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Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos appears unbothered about losing Friends and The Office in the near future. In an interview with Katie Couric during Vanity Fair’s New Establishment Summit on Wednesday, the executive attributed the “enduring success” of both shows to the streaming service.
Moreover, Sarandos intimated that Friends and The Office continue in cable syndication because of their streaming success, according to Variety. He lauded Netflix for introducing the classic sitcoms to new audiences.
“One of the reasons Friends and The Office are so popular is because they’re on Netflix,” Sarandos said. “You imagine what happens when your kid comes to school: ‘I just saw this new show called Friends.'”
Sarandos suggested that neither sitcom would have the same cultural pull if they had streamed on NBCUniversal’s defunct service, Seeso.
“Part of the enduring success of the shows is they’ve been available on Netflix in a way that people can watch them and ingrain them in their lives,” he added. “Part of it also is: they sit down, they push play, and there it is. Friends and The Office found them, too, on Netflix. Remember, Friends and The Office have been widely syndicated for years, still, are. … A lot of that phenomenon has been because of Netflix.”
Friends will leave Netflix at the end of the year, with WarnerMedia’s HBO Max taking the reins when the service launches in spring 2020. Netflix has The Office for an extra year, but the Dunder Mifflin saga will begin streaming exclusively on NBCUniversal’s new service, Peacock, in 2021.
“When they were selling us their content years ago, I was kind of surprised every time,” Sarandos said of Netflix’s ability to buy up numerous legacy series. However, he said he was also wary of the day that would end: “I said, ‘Some day, these guys are not going to sell us their programming and so we better get good at it.'”
To be fair, Netflix still has plenty of clout to leverage multimillion-dollar streaming deals. The platform just secured exclusive global streaming rights to Seinfeld.
- ‘Friends’ is officially leaving Netflix
- Everything we know so far about Peacock, NBC’s new streaming service
- Netflix lands exclusive streaming rights to ‘Seinfeld’


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For young companies like Rent the Runway, success has brought about some pain. Because of a marked increase in demand, the clothing rental company has had difficulties with both its warehouse technology and keeping up with stock. It even sent out an email to customers saying bluntly “We’re Sorry” and promising to bulk up its customer service staff, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Growing digitally-native retail brands are often faced with the realization that the way to maintain their reputation with customers is through good and consistent customer service. Many of these startups — including Rent the Runway — rely on software layers to help alleviate the pressure. Customer service has been around since the dawn of business, but the need for a centralized and cohesive strategy is especially acute for growing DTC brands, which prop themselves up on direct relationships with customers.
It’s a tenuous situation sometimes; direct brands pride themselves on their, well, direct relationship with customers. And to outsource something like customer service would sully the experience — as well as their reputation.
Now, more people are buying things online, and they are increasingly choosing new digitally native brands. Data from Internet Retail shows that of the top 500 retailers online, a cohort that saw some of the highest growth in e-commerce sales in 2018 were smaller digitally native vertical brands. As a result, these online businesses are not only having to scale inventory but be prepared for more customer service enquiries. The can be said for marketing; these brands are growing at a fast clip, and can put more money into online channels to bring in even more customers — but some may not be prepared for the onslaught.
One big DTC pain-point is learning how to do to get ahead of a bad situation. Brad Birnbaum, co-founder and CEO of the customer service platform Kustomer, provides an example of a hypothetical pizza shop. If the business knows that the delivery is going to be late, it has two problems on its hands: The late delivery, and the fact that the pizza is probably also cold. In that case, he would advise the joint to have a system in place that would “flag that we should probably reach out to them.” This could be automated, but would preempt an angry customer phone call. As to what the pizza shop should do — automatically send another free item, discount the pie — is up to the business.
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The men’s clothing brand Untuckit once had a similar bad situation. During the California wildfires last year, it knew that due to the destruction it wasn’t going to deliver many orders in time. While people in California likely had bigger things to worry about than delayed shirt shipments, the company still wanted to make sure customers were made aware. It sent an email to all of its customers in selected California zip codes; “We were able to to reach out to customers in the affected areas and notify them,” said Mike Vroom, Untuckit’s director of customer service.
“You never want to be in a situation where a customer is finding out there is an issue from someone that’s not you,” Vroom said. As brands like his grow, the problem only increases. The best strategy, he explained, is to “get out in front of any situation.”
Rent the Runway provides another good example of a bad situation. According to the Journal, the company saw a huge technological breakdown at one of its warehouses in New Jersey, which led to a slowdown in work. Deliveries, as a result, were severely delayed.
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All these are one-off examples, but they highlight why companies with direct lines to customers are ever-reliant on the software and services buffering the interactions between the two. As more customers rely on the service or product, the startup’s need for customer service readiness only increases. But the very implementation increases the likelihood of brands looking less like relatable upstarts and more like computerized un-empathetic corporations
Beyond these worst-case scenarios, customer service platforms enable more task automation, making it easier for small teams to deal with more issues as they arise. Deflection, for example, is a big emphasis for a lot of DTC players. By figuring out ways to automatically route customers to channels that would answer their questions — rather than having individual people deal with each issue individually — companies are able to spend less time on traditional customer service issues. “Deflection in an intelligent way benefits all,” said Birnbaum.
Any brand — online or not — has to have a cohesive strategy in place to deal with customer questions and concerns. But as more DTCs hit the big time, there’s a growing need for more streamlined solutions to help with the big problems. For Untuckit, it was clear that the piecemeal strategy it began with — responding to emails, phones etc — was no longer cutting it. And so it adopted a more wholistic approach; “We brought everything under one roof,” said Vroom. It’s an important move — one that defines how a company approaches its own growth.

