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Luk Hing Entertainment Group Holdings Ltd, operator of the Club Cubic nightclub (pictured) at Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd’s City of Dreams casino resort on Cotai, filed this week for a listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange’s small cap Growth Enterprise Market.
The firm said it is in the process of “preparing for the expansion” of Club Cubic to a premises adjacent to the current venue. Luk Hing added it expects to incur capital expenditure of “not less than HKD15 million (US$1.93 million)” for the expansion.
Luk Hing’s filing “lifts the veil on Macau’s nightclub industry,” said a note on Wednesday from Union Gaming Securities Asia Ltd.
As part of its application, Luk Hing gave detailed information on its 2015 operating revenues, profits and margins.
The amount Luk Hing seeks to raise via a listing was edited out of the publicly available version of Monday’s filing. The public version said the planned expansion of Club Cubic would consume some proceeds – and the opening of new clubs. Club Cubic currently covers 25,780 square feet (2,395 sq metres) a modest footprint compared to most Las Vegas casino nightclubs.
Luk Hing’s announcement comes at a time the Macau government has said it would like the city’s six casino operators to increase the range of non-gaming amenities offered at their casinos.
In 2014, fewer than 10 percent of Macau casino resorts’ gross revenues came from non-gaming activities, estimated Fitch Ratings Inc in a report issued in August.
Union Gaming analyst Grant Govertsen said in his firm’s Wednesday note offering commentary on the Luk Hing filing: “The 2015 revenue story of US$16.2 million at [Club] Cubic compares to the top clubs in Las Vegas [each] generating in excess of US$100 million.”
He added: “The nightclub scene in Macau is very small relative to Las Vegas and consists of Cubic and just a handful of other venues including the recently opened Pacha Macau at Melco Crown Entertainment’s Studio City.”
The latter reference was to a Cotai property majority-owned by Melco Crown that launched on October 27.
In its Monday filing Luk Hing said that in 2015 Club Cubic generated an after-tax profit of HKD9.4 million, and achieved a net profit margin of 7.5 percent.
Some other insights in the offering document were that the club in 2015 generated a total of 131,928 customer visits, or approximately 361 per day; and that the average spending per customer was HKD822. Sales of champagne amounted to HKD52.5 million, or 56 percent of all beverage sales at the club during the 12 months.
During 2015 Luk Hing paid HKD11.2 million in rent and profit share to City of Dreams, added the filing.
Union Gaming’s note said: “We estimate Melco Crown received approximately US$1.4 million in rent and profit share in 2015 that would show up in ‘entertainment, retail and other’ on Melco Crown’s profit and loss statement. [Club] Cubic-related revenue to Melco Crown was slightly more than 1 percent of this line item last year.”
The brokerage added, referring to another nightclub brand recently added to Melco Crown’s Macau portfolio of non-gaming operations: “With Pacha operating at Studio City, nightclub-related revenue for Melco Crown is likely to increase significantly in 2016, although we would still expect it to remain a rounding error as it relates to the total ‘entertainment, retail and other’ revenue line item.”
Union Gaming estimated a “significant portion” of the customer base at Club Cubic is Macau locals, what it termed expatriate ‘locals’, and Hong Kong residents, “hence the stability in revenue in 2015”.
On Tuesday, Melco Crown’s Macau market rival Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd announced it was reopening on April 15 the China Rouge nightclub at its Cotai flagship property Galaxy Macau. It will have what the firm termed a new “open door and booking policy”.
The club had been “temporarily closed for enhancement” with effect from March 30 last year, the firm had previously said.
China Rouge opened in March 2012 as an “exclusive members only performance lounge,” according to company statements at the time.
Macau casino operator Wynn Macau Ltd opened a Tryst nightclub at Wynn Macau in December 2006, but closed it after only four months.
Several investment analysts have told GGRAsia that non-gaming amenities have the potential to be popular in Macau if the content is market appropriate.
Melco Crown’s The House of Dancing Water show at City of Dreams had its premiere in September 2010 and is still in residence there.
Earlier this month Lui Che Woo, chairman of Galaxy Entertainment, told business news specialist Bloomberg that the firm planned to build a small but “unique” theme park as part of the next two phases of its Galaxy Macau property.
Apr 24, 2024Gaming technology and content provider FBM has launched an online gaming platform in the Philippines, called FBM E-Motion. “FBM E-Motion promises to change the way local players interact with FBM...
”[Las Vegas Sands] conservatively would like to reduce absolute debt levels at Sands China given debt raised during the pandemic”
Colin Mansfield and Connor Parks
Analysts at CBRE Capital Advisors


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Sony Pictures Television has named Erin Weinger vice president of social and editorial at its Creative Center, an internal agency for global branding and marketing creative. It’s also promoted Nicki Batalli and Tony Saccoccio to vice president.
In her new role, Weinger will oversee social content strategy and will focus on creativing exclusive content and storytelling experiences for consumers of SPT content around the world. Before joining SPT, Weinger was a journalist at such publications as the Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter and Vogue Australia. She has co-authored two books with Song of Style influencer Aimee Song and is currently co-authoring a beauty book with celebrity hairstylist Tracey Cunningham.
Batelli, formerly executive director of operations, has been promoted to vice president, operations, for the Creative Center. She began her career at NBCUniversal where she led the operations and systems migrations of Comcast’s networks to NBCU’s processes and platforms.
Saccoccio was promoted to vice president, production for the Creative Center, up from executive director. Saccoccio’s background includes theatrical creative advertising and content at A+E and Lifetime and account management at Troika Design Group.
Weinger, Batelli and Saccocio join Glenn Bartlett, vice president of creative, who spearheads ideation and execution of 360-degree campaigns, brands and visual identities for SPT’s various networks and programs.
All four report to Kasumi Mihori, senior vice president, brand creative.

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Any alleged benefits from the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (KORUS), which was signed into law last week by President Barack Obama will certainly come at a high cost.
In addition to the 159,000 lost American jobs predicted by economists, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the trade agreement will cost the United States approximately $7 billion between 2012 and 2021.
The cost estimate report submitted earlier this month to the House and Senate states:
“According to the U.S. International Trade Commission, the United States collected about $660 million in customs duties in 2010 on $48 billion of imports from Korea. Based on expected imports from Korea, CBO estimates that implementing the tariff schedule outlined in the U.S.-Korea free trade agreement would reduce revenues by $158 million in 2012, and by about $7 billion over the 2012-2021 period, net of income and payroll tax offsets.
“This estimate includes the effects of increased imports from Korea that would result from the reduced prices of imported products in the United States, reflecting the lower tariff rates. It is likely that some of the increase in U.S. imports from Korea would displace imports from other countries. In the absence of specific data on the extent of this substitution effect, CBO assumes that an amount equal to one-half of the increase in U.S. imports from Korea would displace imports from other countries.”
To read more about the projected impact of KORUS on our federal, state and local governments, click here for the complete text of the CBO’s Cost Estimate report.


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SheTrades Gambia and the Youth Empowerment Project of the International Trade Centre have set up an innovative way to redirect the purchase of onions by hotels, restaurants, or roadside stalls to local farmers.
In 2020, with borders closed and international freight routes shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, imports of many food items came to a halt. For many years, this was a big blow to the consumers like hotels, restaurants, or roadside stalls. They used to import food products to the Gambia.
The consequences were equally devastating for local Gambian farmers, with a complete breakdown of their market opportunities. The ‘Lumos’ (local, weekly markets) were suspended, and transport links fell apart due to COVID-19 related restrictions.
Women farmers operating in communal horticultural gardens were in the middle of the harvest season for onions – a favorite vegetable of many Gambians.
SheTrades Gambia and the Youth Empowerment Project of the International Trade Centre, together with partners, addressed the situation by identifying onion importers left without stock and agreeing to buy the local produce.
The project successfully created direct linkages between women’s gardens across the Gambia and the buyers by hiring transporters and associations to move the produce.
As a result, the women farmers benefitted in several ways: many learned about buyer requirements, including packaging, and some used scales for the first time to weigh their produce, getting a better understanding of how prices are determined and how they can negotiate with buyers.
“SheTrades has removed me from a hole,” says Jonma Manneh Jukadou, a farmer from Dasilameh. “The middlemen were exploiting us with low prices. I want to thank the project for the intervention. I am very happy and motivated to grow more onions next year.”
One main challenge was the skepticism of the farmers. But the International Trade Centre and its partners were able to facilitate the sourcing of 173.6 tonnes of horticultural produce and generate an income for mostly women farmers of around $86,000 during a particular time of need.
The OPEC Fund for International Development and the Enhanced Integrated Framework is funding the International Trade Centre’s SheTrades Gambia project. In addition, the European Union Trust Fund is financing the Youth Empowerment Project in The Gambia.


