allow access to public lots, the only lost parking will be metered street parking. She also noted this is only a test.
“If it doesn’t work, like with all our other pilots, we could scrap it. If it works and people enjoy it, then maybe it gets expanded,” she said.
Other commenters were opposed to testing anything during a pandemic. However, Mayor Lindsey Horvath said other pilots have started during the pandemic in part because there is reduced traffic overall.
“Those changed conditions potentially create fewer impacts than when everything is business as usual,” Horvath said. “I think that if it can’t work in these constrained conditions, it’s definitely not going to work in everyday full-blown life,” she said.
Juliet Bennett Rylah is a freelance reporter who covers Hollywood and West Hollywood. She can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Those music streaming dollars
Music–streaming subscription revenues exceeded $4bn in the US for the first time in 2017. In addition, revenues from on-demand, advertising-supported streaming services spiked 35% last year to reach $659m, according to the RIAA.
Streaming music platforms accounted for almost two-thirds of total US music industry revenues in 2017, and contributed nearly all of the growth.
Leading streamer Spotify, which listed yesterday on the New York Stock Exchange, says it expects to have as many as 76m paid-up subscribers at the end of the first quarter, with total monthly actives users running to 171m.
Spotify is forecasting 96m paid-up subs at end-2018, with annual revenues amounting to as much as $5.3bn.


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NEW BREMEN – The eighth annual Artisan Showcase in New Bremen will take place Saturday, Sept. 26, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The showcase will highlight artisans who create art such as jewelry, paintings, wood carvings, reclaimed furniture and more. The Artisan Showcase is an event highlighted at the annual New Bremen Pumpkinfest.
The Artisan Showcase is looking for interested artists. Spaces are limited, and those interested are asked to contact the Artisan Showcase as soon as possible to fill out an application and reserve a booth. Booths are $70 for a 10 x 10 space before May 1 and $80 after May 1. The deadline for applications is Aug. 1.
The New Bremen Pumpkinfest is known nation-wide. In 2010, organizers baked a 20-foot diameter pumpkin pie that is featured in the Guinness Book of World Records. Additionally, in 2011 the Weather Channel filmed the event and aired it on national television.
To receive an application for the Artisan Showcase, contact Jessica Wendel at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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YotaPhone E Ink and LCD dual-screen smartphone out late 2013
Yota Devices has joined forces with Bookmate to offer a better E Ink reading experience
The world’s first dual-screen smartphone with LCD and E Ink displays – YotaPhone – has been a long time coming. We first spotted it exclusively at CES 2012, then it was officially announced in December 2012 with a 2013 released date. Now it’s confirmed to be launching internationally in the second half of 2013.
The YotaPhone team has revealed that it’s joined forces with Bookmate, Russia’s fastest growing digital reading platform. The handset promises to let you browse books and magazines with virtually no power drain – you don’t even have to wake up the phone.
Let’s hope that the Bookmate deal is a sign of things to come when the YotaPhone is rolled out internationally – if they palled up with the likes of Nook or Amazon, this could be the Kindle Phone we’ve been waiting for. With Amazon selling Kindle hardware at a loss to make digital sales, that doesn’t seem impossible.
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New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) US-based Dow Corning Corp has extended its SAP information delivery system to customers in India to provide them immediate access to the support and information they need anywhere in the world.
Dow Corning provides performance-enhancing solutions to serve the diverse needs of more than 25,000 customers worldwide.
'This additional investment in India will support the growth of our customers' businesses,' said Raj Kapur, managing director, Dow Corning India Pvt. Ltd.
'This will result in increased efficiencies and effectiveness.'
SAP, world's largest inter-enterprise software company will automate the management of Dow Corning's global supply chain; customer and supplier data; and accounting, billing and fulfilment processes.
Dow Corning has been making investments in India for more than 20 years. It has an office in Mumbai, a new manufacturing and application engineering and technical service site in Pune, and warehouses in key cities across India.


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Fouse Elementary is celebrating student birthdays with a new treat this year thanks to a gift from its PTO.
In addition to a birthday pencil, students now get a token to select from the various options in the school’s new book vending machine.
“We wanted to get books in every kids’ hands,” PTO Treasurer Elissa Hejduk said. “When kids see the vending machine, we thought it could spark excitement.”
She said PTO members proposed purchasing the vending machine, which costs more than $5,000, after learning about it from a national PTO Facebook page. The group used its scholastic dollars as well as money from last year’s dance-a-thon fundraiser to purchase the machine.
The machine arrived last spring and the PTO members stocked it over the summer with newer book titles students would see at book fairs.
“To have the opportunity to send a child on an adventure, opening their eyes to new experiences and expanding their imaginations is a tremendous blessing to me and makes all of the planning and prep work we put into the book fair 100% worth it,” said Amy Hohman, the PTO’s book fair chair. “Having the book vending machine is just the sprinkles on the cake; an added bonus to being the book fair chairperson. Hearing their excitement when they walked pass the vending machine was priceless.”
Principal Robb Stranges said it has added some excitement to an already special day for students and gives them an academic connection to their celebration.
“Getting books they want in their hands and having them at home and being able to keep them is a special thing,” he said.


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Wellington Tourism is trying to catch the attention of Australians in Sydney and Melbourne through a new online campaign that features several well-known Aussie business people experiencing what the capital city has to offer. Developed in partnership by Tourism New Zealand, Positively Wellington Tourism (PWT) and Destination Marlborough, the three-part ‘Inspired by Wellington’ campaign, which was executed by Whybin\TBWA Sydney, is currently being rolled out via the Wellington Tourism website.
Browsing: Positively Wellington
Wellington is pretty proud of itself. And rightly so. But in a nod to its incessant capitalisation of things–and also to April Fool’s—the Positively Wellington Tourism folk decided to laugh at its own expense and the expense of some of its regional rivals by claiming a few more titles.