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Apple confirms "Special Event" on September 5thApple Inc. will use a special media event on September 5th to introduce a new array of digital media offerings, according to digital invitations issued to analysts and members of the media Tuesday afternoon.
The invites, which arrived by e-mail, depict an enlarged CoverFlow interface with the caption, "The beat goes on." The wording appears to have been borrowed from the trailing line of The Beatles' final press release, which was issued by Apple Records on April 10, 1970, following the band's split.
"Spring is here and Leeds play Chelsea tomorrow and Ringo and John and George and Paul are alive and well and full of hope. The world is still spinning and so are we and so are you," read the 1970 Beatles release. "When the spinning stops — that'll be the time to worry, not before. Until then, the Beatles are alive and well and the beat goes on, the beat goes on."
Apple's event is scheduled to take place at the Moscone West in San Francisco on September 5 at 10:00 a.m.
Apple is widely expected to use the gathering to usher in a new breed of Mac OS X-based iPods. Additional announcements relating to the company's iTunes software and digital media download service are also expected.
On Topic: General
- Apple sends out ticket confirmations to WWDC 2015 lottery winners
- Apple suppliers extend Lightning cable production to Brazil and Vietnam
- Ex-Apple exec Scott Forstall takes to Twitter for first time, announces Broadway musical
- Apple's Tim Cook is the most pay-efficient CEO in America, Bloomberg says
- AppleInsider podcast discusses Apple Watch try-ons, WWDC 2015, iOS 9 hopes & more


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Chinese-backed and Africa-focused fintech company OPay raised $400 million in new financing led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Bloomberg reported Monday, valuing the company at $2 billion.
The round which marks the Fund’s first investment in an African startup had participation from existing investors like Sequoia Capital China, Redpoint China, Source Code Capital, and Softbank Ventures Asia. Other investors including DragonBall Capital and 3W Capital also took part in the new financing round.
This news comes three months after The Information reported that the company was in talks to raise “up to $400 million at a $1.5 billion valuation” from a group of Chinese investors. The new financing also comes two years after OPay announced two funding rounds in 2019 — $50 million in June and a $120 million Series B in November.
In an emailed statement, OPay CEO Yahui Zhou said OPay “wants to be the power that helps emerging markets reach a faster economic development.” The company, founded in 2018, had an exclusive presence in Nigeria where it provided an array of digital services ranging from mobility and logistics to e-commerce and fintech at cheap rates for consumers.
Right now, the company’s mobile money arm thrives the most. This year, its parent company Opera reported that OPay’s monthly transactions grew 4.5x last year to over $2 billion in December. OPay also claims to process about 80% of bank transfers among mobile money operators in Nigeria and 20% of the country’s non-merchant point of sales transactions. Last year, the company also said it acquired an international money transfer license with a WorldRemit partnership also in the works.
Per Bloomberg, the company’s monthly transaction volumes exceed $3 billion at the moment.
OPay plays in an extremely competitive fintech market. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation, and with a large share of its people underbanked and unbanked, fintech is arguably the most promising digital sector in the country. The same can be said for the continent as a whole. Mobile money services have long catered to the needs of the underbanked, and per GSMA, Africa had more than 160 million active mobile money users generating over $495 billion in transaction value last year.
Last year, Opay expanded to Egypt and according to the company, that’s an entry point to the Middle East market.
Kentaro Matsui, a managing director at SoftBank Group Corp, said “We believe our investment will help the company extend its offering to adjacent markets and replicate its successful business model in Egypt and other countries in the region.”