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Sony has accustomed us to a pace of relaunching of games of PlayStation on PC: Approximately two years after the original release on PS5, they arrive on PC (and Steam Deck) with technical improvements and adapted to PC.
The latest release has been Returnal, which came out on PC in February 2023, just over two years after it launched on PS5. The previous one was Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales, which also came out just two years later.
Which one is next? Following this logic, the next PS5 exclusive to come out on PC would be Ratchet & Clank: A Dimension Apart, the acclaimed 3D platformer from Insomniac Games which came out in June 2022.
But we do not only have this theory: there is another reason to believe that the last Ratchet and Clank It’s going to come out sooner or later on PC: a job offer from Nixxes.
Evidence to believe that Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is coming soon to PC
As they have discovered on the GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit, the Nixxes studio has published a job offer looking for a programmer for whom experience in the use of Coherent middleware is valued.
This software system has been created by Coherent Labs, and has been used, among other AAA games, in Racthet & Clank: A Dimension Apart.
So it would make sense that Nixxes (a studio that was bought by PlayStation in 2021 to port their games to PC) is working on a port of Ratchet. Precisely, they previously worked on the PC ports of the Spider-Man games, which are also from Insomniac Games.
On the other hand, this doesn’t have to mean anything, but it certainly wouldn’t be far-fetched.
The Ratchet & Clank saga has never been released on PC, and while it would make more sense to start with the 2016 remake/reboot, the 2021 installment was more appreciated, particularly for its use of SSD technology to generate those “portals” to others. worlds instantly.
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Want to know what 10,000 cupcakes looks like?
There they are — boxes and boxes of the signature pink boxes from Georgetown Cupcake, being loaded on military cargo planes at Andrews Airfare Base, ready to be shipped abroad to various undisclosed locations where U.S. troops are stationed.
Operation Cupcake by Georgetown Cupcake!
The annual tradition called Operation Cupcake is part of the philanthropic DNA that’s been instilled in the two Greek Canadian sisters by their parents and grandparents.
It’s the 14th year of the campaign, which has made thousands of soldiers happy with a touch of home during the holiday season when they’re far from family and loved ones.
Katherine and Sophie, natives of Hamilton, Ontario, left corporate jobs to pursue their dream of baking. They opened their first shop in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington DC, appropriately named… Georgetown Cupcake.
They worked hard, stayed true to authentic recipes and baking tips learned by their mom and grandmother — like using only the freshest of ingredients and never settling for substitutions. The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, they have several shops on some of the most famous avenues in the country, including in SoHo in New York City, on Boston’s swanky Newbury Street and on Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. Their online mail order business is booming, sending pink boxes of cupcakes to every corner of the United States — thousands a month.
They’re best-selling cookbook authors and television stars with their own hit reality show.
But deep down, Katherine and Sophie are two sisters who never forgot where they came from and never forgot what Christmas means — giving.
Is The Pappas Post worth $5 a month for all of the content you read? On any given month, we publish dozens of articles that educate, inform, entertain, inspire and enrich thousands who read The Pappas Post. I’m asking those who frequent the site to chip in and help keep the quality of our content high — and free. Click here and start your monthly or annual support today. If you choose to pay (a) $5/month or more or (b) $50/year or more then you will be able to browse our site completely ad-free!
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Next Thursday night in Toronto, a new documentary called Underneath the Empire will be screening at TIFF Bell Lightbox—the home of cinema in Canada.
The star of the documentary is Scarlett Bobo, and it tells her story about creating a new, more inclusive kind of drag show called Empire’s Ball.
“I started Empire’s Ball because there has been so many competitions in the city and they all involved only drag queens—which is basically a man in a wig and a dress,” she explains in the trailer (below).
“I wanted to start something that included everybody, every aspect of drag, every aspect of performance.”
The documentary, and Scarlett Bobo herself, are at the heart of a grassroots-led campaign from Absolut Vodka. Called “Changemakers,” the campaign features four people working hard to change the world for the good—to be more inclusive, fair and sustainable.
Absolut has a long history of supporting LGBTQ+ and minority communities, the arts and sustainability, said Dan Flecker, senior brand manager for Absolut Vodka, Kahlua and Malibu at Corby, which represents Absolut in Canada. But a lot of brands have started talking about themselves in the “hashtag woke” space, he said.
For Absolut, it was time to go further and do more—to connect with a new generation of consumers by taking meaningful and tangible action to support those pushing for inclusivity and diversity, and helping the environment.
“We were kind of done with talking about our legacy and how great we had been. I wanted to start acting on it,” said Flecker. “That was the crux of it. It was just ‘What kind of cool shit can we start to do to support communities and genuinely give back?'”
Along with Scarlett Bobo, the “Changemakers” are Randell Adjei, a community activist, author and artist in Toronto who wants to inspire more people through his art, and the Hollinsworth sisters, Hailey and Bree, who started the sustainable fashion line Ungalli.
With Ungalli, Absolut wanted to produce a line of sustainable clothing. “And then we decided ‘Let’s recycle a lot of the old iconic ads that Absolut has,’ so we created a collection which we called the Aboslut Comback X Ungalli collection” (which quickly sold out).
Adjei, meanwhile, created a spoken word piece about the change he wanted to see in the world. A video was shot around that poem with the Changemakers and friends. “We are agents of change” stands as the anthemic rallying cry for the campaign, with smaller shorter videos cut and pushed out through digital and social.
Working with WPP’s SJR for creative and Havas for media, the campaign appeared in market in late October with simple, high-impact out-of-home: striking photography with inspirational quotes from Adjeis piece.
“What excites me about this campaign is that Absolut has always strived to be an agent of change as a brand and now we’ve taken it a step further to help facilitate creating positive change for our general consumers,” said Lina Kim, VP, group account director, for Havas Media Canada. “Taking a localized approach was key (i.e. the selection of local Changemakers and community groups), to create an emotional and authentic message that would resonate strongly with Canadians,” she said.
The intent was to be grassroots, authentic, genuine, even quiet, said Flecker.
“We wanted the brand to take a bit more of a backseat, and let the people talk—let the people shine through.” The brand is always present, but primarily through its iconic bottle silhouette and neon lighting. The message is not about the vodka, but about Absolut shining a light on these Changemakers. To further ensure all of the content is truly authentic, each piece of the campaign—from the documentary, to the trailer and videos and every outdoor execution—was reviewed and approved by the featured individuals, said Flecker.
“We wanted to make sure they feel included, that they feel that it is accurately representing them. Because there are so many sensitivities that we might not intuitively pick up, and as soon as they explain it you go yeah that makes sense.”
In the last few days, through a partnership with Vice, Absolut launched Absolut iD, a new fundraising component tied to each of the Changemakers. For every view of either the trailer for Underneath the Empire or “We are the agents of change,” Absolut will donate $1 to a charity chosen by each of the Changemakers (up to $10,000 per charity). Scarlett Bobo chose Rainbow Railroad, Adjei chose Manifesto, and the Hollinsworth sisters chose the David Suzuki foundation.
The campaign will run until Dec. 23, and then Absolut will look at how well it performed and where it can go next—who might be the next Changemakers that it can help. Regardless of what’s next, Flecker feels this was the right campaign for this moment in time.
“I think this is very much a global truth, but Canada feels more divisive than ever,” he said. “It can be deflating and quiet unnerving.
“But within that we know that there’s still those people out there that choose to really lead with love. They bravely champion for inclusivity, a sense of progress and very much looking towards the sustainable future.”
“We wanted to highlight these Changemakers… because you do see a lot of fear and hate and we wanted to rally against that. And do it in an inspiring way, but most importantly a way that genuinely connects with a new generation of consumers.”


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American adults are nearly as likely to smoke marijuana as cigarettes, a new Gallup poll finds, with consumption of the latter at a 75-year low.
In fact, adults between 18 and 29 are more likely to smoke marijuana than cigarettes—a trend that could have a significant impact on the tobacco and cannabis industries going forward.
Fifteen percent of Americans now say they smoke cigarettes, compared to a high of 45 percent in the 1950s.
Meanwhile, about 12 percent reported smoking cannabis—which is about the same level that it’s been for the past four years.
Public health campaigns have helped spread awareness about the dangers of cigarettes, which are responsible for the deaths of nearly 500,000 Americans each year. Conversely, the marijuana legalization movement has effectively put an emphasis on the therapeutic benefits of cannabis.
A separate Gallup poll from last year showed that Americans view marijuana as significantly less harmful than cigarettes.
This latest survey doesn’t directly suggest that people are swapping cigarettes for joints, but it identifies demographic trends that could further explain how the cannabis market could soon overtake the tobacco industry despite the fact that cigarettes are federally legal and widely available at gas stations and convenience stores while marijuana is not.
“The once commonplace habit of cigarette smoking has dwindled to the point that fewer than one in seven Americans smoke,” Gallup wrote. “And although smoking has long been associated with lower socio-economic groups, smokers are now an exceedingly rare breed among upper-income and highly educated Americans.”
— GallupNews (@GallupNews) July 25, 2019
“But perhaps more significant for the future of the tobacco industry is that—even with recreational use of marijuana legal in only 11 states—higher percentages of young people report smoking marijuana and vaping than say they smoke traditional cigarettes,” it continues. “This contrasts with adults over 30, who remain more likely to be cigarette smokers than vapers or marijuana users.”
In other words, young adults are largely driving the trend, signaling where things could be heading for the country overall in the coming years. Twenty-two percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 said that they smoked cannabis in the past week while 14 percent said they smoked cigarettes in that time. The numbers are roughly flipped for those aged 30 to 49, 11 percent of whom said they smoked marijuana and 19 percent who said they smoked cigarettes.
The survey, which involved phone interviews with 1,525 adults from July 1-12, includes some other interesting demographic information about cannabis consumers.
—College graduates are more likely to use marijuana (13 percent) than smoke cigarettes (9 percent).
—College graduates and those who didn’t attend college consume cannabis at the same rate (13 percent).
—Men are just as likely to smoke cigarettes (15 percent) as they are for marijuana (15 percent), while women are significantly less likely to smoke marijuana (9) percent than cigarettes (15 percent).
—Twice as many people with incomes of $100,000 or more smoke cannabis (10 percent) compared to cigarettes (five percent).
“How these patterns evolve may depend on the regulatory environment around e-cigarettes, as well as ongoing trends in the production and sale of marijuana-based products,” Gallup said, noting that the Food and Drug Administration recently gained regulatory authority over e-cigarettes.
“Meanwhile, legalization of marijuana is on a roll at the state level, and could eventually earn federal support,” the survey states. “At the same time, the explosion in the sale and use of hemp-based CBD oil could strip marijuana of some of its medical appeal, while the mass legalization and production of marijuana could hamper its social appeal.”
Photo courtesy of Martin Alonso.


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Switzerland, one of the highest per capita countries in the world, has identified processed food, natural ingredients and value-added textiles as potential products that Philippines can export to their country and into the larger EU countries.
A recent study by experts from the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO) presented insights into Swiss and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and into the larger European markets opportunities for Filipino agricultural products and offer guidelines for exporters. The study also presented insights into EFTA markets’ trade regulations, market access requirements, and market demand in a webinar entitled `Export Opportunities to Europe` during the recent National Export Congress. EFTA States – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland – signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Philippines in Bern, Switzerland, on 28 April 2016. The EFTA-Philippines FTA entered into force on 1 June 2018 for the Philippines, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland and on 1 January 2020 for Iceland.
The studies show that coconut sugar, dried fruits, and fruit purées for fruit based beverages or as ingredients for dairy, ice-cream or confectionery as well as natural ingredients, which are indispensable components in food, cosmetics, and health products, have high export potential to EFTA and European markets. Authors point out to include narratives on sustainability, creativity, and eco-friendly production to jive with European consumer preferences.
Swiss Ambassador to the Philippines Alain Gaschen said, “We are convinced that the Philippines can find the means, talent, and energy to position the country in the international stage as a supplier of innovative, attractive, and sustainable items especially in the markets of certified and ecological products. I expect to find more Philippine products in our supermarket shelves in the near future”.
This project is an example of the close economic cooperation between Switzerland and the Philippines, and is anchored on the EFTA-Philippines Free Trade Agreement implemented since 1 June 2018.
According to the study, natural ingredients are indispensable part of the international food, cosmetics and health product market and also having already shaken off the trend image for some time. It said the Philippines can become a supplier of indigenous and innovative, though traditional, natural ingredients and can therefore benefit from an international growing “natural” industry.
“The Filipino market for natural ingredients can offer a number of advantages, however, those need to be strengthened and consolidated institutionally, to also evolve into an advantage for the Filipinos engaged in cultivation, collection and processing of respective ingredients,” according to the study.
The study identified six main Philippine product groups of natural ingredients as MAPs, essential oils, oilseeds, vegetable oils, extracts, and seaweed/hydro-colloids.
The study noted that production in the Philippines is often a natural one, without chemical inputs, fields and plantations can be regarded as organic without certification – in many cases – due to lack of financial means, supply chains and lastly, know-how. Organic certification is a realistic short-term option for products from the Philippines, if given legislation, support and structures assist achieving this goal.
“Such a development can be a door opener for the diversification of export markets,” the study said.
However, even with the step before, establishing sustainable supply chains, implementing a profound traceability system, assuring adequate cultivation, post-harvest treatment (GACP) as well as processing under simple, but standardized circumstances, are important. Additionally, pro-active communication, increasing the quality of products crucially will lead to growing interest from the European buyers’ side.
There is an obvious global tendency for market requirements to become stricter. Consumer preferences in the national market and in regional markets follow the same trends as in European high-end markets.


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We are here to give you the most updated information regarding the release of Real Me 11 Pro. According to rumors, RealMe India started a tease campaign before the Realme 11 Pro+ 5 G release. On May 10, the smartphone will be released in China. It is already generating excitement in India. The company’s features have increased Indians’ interest in the product and piqued their curiosity. The information provided so far on the smartphone must pique the interest of our viewers. We are here to share the information we have found with you.
Follow our website, yojanashakti.com, for the latest updates!!!!
According to the report, RealMe 11 Pro +5 G will be available shortly in India, albeit the precise launch date has yet to be disclosed. However, as it prepares to launch in China on May 10, information about its features and specifications is becoming available online, and tech enthusiasts are scrolling down to learn everything RealMe will have to offer. A few important characteristics, including the phone’s design, display, and camera specifications, have been made public by the firm. The phone launch was anticipated for the end of this year, but there are rumors that it may happen sooner.
Realme 11 Pro+ 5G could be released in India.
Regarding the phone’s specifications, it is known that its design would have a curved rear panel composed of vegan leather materials. The business has also announced that the primary camera would include a 200MP sensor. A Samsung HP3 sensor is anticipated to be included on the rear of the gadget. It would have a curved AMOLED screen to sustain a 120Hz refresh rate. There are rumors that the battery will have a 5000mAh battery inside.
According to sources, the company also provides 100 W fast charging support. Additionally, the phone is anticipated to ship with up to 256GB of storage. If we’re talking about cameras, the camera will have a 200MP triple-camera configuration. There will be a 2MP macro sensor and an 8MP ultra-wide lens. Indians anticipate the phone’s arrival because it has so many exciting features. The expected cost is close to Rs 30,000. Let’s wait and see what the Realme will display.


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Ynon Kreiz, the newly appointed CEO of Mattel, revamped the toy company’s Hollywood ambitions in September 2018 and established a films division that would focus on licensing and partnerships with studios after failing to secure major titles, such as the Barbie movie adaptation featuring Anne Hathaway.
After a year, Hasbro, its competitor, decided to expand and produce their own movies by rebranding themselves as Marvel Studios and having ties to Warner Bros. International, which is owned by the company. This led to the acquisition of Entertainment One for $3.8 billion in August 2019.
The year 2016 has seen a divergence of perspectives on content creation, licensing, and production. Toy manufacturers have either embraced partnerships or abandoned them, while Mattel’s approach to licensing and working with major studios has been adopted by Hasbro.
Mattel’s Barbie, produced by Warner Bros., has surpassed the $1 billion mark at the summer box office. Meanwhile, Hasbro sold eOne for $500 million, which is several billion less than its original purchase of the producer, after its own attempts to become Marvel failed.
After acquiring eOne, Hasbro’s strategy with longtime CEO Brian Goldner involved collaborating with Paramount Pictures to create and distribute film and TV content related to Hasbre toy brands like Transformers, G.I. Joe, and My Little Pony. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was a disappointment, grossing only $208 million globally after its release in March, while the next installment of the Transformer series, based on the Toy Story franchise, has earned $433 million worldwide, including the sequels that financed the original movie Based
Prior to the eOne sale, Hasbro had a 6,500-title library that it could use for licensing revenue from noncore IP.
After the death of Goldner in 2021, Chris Cocks took over as Hasbro’s CEO and aimed to transform the company into a digital gaming powerhouse, while eOne was considered largely noncore. This led to Hasbra focusing on its toy businesses and listing it for auction before Lionsgate revealed its acquisition with $500 million in cash.
The focus of Hasbro’s current strategy is to convert legacy tabletop games from traditional franchises like Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons into digital video games. This approach has led to the creation of films inspired by toy franchise movies that were unsuccessful at the box office, thanks to its eOne sale and subsequent expansion into virtual gaming.
Hasbro’s strategy is being influenced by Mattel, which seeks to manage franchises with major studios.
The toy companies have been subject to a change in expectations from Wall Street.
The eOne deal was also praised by Stifel analyst Drew Crum, who noted that management had to lower their entertainment outlook due to the planned divestment and adoption of an asset light model for entertainment. He described the deal as “addition by subtraction” because of the weaker entertainment perspective.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that Hasbro’s plan to own and operate film and TV production and distribution businesses, based on the vision of former CEO Goldner, was an entertainment strategy that could have worked, but it came with significant risks. This included operating eOne beyond its core competencies, which necessitated greater financial investment while using up cash flow in a subpar business.
It was no wonder that doubts arose, as an activist investor urged Hasbro to spin off its Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming division to gain shareholder value. This was followed by rumors that the COVID-19 pandemic had contributed to the damage done to Hollywood’s ambitions through production and cinema closures, leading Wall Street to favor the Mattel model for making X factor 1 films into mainstream success.
Following the success of the Barbie movie, Mattel is banking on its two-decade partnership with Warner Bros. to create products for fans. The toy giant has renewed its licensing deal with Discovery Global Consumer Products, which grants exclusivity to over 50 WBD brands and franchises by providing toys, dolls, vehicles, and games.
Mattel designs toys that are based on WBD brands, including DC Comics and the Harry Potter franchise, as well as programs like Ted Lasso, Friends, and Seinfeld.
The CEO of Mattel, Kreiz, highlighted the company’s approach to Hollywood following the release of Barbie during their earnings call in late July.


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Apple today restocked its U.S. stores with certified refurbished iPhone 12 Pro models, which first hit shelves in April of this year. Available in a variety of storage capacities and colors, it starts at $759 (about $5,130.84), showing a savings of $140 (about $946.4) off the original price of $899 (about $6,077.24).
Apple’s online refurbished store currently offers refurbished iPhone 12 Pro models in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage in gold, silver, graphite and navy. Orders placed today are expected to arrive as early as next week, with in-store pickup supported at select Apple Store locations.
The Apple iPhone 12 Pro launches in October 2020 with a starting price of $899, which means a roughly 15 percent discount on the refurbished price. Apple stopped selling the new iPhone 12 Pro phone when it released the iPhone 13 Pro last year.
Refurbished iPhone 12 Pro models are unlocked and SIM-free. All refurbished iPhones come with a new battery, a new case, and a new white case that includes all manuals and a USB-C to Lightning cable. All refurbished iPhones are covered by Apple’s standard one-year warranty and are eligible for the AppleCare+ extended warranty.
Apple says its refurbished iPhones have been thoroughly tested and cleaned. Media outlets say there is little to no difference from a brand new iPhone. The only significant difference between certified refurbished iPhones is the simpler box.
Key new features of the iPhone 12 Pro compared to the iPhone 11 Pro include a new design with flat bezels, an A14 bionic chip, 5G support, MagSafe magnetic charging, an ultra-ceramic crystal panel, a LIDAR scanner and camera improvements.
Apple has not yet begun selling certified refurbished iPhone 12 Pro Max models in U.S. stores.