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Organisers of the Headies have called for entries ahead of the 2015 edition of the awards holding later in the year.
Event organiser Ayo Animashaun has revealed that entries are now open to audio or visual materials released between July 2014 and June 2015.
Aimed at rewarding excellence in the Nigerian music and creative industry, the Headies has built and maintained a reputation as the most recognised awards platform in the country since its inaugural edition in 2006. Speaking about expectations for this year edition, Animashaun stated,
The 2014 edition of the Headies was held at the Convention Centre, Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos on Sunday, December 14, 2014. In attendance were the Who’s Who of Nigerian entertainment including Tiwa Savage, Don Jazzy and Davido, Wizkid, Olamide, Darey and Dr. Sid. Others present included actresses Rita Dominic and DakoreEgbuson, PSquare, 2Face, Wande Coal, Ice Prince, Timaya, MI, 9Ice, TimiDakolo, CobhamsAsuquo, KCee, Burna Boy, Clarence Peters and Sean Tizzle.
Entries are to be submitted online via the awards website www.theheadies.com between Tuesday, August 11 and Tuesday, September 15, 2015.
Leave your views in comments box below


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While his visit to Tarrant County, Gov. Greg Abbott promised to protect small businesses from lawsuits over COVID-19.
The governor announced this during a small business roundtable in North Richland Hills on Monday.
He appreciated the resilience of Texas businesses and said they should be able to defend themselves against frivolous lawsuits as long as they were operating according to rules.
The governor said he’s made litigation protection an emergency item during the legislative session. He said, "We think that even though a small business would be successful in defending themselves against this litigation they would still be a loser because of all the money they had to spend defending themselves. So we want to say they should not even have to spend that money which is one reason why we want to see this legislation pass."
He is planning to conduct more roundtable discussions with small businessmen across the state.
Ideas from the visits will be taken to the state capitol, Abbott said.


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While South Africa might be the largest economy in Africa (at least until Nigeria changes the base year for its GDP calculations), it is not necessarily the economy some multinationals are most interested in targeting when it comes to tapping into the Africa growth story.
However, South Africa has historically been considered, and used, as the gateway into Africa and – according to Lullu Krugel, senior economist and associate director for KPMG – remains so today.
“It’s still by far the most important market that most companies look at when they want to enter Africa and quite a few multinationals already have their African head offices… here in South Africa. So we still see a lot of them using the country as a base to expand,” Krugel told How we made it in Africa.
South Africa is still superior in terms of infrastructure and has many business support services. While Nigeria might be the market a particular company wants to target, its unreliable power supply and high rental costs, for example, can make operating African head offices both expensive and difficult.
“Then other things that are important are what extent your right as an investor is being protected in a particular country and the structure of the financial services, if you need to make payments to foreign entities and so on,” continued Krugel. “And specifically if you look at the financial services industry, South Africa ranks among the top in the world. So that definitely does count.”
However, many of the first mover opportunities exist north of the South African border, especially within the consumer market.
“I think in terms of a market for growth, maybe South Africa is not a top destinations for companies that are looking at where they want to do their business or do their sales. But as a starting point to get into the rest of Africa, it’s still pretty well positioned I think,” she added.
Using regional hubs as springboards
Nevertheless, Krugel said many companies are looking more at entering Africa through regional hubs, such as entering East Africa through Kenya and West Africa through Nigeria. She added that entering certain markets defined by a common language – such as English, French and Portuguese-speaking countries – can also determine the country.
“Companies understand that there are specific trends and happenings in regions and that it is sometimes easier for them to access a particular market from a particular region… There is definitely a little bit of a shift in terms of South Africa not necessarily being the immediate starting point for some companies,” Krugel noted.
Other than Kenya, Krugel said KPMG often advises clients to look at countries such as Ethiopia and Uganda. Rwanda is also a noteworthy market. Towards the end of last year the World Bank and IFC released the 2014 global Doing Business report that showed Rwanda had sprung up 22 places since the previous year, now at 32nd place in the world in terms of overall ease of doing business.
In terms of entering West Africa, Krugel said Nigeria is not the only option, and is often overlooked for Ghana, which could be considered a slightly easier entry point.
She added that, other than South Africa, Mozambique and Angola might also be considered good bases from which to tap into the southern Africa region.
Sector and infrastructure a factor
Deciding which country to first enter Africa can also depend on the sector to which a company belongs and the type of infrastructure it needs. In terms of the financial services sector for example, Krugel said companies might overlook South Africa for Mauritius as a hub.
Krugel’s advice is to weigh up a number of factors, such as proximity to market (and the cost of moving goods around Africa), potential growth rates, potential costs (such as business tax implications) and risk and security.
Tell us whether you think South Africa is still the springboard into the rest of the continent and what other markets might offer as gateway hubs. Share your thoughts with How we made it in Africa below.