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Mobile giants have been accused of patent infringements by an unheard of company in the Cayman Islands.
However, the case isn’t just confined to Nokia and Apple, with, Sony Ericsson, Kyocera, RIM and Motorola also accused of infringing patent rights held by two companies, Conexant and ESS Technology.
Cayman islands company, Imperium (IP) Holdings, Inc are accusing some of the biggest players in the industry of using image sensors on their devices, which are patented by Conexant and ESS Technology.
Imperium, filed the case in Texas in the US on March 18, although not much else is known about the mystery company, which has a small office in New York, according to reports.
The infringements in question relate to Patent 6,271,884, which relates to ‘Image Flicker Reduction with Fluorescent Lighting,’ held by Conexant, a listed California based tech corp, since 2001, puts the Apple Mac iSight camera system as well as its IPhone in the firing line, according to Patently Apple.
The other four Patents 6,838,651, 6,838,715, 7,064,768, 7,109,535 pertain to image sensor and imaging technology, all registered by ESS Technology, which specialises in digital video technology, and listed as a subsidiary of Imperium Partners Group.
The company also supples to Samsung, LGE, Philips, Sony, Sharp, according to their website.


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The signs are now up outside Barnes and Noble’s highly-anticipated new Upper East Side bookstore set to open at the corner of East 87th Street and Third Avenue, however, Upper East Site has confirmed the bookseller will miss the spring opening it had previously planned for the store as construction continues.
The opening of the new UES bookstore, which is moving vacant retail space on the ground floor of the Agora Building, located at 1550 Third Avenue, across from Whole Foods Market, has been pushed back several months to this summer — with July now being eyed as the right time for the new store’s opening, the bookseller confirms to Upper East Site.
ALSO READ | Dangerfield’s to be Reborn as Group Eyes Reopening the Legendary Comedy Club
Barnes & Noble announced it would be returning to the Upper East Side in a big way last November, with plans for a smaller, but still pretty large footprint bookstore inside the space that was formerly a Duane Reade pharmacy spanning 8,000 square feet that closed back in 2020 — well short of the 55,000 thousand square feet of space previously occupied by Barnes & Noble on 86th Street.
While B&N tells Upper East Site the new UES location is still in the planning and design stages, one thing we know for sure is that there will not be a Starbucks location inside the bookstore. Which is probably a good idea, considering the mega chain has one of their coffee shops directly across East 87th Street.
ALSO READ | Longtime UES Health Food Store to Close Permanently Next Month
The windows are still covered with graphics announcing a spring 2023 opening, however Upper East Site was able to sneak a peek inside the new bookstore on Thursday. The buildout of the space was clearly still in the early stages of construction, with materials piled up inside the vacant space as contractors busily completed their tasks.
Thankfully, we’ve also obtained some photos of Barnes & Noble’s recently opened bookstore on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. Upper East Site has learned the new UES store will have the same open, uncrowded and minimalistic design that makes the books for sale the primary focus.
What a concept.
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The world of AI is fast and exciting fied that many startups are tackling.
Forethink and VimAI are two startups at Aalto Startup Center who is offering AI technologies and are part of Aalto Startup Center’s Business Generator Program.
Forethink is a startup that wants to improve e-commerce by refining the browsing experience of an online store and the discovery experience. They are solving the issue of turning an internet shopper who is just browsing into a paying customer. They do this with their AI-based 1:1 live personalization and turns the store’s catalog into a “Smart” catalog and thus converting window-shoppers into new purchasing customers.
Forethink is an excellent example of a Finnish government’s effort to encourage multicultural startup ecosystem, being one of the first startups with “Startup Permit” holder.
“Last year, when we went to Arctic15, we had just started our company and we met with a lot of potential clients who were interested in our technology,” says Solip , co-founder of Forethink “This year, we want to show our development and show what we have produced in the last year.”
VimAI enables indoor augmented intelligence by taking advantage of computer vision and machine learning techniques. By using mobile phones to scan the indoor environments and build 3D models, VimAI uses this visual data to recognize objects and understand the location. This all enables for high precision indoor localization and navigation.
It will be the first time VimAI is participating at Arctic15 and they are looking for their next seed round. VimAI preferred the term “augmented intelligence” as augment intelligence plays more of an assistive role, emphasizing the fact that cognitive technology is designed to enhance human intelligence rather than replacing it.
VimAI is also a classic example of a startup with the “Ideas to Impact” slogan which Aalto Startup Center has as the team was formed via a commercialization research project from Aalto University in 2017. They were recipients of the “Tutli” money and were able to start a company.
Today, VimAI has paying pilot customers and is constantly improving their technology. The three segments customers that they are targeting are industrial organizations, shopping centers, and real estate management.
Take a look at an example of what Vimai technologies can do.
You we will see us in Arctic15. See you there!
Milla Kalliokoski, email@example.com
Arctic15 Project Manager


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SoundCloud brings direct streaming to Serato, Traktor and more
Written by worlddancefm on 26th October 2018
Soundcloud has announced that all SoundCloud Go+ subscribers will soon be able to stream SoundCloud’s catalog directly into a number of various kinds of DJ software.
Partnering with Native Instruments, Serato, Virtual DJ, Hercules, Mixvibes and DEX3, those paying for the SoundCloud subscription will be able to use any tune from the streaming services 190 million track offerings and cue it up for mixing purposes at any time.
Details regarding how the infrastructure of this ambitious partnership will actually work have not been revealed as of yet. “SoundCloud is committed to empowering creators with the best tools and resources to grow their careers, which is why we are excited to partner with these leading companies to help DJs take their workflow to the next level,” said Kerry Trainor, Chief Executive Officer at SoundCloud. Through these partnerships, DJs will have the largest, most diverse streaming music catalog ever assembled instantly accessible within the tools they use every day.”
SoundCloud Go+ is currently available for $9.99 per month. The rollout of this new partnership will start at the beginning of 2019.


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Mar 11, 2014
Urban Outfitters warns on current-quarter results after sales miss
Mar 11, 2014
Teen apparel retailer Urban Outfitters Inc reported lower-than-expected quarterly sales, citing severe winter weather in the United States, and said it was "very cautious" on its current-quarter performance.
Shares of the company, known for its Anthropologie, Free People and Urban Outfitters brands, fell 3 percent in extended trading.
The company's overall same-store sales, which include online sales, rose 1 percent in the fourth quarter ended Jan. 31.
However, comparable sales in the Urban Outfitters chain fell 9 percent as its merchandise failed to impress shoppers and severe winter weather dented traffic to its stores.
The brand contributed 43 percent to the company's total sales in the quarter.
Urban Outfitters' total sales rose 6 percent to $906 million, but came below the average analyst estimate of $925.9 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
"I believe that current quarter sales at the Urban (Outfitters) brand will remain well below those achieved in the first quarter last year and margins will likely be under considerable pressure," Chief Executive Richard Hayne said on a conference call with analysts.
The company's net income rose 7.4 percent to $88.7 million, or 59 cents per share, from $82.5 million, or 56 cents per share, a year earlier.
Analysts on average had expected 54 cents per share.
Urban Outfitters' shares were down at $36.75 in trading after the bell. The stock closed at $37.51 on the Nasdaq on Monday.
© Thomson Reuters 2023 All rights reserved.


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After more than a year of anticipation, Austin’s seafood haven Clark’s Oyster Bar has finally landed in Houston.
The restaurant opened its third largest location over the weekend, on Sunday, October 22, in Montrose, and staying true to its brand offered a bevy of seafood classics, including East and West Coast oysters, lobster rolls, saucy mussels and clams, delicate crudo, daily fish specials, and piping hot bowls of chowder. The restaurant is promising other fare, too, with catches from the Gulf and seasonal fish around the country, bread baked freshly in-house, including its popular sourdough, and its award-winning pan-roasted Black Angus Hamburger, which is topped with Sauce Gribiche and gruyere cheese, and a side of its cult-favorite shoestring fries.
Those familiar with Clark’s know that its dedication to seafood goes far beyond its menu. Its decor also drives home a nautical, dock-side aesthetic, with nods to New England, including a yellow and white striped awning, a painted shiplap, and a marble-topped raw bar.
Diners can also experience various styles of seating depending on their mood, whether at the raw bar’s counter, the spacious bar that seats 23 people, the dining room, which is complete with leather booths, or the expansive outdoor patio, which seats 90 people. The Houston local will also be the only Clark’s to have its own private dining room.
Clark’s, which opened its first location in Austin in 2012 and its second in Aspen, Colorado in 2018, announced that it would open an outpost in Houston in February 2022, with owners noting that it would make its debut by the end of the year, taking over the former location of an auto shop in Montrose. Only now, though, is the restaurant finally here, but better late than never. The recent opening follows the emergence of other seafood restaurants in the past year, which have further tapped into Houston’s local love of seafood. Chef Aaron Bludorn and his team opened Navy Blue in November 2022, followed by the already-acclaimed Little’s Oyster Bar, which opened in Montrose in May 2023, and most recently, Balbao Surf Club, which opened in September 2023 just steps away from its sister restaurant Il Bracco on Post Oak Boulevard.
Clark’s is open daily, with weekday lunch served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and dinner starting at 3 p.m. on weekdays and at 5 p.m. on weekends. Weekend brunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Happy hour runs on weekdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and valet is complimentary. 3807 Montrose Boulevard, 77006.


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Papa John’s has selected Havas Media as its integrated media agency of record after a competitive pitch, the beleaguered pizza chain has confirmed.
The company spent $136 million on measured media in the U.S. last year, according to Kantar Media.
The appointment comes after Interpublic’s Initiative resigned the account last summer in the wake of racist comments from Papa John’s then-chairman John Schnatter who resigned from the post a short time later.
The Pizza giant continues to take measures following damage that the company has said was exacerbated by Schnatter’s public statements, racist remarks and management of the company until his departure in July. Last year he blamed the NFL for flagging sales at the company — insisting that the league’s viewership had dropped because it didn’t adequately deal with on-field player protests.
Schnatter had been the face of the company in most of its marketing materials up to the time he resigned as chairman.
At that point, the firm severed all ties and Papa John’s ads have taken a new Schnatter-free direction that features company employees and franchisees talking about the firm and the communities they serve.
Late last week, the company announced a new organizational structure that establishes what the company said are “dedicated roles and responsibilities around each consumer touchpoint.” The people in those new roles report to Mike Nettles, newly named executive vice president, chief operating and growth officer. Nettles joined the company last year.
Several executives received promotions under the new setup:
Justin Falciola has been named senior vice president, chief analytics and technology officer. He most recently served as vice president, global enterprise architecture.
Anne Fischer is now senior vice president, customer experience. She was most recently vice president, product management.
Paul Fabre has been elevated to senior vice president, menu strategy and innovation, having most recently served as vice president, r&d and quality assurance.
Melissa Richards-Person has been promoted to senior vice president, chief brand officer from vice president, global brand strategy and consumer connections.
Steve Ritchie, president and CEO of Papa John’s, said: “Improving how we engage with our customers is core to the new operating priorities announced earlier this year.
By aligning our leadership structure around the customer experience, our team’s diverse talents will be leveraged to drive enterprise-wide change and pioneer new innovations that accelerate the
This story has been updated.


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Based on the first 24 weeks of the financial year, Premier Retail expects its first half earnings to land between $221 million and $233 million. This is a 75 per cent to 85 per cent increase on the same period of 2020, which saw Premier earn $126.1 million.
According to the business online sales have continued to accelerate, up 60 per cent on last year at $146.2 million, contributing 20.4 per cent of the total group sales. But despite the strong growth, Premier chairman Solomon Lew said the business’ greatest priority has remained its team and customer’s safety.
“The challenges posed by Covid-19 are the greatest set of risks I have ever seen in more than six decades in retail,” Lew said.
“During the first half we had rolling lockdowns and shutdowns in multiple countries all at a moment’s notice… [The team’s] dedication, skill and commitment are evident in [these] record-breaking results.”
Premier Retail operates The Just Group, Smiggle, Portmans, Peter Alexander, Jay Jays, Jacqui.E, and Dotti.
The Australian business has seen like-for-like sales growth of 26.2 per cent, while the global figure rose 18 per cent. Global sales for the 24 week period have grown by 5 per cent to $716.9 million.
During the period the business said it continued to pay over 1,200 staff full-time and part-time team members when stores were shuttered, and while it was eligible for the first round of JobKeeper, it isn’t receiving JobKeeper 2.0.
Premier expects to release the final first-half figures in late March.


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(PRESS RELEASE) -- Bragg Gaming Group is now registered as an approved service provider by the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, allowing for the distribution of online casino games, including Bragg’s proprietary and exclusive games portfolio, via the Bragg HUB aggregation platform to operators in the soon-to-be launched Latin American iGaming market.
The award of a B2B license reinforces Bragg’s position as a leading supplier and content aggregator in the Latin American region which is known for passionate fans and customers alike.
Bragg’s constantly updated online casino aggregation product boasts over 9,000 titles all delivered by the Bragg HUB content delivery platform, while the Bragg Remote Gaming Server (RGS) is licensed, certified and approved to deliver casino games across more than 25 international regulated gaming markets.
In addition, the full-service Bragg Player Account Management (PAM) platform features a proprietary set of tools including player and payments management, automated KYC, compliance, CRM and promotions, as well as fraud and risk management.
All content delivered on the Bragg HUB aggregation platform comes with the company’s Fuze™ promotional tools as standard which offer player engagement features on games such as free rounds, free bets, tournaments and quests. Fuze™ promotions work with both online casino and sports betting products delivered via the Bragg HUB.
The B2B license in Peru forms part of Bragg’s strategy to offer its services to more partners in the LatAm region, as more countries prepare to regulate both online casino and sports betting.
Bragg Gaming Group is fully compliant with Peruvian regulations and will allow local operator partners to manage their entire product suite. Bragg Gaming Group’s Peru B2B license is under its Oryx Gaming Limited subsidiary, registered by MINCETUR under license number PSV0079.
Ivica Jovanovski, Head of Aggregation at Bragg Gaming said: “Bragg has a proven track-record of quickly adapting our cutting-edge platform technology and games to the regulatory requirements of new jurisdictions, and we are excited to be fully prepared and ready to offer our services immediately when the Peruvian online market opens.”
“Peru has great potential as a new market, and we look forward to assisting our operator partners through the process of launching competitive offerings online, including a portfolio of premium games which can be enjoyed by Peruvian players.”
The Peruvian market
According to H2 Gambling Capital, the online gambling market in Peru is projected to generate USD 390 million in gross win in 2024, with over 50% attributed to the online casino vertical.
Over the next three years, the Peruvian market is projected to grow by 10% annually, and will be worth an estimated USD 0.5 billion by 2027, highlighting the tremendous growth potential for the region.


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Chrysler Group LLC is recalling 26,397 vehicles, saying a malfunction with the power steering pressure hose may cause steering fluid to leak over a hot engine and cause a fire.
The affected vehicles include the 2011 Dodge Ram, the 2010 Chrysler Sebring, Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Dodge Avenger, Dodge Challenger and Dodge Journey, according to a letter dated Oct. 18 and posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.
A spokesman for Chrysler, the U.S. automaker controlled by Fiat SpA, did not immediately comment. The company said in the letter that it was not aware of any injuries or accidents related to this issue.
Chrysler notified U.S. safety regulators of the problem earlier this month. The supplier of the hose is YH America South Carolina LLC.
(Reporting by Deepa Seetharaman, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)
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Digital TV News: DivX
Roku signs IP license agreement with DivX
Nov 15, 2021 – DivX has signed an intellectual property (IP) license agreement with Roku. DivX plans to continue its patent licensing as a world leader in the research and development of digital video technology.
News categories: DivX, Roku, Brian Way, Digital TV, Licensing, Patent, Worldwide
Hisense to integrate DivX HEVC in its 4K Ultra HD TVs
May 27, 2015 – NeuLion (TSX: NLN) has announced that Hisense will integrate support for its DivX HEVC Ultra HD video playback into its 4K TV product portfolio.
News categories: NeuLion, Hisense, Kanaan Jemili, Erin Magee, Licensing, Media Player, Smart TV, Streaming, Worldwide
Broadcom cable SoCs DivX Certified for HEVC Ultra HD
Apr 13, 2015 – NeuLion (TSX: NLN) has announced that Broadcom's family of Ultra HD solutions has been DivX Certified for HEVC Ultra HD, enabling support for 4K video streaming on cable set-top boxes.
News categories: NeuLion, Broadcom, Kanaan Jemili, Joseph Del Rio, Cable TV, Digital TV, Media Player, Semiconductor, Set Top Box, Worldwide
Altech selects DivX HEVC Ultra HD and DivX Plus HD for STBs
Jan 20, 2015 – DivX and Altech have announced an agreement to license and integrate DivX Plus HD and DivX HEVC technology into Altech's upcoming set-top boxes. The devices will be made available to consumers through retail and operator channels.
News categories: DivX, Altech, Dr. Kanaan Jemili, Marco Caputo, Digital TV, Media Player, Semiconductor, Set Top Box, South Africa, Streaming, Worldwide
Realtek first chip certified for DivX HEVC 4K streaming
Jan 5, 2015 – DivX and Realtek Semiconductor have announced that Realtek's RTD2984DX-GR Ultra HD SoC has achieved DivX HEVC Certification, enabling streaming of highly efficient DivX HEVC video at up to 4K resolutions on new Ultra HD TV sets.
News categories: DivX, Realtek, Dr. Kanaan Jemili, Yee-Wei Huang, Asia, CES2023, Media Player, Semiconductor, Smart TV, Streaming, Worldwide
Siligence chooses DivX HEVC Ultra HD technology for 4K STBs
Jan 5, 2015 – DivX and Siligence have announced that Siligence has signed a license agreement to implement DivX HEVC technology in its set-top boxes, enabling the playback of video at up to 4K resolution in the living room.
News categories: DivX, Siligence, Dr. Kanaan Jemili, Didier Zwierski, CES2023, Digital TV, Europe, Media Player, Set Top Box, Streaming
GoLive selects DivX OmniView to power Smart TV OTT service
Jan 5, 2015 – DivX has announced that GoLive Movie has selected its DivX OmniView to power the secure delivery on-demand movie content to smart TVs. The service will be available initially in China on televisions from TCL.
News categories: DivX, TCL, Dr. Kanaan Jemili, Apps, CES2023, China, Digital TV, Smart TV, Streaming
Konka chooses DivX HEVC for 4K TVs
Oct 15, 2014 – DivX and Konka have announced that the two companies will work together to implement DivX® HEVC Ultra HD (4K) technology across Konka’s line of 4K digital televisions.
News categories: DivX, Konka, China, Digital TV, Media Player, Smart TV, Worldwide
Mei Ah adopts DivX HEVC video streaming for mobile devices
Sep 11, 2014 – DivX has announced that Mei Ah Digital Technology has upgraded its license agreement and will adopt DivX® OmniView to power the delivery of on-demand DivX HEVC video streaming to mobile devices.
News categories: DivX, Mei Ah, Dr. Kanaan Jemili, Steve Law, Asia, Content Distribution, Content Protection, Digital TV, IBC2022, Media Player, Mobile, Streaming
- Comscore expands 48-hour television reporting
- TCCL deploys iWedia Android TV Custom Launcher
- LiveU joins AWS Partner Network
- 63% of rural Americans bundle internet and TV
- IAS offers ad verification solution on APS Connections Marketplace
- Charter to acquire assets of Maine-based Bee Line Cable
- FAST channels redefining premium video distribution
- Frontier adds integrated billing for YouTube TV
- M2A Media to debut encoder-based ad insertion at 2023 NAB Show
- GTPL Hathway partners with Broadpeak for OTT service delivery
- ZEE5 now available on Astro's Ultra and Ulti boxes
- Emitel to pilot dynamic ad insertion system in Poland
- MarketCast partners with VIZIO to measure ad performance
- NextGen TV launched on local stations in Rochester, NY
- FCC proposes pricing transparency for cable and satellite services
- Tubi announces new planning integrations and partnerships
- Bitmovin and MainStreaming partner to deliver broadcast-quality video streams
- New products and more countries for Amazon-built TV range
- Pay TV subscribers in Eastern Europe to fall to 73 million in 2028
- VIZIO selects Whip Media for WatchFree+ ad revenue reporting


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ASUS ZenFone Live L1 with Android Go released in Indonesia
Looks like ASUS has finally released their first Android Go smartphone in Indonesia, sporting a 5.5-inch 18:9 display, Snapdragon 425 chipset, and 3,000mAh battery, the ASUS ZenFone Live L1.
The ASUS ZenFone Live L1 (ZA550KL) sports a 5.5-inch HD+ (1440 x 720 display, 16GB of storage, triple-slot tray with support for up to 2TB microSD cards, a 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, Face Unlock feature, and 4G VoLTE. Powering it is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset, 1GB RAM, 3,000mAh battery, and Android Oreo Go Edition.
Pricing and availability outside Indonesia are yet to be announced.