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Nike v Kasky nears resolutionJune 2003
A US Supreme Court ruling on the Nike v Kasky case, which has brought social reporting into the spotlight in the US, could be delivered as early as the end of this month.
The judges have now heard oral argument in the case, which it is hoped will help to clarify the free speech rights of companies, and are considering their decision. Although this could take until the autumn, most observers expect a decision in the next few weeks.
The case follows a California court ruling in May 2002 that public statements made by Nike defending its foreign labour practices were ‘for the purpose of promoting sales of its products’. If those statements were later shown to be incorrect, they would infringe state laws on advertising that bar ‘false and misleading commercial messages’.
Nike’s counsel, Laurence Tribe, told the Supreme Court the ruling would stop companies from making statements or reports on their CSR practices for fear of laying themselves open to legal action. Calling for the California ruling to be overturned, Tribe said this ‘chilling effect’ would end the ‘lively political dialogue about the realities of the Third World and Nike’s role in it’. Nike last year suspended publication of its CSR report as a result of the judgement and, in a new move, has refused to hand over information to the compilers of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for fear it could fall foul of the ruling. It is also refusing to talk to the media about its CSR initiatives until the Supreme Court clarifies the position.
However, Paul Hoeber, counsel for Kasky, told the Supreme Court that the measure was merely an attempt to ensure companies tell the truth when making statements relating to their social responsibilities.
Nike was supported by a large number of organizations, which filed supporting briefs. Among them were companies, trade bodies including the US Chamber of Commerce, non-governmental bodies and more than 30 media organizations, among them the New York Times and CNN. Organizations filing in support of the respondent Kasky included the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the socially responsible investment firm Domini Social Investments, environmental group The Sierra Club and the National Association of Consumer Advocates.
Crucially, however, Nike’s appeal was backed by the US government. Solicitor general Ted Olson argued that the potential for abuse of the California ruling ‘is difficult to overstate’.
Despite this, some observers, including Cynthia Williams, associate professor of law at the University of Illinois, believe the outcome will be hard to predict and the case could even be held over and re-argued.
Williams is one of the authors of the brief filed in support of the social activist Marc Kasky by Domini, KLD Research and Analytics and Harrington Investments, which argues government ‘has a role to play in ensuring that facts of commercial significance are accurate’.
There has been little sign of other companies following Nike’s example and ceasing to publish details of their social and environmental performance.
Adam Kanzer, general counsel for Domini, said the chilling effect was a ‘smokescreen’. He argued the California ruling would make companies take a harder look at their CSR statements, ‘which is a good thing for everyone’.
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Archive for the ‘Smartphones’ Category
I’m pumped to finally get a chance to blog about the Dell Streak tablet device. The 5-inch tablet launched first to customers in the United Kingdom in early June 2010 but South African consumers will now be able to purchase it.
We’ve been selling Dell for 6 years, and I don’t think there’s ever been more buzz around a single product than this. Hardware and design-wise, this thing impresses. Add the ever-increasing capability that Android brings to the equation, and you’ve got a mobile device that offers a ton of flexibility while looking cool in the process. The Dell Streak brings together a great web browsing experience, multi-tasking capability, slick turn by turn navigation and a great way to enjoy your photos, movies and music into a sleek device that’s built for mobility.
I’m really interested to see the new iPhone OS 4 when it is released later this year. The next generation of the world’s most innovative mobile operating system is expected to have more than 100 new user features. And what in the past has been a negative for Apple iPhone users – the inability to multitask with applications – looks to have been solved with iPhone OS 4.
However, if you are one of those First Generation iPhone owners, you’re not going to be getting the multitask function. The majority of changes will only be usable for owners of an Apple iPhone 3GS, Third Generation iPod Touch. Keep watching this space and we’ll let you know more info as we get it
Acer Africa plans to introduce into four new smartphone models that are powered by Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system into the South African market within the next few months.
The group now operates under four primary brands: Acer, Gateway, Packard-Bell and eMachines. Under these brands, Acer offers a range of servers, PCs, notebooks, digital projectors, and LCD monitors that cover the needs of end-users from the entry-level consumer through to the top-tier corporate. Acer had acquired E-TEN of Taiwan, a designer and manufacturer of smart handheld devices, which lead to the release of their range of Acer smartphones in the US and Eastern markets.
“Competitive advantage of new products can help us boost profitability from the third quarter,” Acer chairman JT Wang told an investor conference, even though smartphones make up only a very small amount of Acer’s sales now. Analysts say Asian technology firms vying for a bigger share of the hot smartphone market now face an uphill battle after the world’s top PC maker Hewlett-Packard snapped up Palm.