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Juniper Research has released a report on the state of In-App mobile ad spending. According to this report advertisers will be spending $7.1 billion on In-app mobile advertising by the year 2015.
It has been estimated that the amount spent on In-app mobile advertising this year will be $2.4 billion. The study also estimated that the amount spent on In-app mobile advertising will triple by the year 2017.
A large part of this increase will be due to the increased use of rich media in ads allied to greater app usage.
Brands are already experimenting with apps like Shazam, which increase the engagement of the user, and increased engagement is likely to lead to a higher click through rate.
Marketers must ensure that their ad campaigns are well suited to the mobile format to increase the engagement of the users. Several brands are yet to adapt their campaigns to this form of advertising, and the sooner they do so, the better their click through rates will be.
North America and the Western European countries will be the leaders as far as In-app mobile ad spending is concerned and are expected to generate 60% of the revenue.


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Amazon Sponsored Product ads will now appear on third-party premium apps and websites.
Pinterest, BuzzFeed, Hearst Newspapers, Raptive and Ziff Davis brands like Lifehacker and Mashable are among the brands that are partnering up with the retail giant to increase reach for its Sponsored Product ad product.
The news comes after Amazon announced a multi-year collaboration with Pinterest to become its first ever third-party advertising partner back in April.
Why we care. Expanding the reach of Amazon Sponsored Product ads means marketers can potentially achieve higher conversion rates and increased return on ad spend, positioning their brands for success in a dynamic digital landscape. The new feature could also help address the attribution issue on Pinterest, which has proved to be a budget-limiting factor for advertisers, as huge discrepancies have previously been reported between the Pinterest dashboard and Google Analytics.
How it works. Amazon will identify users on the third-party platforms that are likely to be interested in your product by analyzing relevant page context, the campaign and cost-per-click parameters that you have already established. It will then display your campaign to this audience.
All ads on the third-party platforms will link back to your Amazon product page, enabling potential customers to easily make a purchase in just a couple of clicks.
Eligibility. Sponsored Products will only appear on third party premium apps and websites if they meet the following criteria:
- The product must be in stock.
- The product includes trusted Amazon shopping attributes such as Prime delivery promise, ratings and accurate pricing information.
Next steps. You don’t need to take any action for your Sponsored Products to appear on third-party premium apps or websites – Amazon will enable this feature automatically for you.
Campaign reporting will be available n the Sponsored Products placement report, which can be downloaded in the report centre.
What has Amazon said? Colleen Aubrey, senior vice president, Amazon Ads Products and Technology, said:
- “Sponsored Products has always been about helping customers discover products they may love.”
- “We’ve been building and evolving Sponsored Products in our store for more than 10 years, leveraging advanced machine learning algorithms to show advertising that’s highly relevant for customers, and therefore highly effective for the advertisers that choose to use it.”
- “We are excited to now apply what we’ve learned about connecting customers and products in meaningful ways to a range of great websites and apps.”
Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.
What has Pintrest said? Martha Welsh, Chief Strategy Officer at Pinterest, told Search Engine Land:
- “We’re excited to enter this next phase of our third-party partnership with Amazon Ads to bring more shoppable content onto the platform along with a great consumer buying experience. Shopping on Pinterest has never been easier.”
- “Now through our partnership, advertisers on Amazon are able to have their products appear in our search results, making ads on Pinterest even more relevant and actionable.”
- “Shopping is one of the top requests we receive from our users – more than 50% of users say they come to Pinterest to shop – and we’re continuing to deliver more ways to go from inspiration to action. We’re in the early stages of testing right now and seeing encouraging results.”
Deep dive. Read Amazon’s Sponsored Products announcement in full for more information.
New on Search Engine Land


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Connected home: Page 3
Consumers will now be able to control their Whirlpool washers and dryers, Mercedes-Benz vehicles and Logitech remote controls through Nest's operating system.
The deal signals that the connected home industry is rife with potential and gaining tremendous steam.
Former Apple exec Matt Rogers co-founded Nest, a smart-home product company that went from a garage startup to a $3.2 billion business.
As more aspects of our lives become connected to the Internet, the tech giant Google says that the definition of what is considered a 'mobile' ad is going to evolve.
Customers in South Korea can now purchase LG's smart fridges, ovens and washing machines equipped with a social messaging system called HomeChat.
Better late than never. Kind of. The Korean electronics maker's dull-ish inaugural connected lightbulb doesn't exactly turn us on.
Most consumers are now very aware that their computer could be targeted with malware. There is also growing awareness that the new generation of smartphones are also vulnerable to attack. However, few people are aware of the threat to other devices.
A roundup of the 10 most interesting new technologies that make us scratch our heads and say, 'What the heck?'
With this tool, a trip to the loo could get even more personal in the future.
From scheduling oil changes to monitoring you baby's health, new sensors will make your life easier to track in the next few years.
Security firm outlines a recent cyber attack using internet-connected household devices.
Here's a hint: It has to do with things people do 'twice a day.'
The tech giant expects its deal to buy popular smart-thermostat maker will close in the next few months.


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Over the past year, most of us have increased our awareness of the need for kindness and patience. People appear increasingly aware of restaurants’ tiny margins and have greater tolerance for dining glitches. That’s admirable, especially as the pandemic has thrown up new challenges to those we’ve collectively experienced before.
Many of the speakers at the recent Restaurants Canada online show showed cautious optimism for the 50 to 75 per cent of restaurants predicted to survive post-pandemic. Numerous important elements require consideration in predicting, shaping and driving that recovery: the consensus seemed to be it would be another year before we are mostly out of the woods.
Meanwhile, we’ll continue anxiety-inducing navigation of colour-coded regulations — how many individuals are allowed in an enclosed space; when to mask; is protective eyewear a thing now? — and considering what to actually do in a given situation.
Here are three practical suggestions to make everyone’s life a little easier.
Temper expectations at busy times
My wife’s gourmet group recently had an unfortunate experience at a restaurant when they placed a substantial collective order, well ahead of a Zoom dinner planned for the eve of a popular holiday. The experience was such that it left several group members gun-shy of picking up an order in person during COVID again.
Delving into that incident led to the conclusion that managing expectations is a shared responsibility.
Despite arriving at the agreed-upon time, pickup was a disaster. Individuals waited up to 90 minutes for their food. The pickup area was overcrowded — well beyond mandated limits — by customers and delivery service drivers alike. There was no systematic communication attempt by the restaurant to mitigate matters: customers were repeatedly told “five minutes.” Items were missing and diners allergic to certain foodstuffs found them present even though those ingredients were to have been excluded from their orders.
Diners must consider the implications of ordering food on the busiest days of the culinary year: the same applies to some extent for busy evenings or weekends. If customers decide to order anyhow, they should factor potential delays into their timelines.
Restaurants should ensure adequate staffing for busy periods and have a clear communications plan for when things go pear-shaped. If not declining new takeout orders to accommodate those already on the books, they should at least be ensuring pickup areas are not overcrowded and, if possible, have delivery service drivers pick up orders from a separate, designated area. Diners’ phone numbers should be taken to contact them when their orders are ready.
Karen Hammond, owner of Levetto restaurant, says she avoids these issues by not overbooking and spacing out takeout orders at 15-minute intervals.
Be a generous tipper
As if tipping were not a thorny enough issue, the pandemic has added new conundra. Should one tip for simple takeout? What about the driver, and should one make a distinction between what one gives a third-party delivery service driver and a restaurant staffer — or even owner — who is delivering an establishment’s food?
Our recent dinner from Levetto surfaced the issue again. The driver was part of the restaurant team, so should have been covered in the tip for the whole order, right? My handy millennial advised that was correct, but it still didn’t feel quite right to me. The word tip may have originated in England as an acronym for “To Insure Promptitude,” and our food had arrived fast — and it was Valentine’s Day weekend after all.
As the doorbell chimed, I grabbed a note from a section of my wallet I hadn’t cracked in almost a year. I tried to remain touchless as I handed it over to the driver who cheerfully accepted it. Nonetheless the transaction felt awkward, and almost grubby.
I turned to the internet to ask what others thought and was surprised by the results. Respondents, including several hospitality industry workers, were near unanimous in agreeing the second tip was not necessary where the driver was a staffer.
Tyzun James, owner of Pyrus Café, said any tips received go to the staff making the food, and for the past year and a half he’s used a local service, Mimshack Delivery K-W, that also serves various other area restaurants. In his experience most customers do not tip drivers so — because his point-of-sale system didn’t at that time have a ‘tip the driver’ option — they automatically added a gratuity on each transaction.
James says, “We got charged $8 per delivery — and we gave the company $10 as we knew there wasn’t much tipping via contactless. As such, we had over 1,000 deliveries with zero delivery or service issues. … It was seamless for the customers and fixed cost per delivery.”
Many restaurants are now offering set menus, which sometimes entails accepting the inclusion of an ingredient one dislikes or can’t tolerate, or dutifully dispatching an unwanted dessert. You can ask politely — but not insist — about the chance of a substitution for such an item.
While businesses are trying to survive, they inherently want to satisfy diners and chefs may already have an unadvertised alternative on hand, such as a gluten-free option.
Back to my wife’s group for a moment which, on a separate occasion, ordered from King Street Trio Uptown. The set menu the week they ordered featured a chocolate brownie. It did not occur to me to ask for something different for my dinner even though I’m not a fan of chocolate desserts. I learned during the Zoom call another member of the group, a celiac, received a vanilla panna cotta.
King Street Trio’s owner, Brian Plouffe, says, “We are always looking to accommodate, especially when we have some advance notice.”
My upside was a happy spouse who enjoyed a brownie for both dessert and breakfast. Happy wife, happy life.
And remember, if a substitution cannot be made, it’s not the end of the world: better times are coming.


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With the second-best performing IPO in the U.S. this year after Shockwave Medical Inc., Beyond Meat’s success is another sign that veggie burgers, particularly highly engineered varieties that imitate the taste of meat, are becoming more acceptable to the masses.
Consumers in developed nations are increasingly scaling back on meat consumption, mainly citing reasons related to health, the environment and animal welfare. The alternative meat industry could be worth more than $34 billion by 2030, with an annual growth rate over the next decade of 40% possible, according to TD Asset Management.
While even late-stage investors that participated in funding rounds just before the IPO made enviable profits, early investors garnered the most returns, said Nick Cooney, founder and managing partner at Lever VC, which invests in early-stage companies in the alternative protein sector.
Cooney was part of a team that invested in Beyond Meat in 2015 when the company was valued at just $145 million. It’s market value was about $5.6 billion on Thursday.
“We see huge potential, seeing the way the industry is trending, certainly in the U.S. but in other markets as well,” Cooney said of the alternative-protein sector.
Silicon Valley players Kleiner Perkins and Twitter Inc. co-founder Evan Williams’ investment arm, Obvious Ventures, are the top shareholders. After that are two Chicago-based funds: one that’s part of the Pritzker family dynasty and another headed by Thompson. They’re followed by Beyond Meat founder Ethan Brown and Executive Chairman Seth Goldman, who also founded Honest Tea.
Other big winners, aside from Beyond Meat executives, include another Twitter co-founder, Christopher Isaac “Biz” Stone, and former General Mills Inc. executive and pastry chef Bernhard Van Lengerich, who is invested as an individual and through his charity, Seeding the Future. They’re directors on Beyond’s board, like other top shareholders.
Evan Williams’ bet on veggie burgers is currently bigger than the bet on his own company. The stake in Beyond Meat held by Obvious Ventures, his investment arm, is now valued at $414 million. That’s $10 million more than the stake Williams still owns in Twitter, according to calculations by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Tyson Foods Inc. missed out on the upswing, having sold its 6.5% stake before the listing as it sought to develop its own competing products. Assuming it was sold at the IPO price, it would have received about $100 million for its holding. That stake is now worth about $260 million more today.
A rally doesn’t last forever, though, and short bets are also surging. This week, Beyond Meat was among the top 20 most-shorted U.S. companies, with nearly half of shares available for trading sold short.
Still, the El Segundo, California-based company’s success in the stock market may yet spur more vegan-aires. Eggless egg-maker Just Inc. said its weighing when to go public.


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After almost a year of bargaining, Missouri home care workers have reached a historic agreement with the state’s Quality Home Care Council that will raise wages from an average of $8.58 per hour up to $10.15 per hour for many. Home care workers will also receive holiday pay for the first time.
This victory comes just a week after hundreds of home care workers met at the Home Care Workers Rising summit in St. Louis and rallied to demand Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon raise wages. More than a hundred home workers united in SEIU’s Home Care Fight for $15 – both union and nonunion – attended the summit.
The agreement allows consumers to determine the wages of their home care workers. Choosing from a “wage range” of $8.50 to $10.15, consumers will be directly involved with workers and the union. The Missouri Home Care Union bargaining team viewed this unique proposal as a way to strengthen the relationship between better jobs and quality care.
“Home care workers in Missouri have fought long and hard–more than six years now–to get the rights and dignity that come with this contract,” said Linda Carter, a home care attendant from St. Louis.
“Because of our fight, and through the help of the Quality Home Care Council and Gov. Jay Nixon’s administration in reaching this agreement, home care attendants and consumers will be better off here than they ever have been,” she said.
The agreement must now be ratified by the Missouri Quality Home Care Council and by the members of the Missouri Home Care Union. (More details here).
This blog originally appeared on SEIU.org on October 21, 2014. Reprinted with permission. http://www.seiu.org/2014/10/victory-for-missouri-home-care-workers.php


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Weed is bad, m'kay? Dutch PM warns Canadians against sparking up
Canadians had barely enjoyed legal marijuana for even a fortnight when they received high-level advice against using it, from the unlikeliest of people: the prime minister of the Netherlands.
Mark Rutte’s warnings came on his Thursday visit to Canada, just over a week after its much-anticipated cannabis legalization. He and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau were talking pot use in front of a young audience in Ottawa.
The best policy on drugs for yourself is 'no first use.' It sounds conservative, but I would urge you: Don't try at all.
That, coming from the prime minister of a country where buying and using marijuana in designated spaces has been legal for over 40 years. Many of Amsterdam's five million annual tourists specifically flock to its "coffee shops" to spark up or eat pot edibles without fearing the long arm of the law.
Naturally, young Canadians were interested in Rutte's experience – but didn't get the endorsement they perhaps expected. One of the problems with today's cannabis is that it's "so much stronger than when we were young," Rutte said. He then mentioned his friends' children who were having mental health problems from its use.
“At least make sure that you don't move from this stuff to other drugs,” Rutte added, perhaps acknowledging that his advice may fall on deaf ears.
Canada is only the second country after Uruguay, and the first of the G20 countries, to fully legalize the growing, selling, and consumption of cannabis, with Trudeau saying the laws removed the “contact that people had with criminals.”
Despite his misgivings about cannabis use, Rutte said the Netherlands too were looking at potential reforms to their own laws, saying coffee shops now have no way of getting the product legally. He added a pilot project was now underway in 10 Dutch cities to fix that.
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Michigan Apple Queen will preside at the Flavorbest Apple Run
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gretchen Mensing
Sparta, Mich. – Join in a race to promote health and fitness at the Flavorbest Apple Run in Sparta on July 16. The 2005 Michigan Apple Queen, Paula Fisher of Berrien Springs, will be in attendance for this event. Fisher will be joined at this event by first runner-up Emily Westendorp of Dowagiac and second runner-up Ashley Wright of Belding.
The Flavorbest Apple Run gives attendees an opportunity to participate in a variety of events. There will be a 5K Competitive Race, a 5K Fitness Walk, a 5K Team Competition, and a Children's Fun Run.
“I am proud and enthusiastic about representing Michigan apples this summer at various parades and events across the state,” said Fisher.
The Flavorbest Apple Run is one of more than a dozen events the Michigan apple industry's royalty will be involved in this summer.
The Michigan Apple Committee is a grower-funded nonprofit organization devoted to promotion, education and research activities to distinguish the Michigan apple and encourage its consumption by consumers in Michigan and around the world. For more information, visit www.MichiganApples.com.


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But air travel has truly taken a nosedive (no pun intended) in recent years. While the system was never ideal, rising prices have seen airlines ...
Thursday, June 16, 2022
Monday, June 13, 2022
CDC's mandate which requires noncitizens traveling into the United States show proof of vaccination is still in effect.
... Deborah Flint and Westjet government relations vice president Andy Gibbons talk about what they say are improvements to the air travel experience.
Sunday, June 12, 2022
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to Kyiv with his counterparts from France and Italy before the Group of Seven summit at the end of June, ...
“Most families don't want to travel those distances and end up leaving the sport because of the lack of facilities,” she said.
Mika Singh spoke about Shaan's advice asking him not to travel in luxurious cars as he won't get work then. He said that he wanted to change that ...
But air travel has truly taken a nosedive (no pun intended) in recent years. While the system was never ideal, rising prices have seen airli...
Having learned more about the Omicron variant in the past several weeks, the CDC now recommends lifting the travel restrictions imposed in ....
Now that travel is picking up again, research on the fictional spy's travel practice provides helpful reminders to would-be adventurers ...
Texas-based 7-Eleven, Inc. is building a travel truck stop on U.S. 301 near Interstate 26 in Orangeburg. http://dlvr.it/SP7nKG


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Mumbai: Veera Health, a digital health platform for women, has raised $3 million in a funding round co-led by Sequoia Capital India’s Surge and Global Founders Capital, along with the participation of Y Combinator, CloudNine Hospitals’ co-founder Rohit M.A. and Tinder India head Taru Kapoor.
The funding will be used to scale the business and grow teams across engineering, product and operations.
Founded by sisters Shobhita and Shashwata Narain in August 2020, Veera Health is a digital therapeutics platform that helps women identify and navigate Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Other offerings include nutrition therapy, lifestyle coaching and doctor support.
“Indian women are ready for a modern, high-quality healthcare experience. PCOS is a massive need—it’s a lifelong condition that seriously impacts quality of life for millions of women around the world. Our vision is to start with PCOS and continue to expand to more women’s health conditions,” CEO Shashwata Narain said. “Being part of the target market ourselves, we understand the issues better than anyone else and are excited to build something that we can ourselves use in our lifetime.”
Veera Health offers a subscription-based programme that provides a customised treatment plan, administered by a team of doctors specialising in PCOS including gynecologists, nutritionists, dermatologists and mental health experts.
The company is part of the fifth cohort of Surge, which is Sequoia Capital India’s scale-up programme for startups in India and Southeast Asia.
India being one of the world’s foremost digital powers among emerging economies, over 70% of the CFOs consider the implementation of digital technologies as their topmost priority. On the other hand, rise in stringent regulatory policies has also contributed to enterprises digitally transforming their finance function. Lakshmi Nair, Partner, IBM chats with finance leaders S Tirumalai, CFO , Tata Chemicals, Tanushree Bagrodia, CFO, Laxmi Organic Industries , Yogesh Patel, CFO, Mahindra Logistics to know Are CFOs Digitally Ready For The Future?