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4/2 – SEI Tours Independence LED in Boyertown
Thursday, April 2nd 2015
Members of SEI’s Board of Directors and a handful of guests toured Independence LED‘s Boyertown, PA LED factory yesterday. The group learned how various components are manufactured into high-performance LED light fixtures for almost any application right here in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Special thanks for Charlie Szoradi, Chairman and CEO of Independence LED, and his team for showing us their facility!
News & Updates


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Harley-Davidson has suspended the production and delivery of its LiveWire electric motorcycles. During final tests, the company discovered a problem related to the vehicle's charging equipment. The company told The Wall Street Journal that tests to pinpoint the issue are progressing well, but it did not say when production will resume.
Customers who have already purchased LiveWires can continue to ride the bikes, but Harley says they should only be charged with the professional ChargePoint chargers available at its dealerships. Customers should not attempt to charge the motorcycles at home.
Harley has been talking about its electric bike since 2014, and it hopes that going electric will appeal to a new generation of motorcyclists. Still, since this is Harley's first electric motorcycle, it's a bit of a gamble, and a glitch like this is not something you want in a $30,000 purchase.


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South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co said on Tuesday it had finalized a $5 billion electric vehicle (EV) battery joint venture in the U.S., as it reported first-quarter net profit had more than doubled, exceeding expectations. Hyundai and partner SK On, a battery unit of SK Innovation Co Ltd, will set up a new battery manufacturing plant in the state of Georgia, the companies said, formalizing an earlier provisional agreement. The move follows new U.S. requirements for 50% of the value of EV battery components to be produced or assembled in North America for car buyers to qualify for a $3,750 credit. The U.S. is Hyundai’s largest market for sales. The new plant is expected to start manufacturing battery cells in the second half of 2025 with an annual production capacity of 35 GWh, which is sufficient to support the production of 300,000 EVs. Hyundai reported a net profit of 3.3 trillion won ($2.47 billion) for the January-March period versus a profit of 1.6 trillion won a year earlier, thanks to a rise in vehicle output as a global chip shortage eased and demand for its high-margin sport-utility vehicles remained strong. That compared with a Retinitis Smart Estimate for first-quarter profit of 2.3 trillion won from 16 analysts, and sent shares up as much as 3.4% after the results were released, reversing earlier losses.
Hyundai Motor Finalises $5 Billion US Battery Venture, Doubles Q1 Profit
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E3 is less than five days away, but that hasn't stopped EA from teasing their upcoming reveals. Indeed, the publisher has revealed a brand-spankin' new Medal of Honor: Warfighter screen, which can be seen below:
As EA and Danger Close have hinted at beforehand, Warfighter will directed physically by DICE's notorious Frostbite 2.0 engine. The screenshot above most definitely compliments the push for realism through the impressive graphical engine, and we couldn't be anymore excited to see more from EA. Be sure to stick close to your TV/livestream next week as EA showcases and unveils their upcoming titles, including Medal of Honor Warfighter. Incase you miss any of the action, make sure you check out GameZone throughout your week, as we'll be on the show floor covering every inch of E3 2012 madness.