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Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) plans to electrify 50% of its fleet by 2030 to support the continued adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in Illinois and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
More than 200 of its vehicles have electric hybrid or plug-in hybrid electric systems and another 10 are all-electric vehicles, ComEd, which is a unit of the Exelon Corporation, said. ComEd’s initial plan to electrify 30% of its fleet by 2025 will eliminate 2,000 metric tons of GHG emissions, in addition to the 4,000 metric tons that the ComEd fleet already avoids annually.
ComEd’s current fleet of 3,000 vehicles includes 1,400 biodiesel-fueled line trucks and another 430 units that are capable of running on high-level ethanol-gasoline blends, or E85, ComEd announced.
“Cleaning up the transportation sector is key to improving the lives of our citizens. Greening our own fleet is one way we can help create cleaner air in our communities. A crucial next step is preparing the grid to support increased electrification of our large customer’s vehicle fleets and the widespread adoption of personal EVs,” said ComEd CEO Joe Dominguez.
ComEd will replace end-of-life internal combustion vehicles with plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles, reducing fuel and maintenance costs and creating savings that will be passed on to customers, the company said. By 2025, all of the company’s light duty vehicles approaching the end of their life cycle will be replaced with electric vehicles, and all LDVs will be electrified by 2030.
There are now 21,885 EVs registered in Illinois, up from fewer than 8,000 registered EVs in 2017, according to the Secretary of State’s office. In addition to environmental benefits, key factors driving the growing popularity of EVs include lower operating costs compared to gas-powered cars.
Originally posted on Automotive Fleet


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The Effect that a Ban on Cryptocurrencies Will Have on Online Cricket Betting
The online betting world in India is very likely to face a big blow soon as the Indian government is preparing to ban private cryptocurrencies. A new bill that goes by the name of “Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill 2021” is all set to be passed in Indian parliament within the next month or so. In the following article, we are going to look at how a cryptocurrency ban will impact online cricket betting.
Why They Want to Ban Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies
It is fair to say that Bitcoin has become one of the most popular cryptocurrencies in the world, but there are some countries, such as India, that are not fond of it. This is because cryptocurrencies do not exist in a physical form and cannot be regulated by governing bodies. In other words, the Indian government does not like that fact that they cannot control how Bitcoin is used for transactions. They have been thinking about banning Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for a while now.
In 2018, the Indian government attempted to ban the use of private cryptocurrencies, and they tried to replace them with a digital edition of the fiat currency. At the time, the proposal was challenged and was not passed, but the Supreme Court ruled in their favour in 2020, and the bill will eventually be passed at some stage.
Apparently, they want this ban to fall in place to prevent illegal activities such as terror financing and money laundering that can be more easily done via the use of Bitcoin and other types of cryptocurrencies. China have already imposed a number of restrictions on the use of cryptocurrency, and it seems that India will soon be following suit.
The Effects of a Ban on Gambling
Any ban in India regarding cryptocurrency would lead to a ban on dealing in Bitcoin when it comes to things such as cricket betting. Bitcoin is not just there so people can buy services and goods, Indians use it and other cryptocurrencies in order to bet on their favourite sport, which is obviously cricket.
Yes, we are aware that betting is, for the most part, strictly prohibited across India, but although gambling is banned in the country, Indians can still bet at Bitcoin sites thanks to a little thing known as the Internet. There are many online casinos that are more than happy to accept players from India, especially the best Bitcoin betting sites, since they know that many Indians love to use this currency.
When it comes to online sports betting in India, the Indian Premier League, also known as the IPL, is an event that Indians love to place bets on. It is no wonder since this happens to be the richest and biggest T20 league in the world. Whenever there is an IPL match on, millions of dollars are bet on it across India. Also, there is a new trend nowadays, and this is placing bets on virtual games. The demand for cricket and other games through mobile apps has increased, and online gaming is becoming more and more popular.
Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies have gained popularity over a period of time because they have helped to create new ways to gamble online. When it comes to payments, Bitcoin crosses the borders more easily because it is not traceable. Also, when people are gambling, they often like to remain anonymous, and this is where Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies come in use. You can deposit a large amount of money somewhere using Bitcoin, and nobody will be able to tell that it was you who made the transaction. This is great because nowadays banks are refusing loans to those who gamble – so people can use crypto to bet on their favourite sports and still get the loans that they need.
Recently in India, an online betting racket worth 1000 crore was found, and they had been using cryptocurrency in order to remain hidden. If this new Bitcoin law ban does eventually get put in place, they would definitely weigh heavily on India’s cryptocurrency ecosystem. It would eventually lead to tighter security checks, and inspections for all types of gambling, with or without cryptocurrency.
Those bettors who relied on cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin will end up having to find another way to make their bets, such as making use of fiat currencies or placing bets outside of the country. If this law comes into being, then you can expect to see quite a big dip in the number of bettors in India. Also, the amount that is bet would also decrease quite dramatically until gambles find a good substitute to carry out their online betting. This means that many of the best online gambling sites will probably think twice about accepting players from India as it would not be worth their while.
China Is an Example of What Could Happen
One need only take a look at China to see what could happen when the ban comes into being. When China banned the use of cryptocurrency in 2017, the price of Bitcoin dropped by 6% almost right away. So, if the ban goes through in India, we would not be too surprised to see a similar, or just slightly lower, drop. Also, Bitcoin had to close its trading operations in China, and they would likely have to do the same in India whenever this new law is put into place.
So, the restrictions will not only have an impact on online gambling, but it will also have a negative impact on traders and investors that deal in Bitcoin. This means that many companies that are currently operating in India using Bitcoin might opt to leave the country and take their business elsewhere, which will obviously have a negative impact on India’s economy. So, maybe the Indian government will want to think about this more closely before they go ahead and set the bill in motion.
Whatever Happens in India Will Not Have Much of an Impact on Cryptocurrencies
Whether the ban goes through or not in India will not have much of an impact on cryptocurrencies on the whole, since gambling using cryptocurrencies is something that becomes more popular with each passing year. Using crypto to play classic table games such as roulette and blackjack at casinos is something that continues to surge, and the value of crypto currency, as can be seen here, is something that continues to rise. So, ultimately, the decision to ban crypto in India is something that is just going to have an impact on those who gamble in India as well as the country’s economy.


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Why Spotify, UMG Windowing Deal Won’t Work
With yesterday's announcement that Spotify and Universal Music Group had struck a multi-year licensing deal came to revelations: 1) the music streamer would pay lower streaming rates IF it delivered specific higher revenue targets and 2) some new releases would not to available to free users for two weeks in an effort to encourage them to become paid subscribers.
As part of a new licensing deal Universal Music Group has convinced Spotify to break with its longstanding 'free for all' policy and allow windowing of some new releases to paid subscribers only. The goal is to encourage more Spotify users to subscribe, which in turn drives more revenue.
In this new deal, more revenue leads to lower per stream rates for Spotify. It sounds like I win/win for Spotify and UMG, but it won't work.
Artists and labels want hits. Total streams help determine chart position and what is a hit. Would Drake or Ed Sheeran have broken records and topped multiple charts if 50+ million Spotify free users couldn't stream their new release?
Casual fans will wait. The Spotify, UMG window for paid users is short, and casual fans will be fine with waiting 2 weeks to hear a new album. Plus, during those 14 days, the curious can always pop on YouTube or Pandora to get a taste.
Some will return to piracy. They've resisted paying for Spotify, just like wouldn't pay for downloads. Why will they change now? (Are UMG, Labels Encouraging Spotify's 50 Million Free Users To Become Pirates?)
Spotify still won't have everything. Many high profile releases will still not be immediately available to Spotify users, whether or not they pay. Apple Music is still publically committed exclusive releases and is willing to pay for them, and Tidal still has artist/owners committed to growing their business.
Yesterday's deal marks a new era of co-dependent fueled cooperation between music streamers and the recorded music industry; and Spotify may still deliver the hoped for revenue targets. But it will be because more consumer discover the joys of a 35 million track catalog, and not because of two week release windows.
MORE: Spotify and Universal Music Ink New Deal That Includes Album Windowing
From what I read, UMG will have new frontline singles from their superstar artists available right away but may use the two week window to hold back albums from superstars. Will they do that every time with superstars? That remains to be seen, but they’re not going to sacrifice a single’s streaming story or that accompanying revenue.
Casual fans will wait. Casual fans don’t care about albums regardless if they’re available right away or not. Casual fans are pretty casual about their music consumption in general, thus, they are treated casually.
I don’t think the majors are that concerned about the pirating of digital downloads anymore. I don’t think the majors are that concerned about the selling of digital downloads anymore. For recorded music today and the future are about streaming and physical product that has value to fans (vinyl, box sets, bundles of physical with merch, etc.)
For the reasons above, I disagree with the “won’t work” premise of this editorial.
I get your points Seth, but do you really think windows will drive people to subscribe?
Streaming model is a broken model. You guys talk about Spotify like it’s a successful business. It’s losing 300mm annually. The only other business I know that loses money every year and everyone thinks it’s ok is the deli in Brooklyn. They lose thousands every year but the mob considers it a cost for being able to launder money through it. Just like Spotify. It’s a major label racket that launders their money through Spotify to avoid paying artists properly. So those loses aren’t really loses, they are expenses lol.
You guys act like 80 million people won’t leave Spotify if something better comes around, which it will.
Short answer: no.
They’re doing this to be able to control how they market in the few cases where an artist has enough fans willing to pay that they can drive royalty numbers with the premium pay wall.
Will it work? Maybe, maybe not. Will it hurt the labels’ bottom lines at this point? Doubtful. Those whose main objective is all free all the time, will find a way to get music for free. Windowing or not windowing makes no difference to those folks. Most of them will never pay no matter what.
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