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When John “Bearcat” Brennan set out to compete in mixed martial arts in 2013, he did so without ever having the intention of launching a business from what was then a hobby.
The now 30-year-old Pennsylvania native was working full time for the Lancaster Barnstormers baseball team when a friend in Alex Einhorn would purchase tickets to Brennan’s amateur MMA bouts, for no other reason than to “support” his buddy.
“I became a fan of regional MMA before I became a fan of the bigger promotions, and that was really due to me not knowing too much about the sport, but also because I was friends with John and supporting what he was doing,” Einhorn said.
The two young men started throwing ideas around, but like many brainstorming sessions, things just kind of fizzled out after a while.
The idea that Einhorn and Brennan pitched to one another in regards to launching a t-shirt company or brand that would support combat sports athletes, began six or seven years ago but never truly came to fruition until early 2020.
“The lifestyle of a fighter, especially on the regional level, was so interesting and I wanted to link my company with some of these fighters like John, even though my brand had nothing to do with MMA, I just wanted to support them,” Einhorn said.
Lateesha Mohl would eventually become the first athlete signed to MMA Tee Company. The sales pitch and everything about the transaction was so new to everyone involved that the contract was literally written on site between both parties.
One year later, Mohl is extremely happy with the decision she made.
“MMA Tee Company has provided amazing service to me, both as a customer and as a sponsored fighter,” Mohl said. “From the highest of quality shirts to the endless support from the owners, I will never want to sell my fight clothing through any other company!”
Just like with most startup businesses, Einhorn and Brennan had to claw their way to the surface. How do you get the attention of the fighters you are trying to work with, but also gain their trust and confidence when you are just starting out?
“Our original goal was ‘sell shirts,’ and ‘make life easier for fighters,’” Brennan said. “I ran with that, and our whole sales program was ran through Instagram direct messages.”
Originally it started out that Brennan and Einhorn would provide free graphic design, a page on the MMA Tee Company website where all of their fans could go and buy their merchandise and all of the fulfilment done including packaging and shipping. Brennan would then pitch to the athletes that not only would all that be done but then they would also be paid for the sales that they make.
MMA Tee Company would officially be “launched” on March 5, 2020
“We launched and then two weeks later the entire world got shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic,” Brennan said.
That’s when Brennan and Einhorn put their heads together and changed the dynamic a bit.
The duo were initially selling shirts to support fighters at their upcoming events. With virtually all mixed martial arts competition shut down on the regional level, the two had to come up with a new idea and quick.
“One things fighters are always in need of, especially on the regional level is interviews,” Brennan said. “One of the things that major promotions look at is how you act on camera, ‘what are you interview skills like?’ I started reaching out to fighters that we already signed and asked them if they wanted to jump on a Zoom call to be interviewed. At first they weren’t very good, I had a script and kind of just rolled with it but eventually it turned into an interview series. We had ‘Fighter Spotlight Series, ‘Fight Preview,’ and ‘Industry Insiders.’ That kind of all developed into its own media and branding that we never planned on. It all sort of just happened because of the pandemic.”
Another major development that sort of steamrolled out of the pandemic for MMA Tee Company was the ability to print one-offs. Initially shirts were printed in bulk for events and for the athletes. But as events were canceled and fewer quantities were being ordered, Brennan Einhorn had to adjust and learn how to print one garment at a time without taking a hit on revenue.
Through trial and error, MMA Tee Company was eventually able to bring small order or one-off printing in-house and eliminate the outside vendor.
“We failed a bunch of times,” Einhorn recalled. “We were prepared, but we weren’t. The pandemic hurt us in a lot of ways but it also developed us and initiated a lot of the processes that we have in place now that we would have not had otherwise. It forced issues on us that we didn’t even think we had.”
Now with more than 60 fighters in their stable in just one year, the MMA Tee Company team has hopes that sanctions will lift and more and more events will proceed around the country.
“We’d love to spend 2021 at the very minimum with a 12-month span where we have fights happening, if not every other weekend, every month, consistently around the country, where we are sponsoring fighters and moving their apparel,” Einhorn said. “I would love to see this happen with fans attendance, because I think that if we can do that in 2021, then we can look back sort of like we are doing now, and ask ‘Now, what are our goals?’ 2020 was good for us in a lot of ways but the company was founded to be an event-based business and we just haven’t had the events. We’re going to continue to sign fighters,” he continued.
One of those fighters that MMA Tee Company is currently supporting is Lenny Rufati who has a fight coming up at Triton Fights 18 in Florida on March 27.
“I love them,” Rufati told MyMMANews of his relationship with MMA Tee Company. “They are honest, hardworking guys. They do all the work for the fighter.”
MMA Tee Company – Quick Numbers
- More than 3,000 t-shirts sold in 1 year
- 2 UFC fighters sponsored
- 5 fighters who have competed for Bellator MMA sponsored
- MMA Tee Company has worked with fighters competing in more than 40 different promotions
- Fighters sponsored in 3 different countries – U.S., Brazil, Thailand
- Fighters sponsored in 15 different U.S. states
- Donated/paid-out more than $10,000 in cash to fighters in 1-year


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Maryland Secret Warranty LawRead more
Automotive News | 1:00 am, April 16, 2007
A federal jury decided Bruce Tammi should collect $26,600 in damages because the 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo coupe he leased and then bought is a lemon.
But under Wisconsin’s lemon law, the jury didn’t provide the right amount of compensation — not by a long shot, according to U.S. District Judge Charles Clevert Jr., who presided over the trial.Read more
By Eric Freedman
Automotive News / May 16, 2005
Car owners can’t be charged, Petro says Saturday, March 05, 2005 Christopher JensenPlain Dealer Auto Editor
An Ohio Supreme Court decision last year about the state’s "lemon law" worried some consumer advocates who feared it would cost Ohioans thousands of dollars. But that won’t happen because automakers will not be allowed to charge consumers for the miles they drive lemons, Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro said Friday.Read more
2. New Jersey
4. West Virginia
10. New Hampshire
18. New York
19. North Carolina
20. District of Columbia
21. South Carolina
27. Rhode Island
34. South Dakota
218.0172 Motor vehicle adjustment programs.
(1) Definitions. In this section:
(a) “Adjustment program” means an extended policy program under which a manufacturer undertakes to pay for all or any part of the cost of repairing, or to reimburse purchasers for all or any part of the cost of repairing, any condition that may substantially affect motor vehicle durability, reliability or performance.
Virginia – Motor Vehicle Manufacturers’ Warranty Adjustment
Act – (59.1-207.34 thru 59.1-207.39)
§ 59.1-207.34. Definitions.
As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:Read more
Connecticut – Automobile Manufacturers’ Warranty Adjustment Programs, Section 42-227Read more
California Civil Code Section 1795.90-1795.93Read more


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Our social development programs are too focused on welfarism and too little on healing the social pain that is overwhelming so many, writes Mamphela Ramphele.
South Africans who enjoy streaming on mobile devices are in for a treat as operators race to capture eyeballs with free or reduced data offers.
South Africa leads in mobile application downloads in the Sub-Saharan Africa market as consumers in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya race to catch up.
Mobile operators have made a significant contribution to the Sub-Saharan economy in the last year, an international organisation has found.
More needs to be done to ensure Wi-Fi technology delivers on its potential to boost local gross domestic product, says an industry body.
The South African government should not get involved in the high speed mobile broadband spectrum market, an international body has warned.
Local operators need to significantly cut the fees that they charge for international calling in the region, says an international body.
The City of Tshwane's online television network has notched up one million downloads, according to Alan Knott-Craig Jnr.
Slow deployment of mobile applications present a real risk to companies as they ignore the move toward mobile at their peril, new research shows.
The City of Cape Town and Orange announced on Thursday the launch of a Wi-Fi network that would offer limited free internet access in some of the city's poorer suburbs.
Orange has no plans to buy struggling South African mobile operators though the French-based telecoms firm is open to discussions.
South Africa is set for increasing sharing between mobile networks as profitability pressures force compromise, according to the MTN CEO.
Mobile broadband is growing at the healthiest pace in South Africa and will account for half of all 4G connections in the Southern African Development Community.
Growth in Africa's mobile phone users is set to slow sharply in the next five years, a study has showed.
Internet streaming is a serious competitive threat to broadcast television in South Africa, but the technology is hamstrung by cost challenges, says an analyst.
South Africa's adoption of digital terrestrial television (DTT) should be carefully evaluated and perhaps even dumped, says an industry insider.
Super high speed broadband speeds of 450mbps are possible in Africa, a new demonstration project has shown in Angola.
South Africa does not have the necessary spectrum to cater for the country's growing appetite for mobile data, say experts.
All mobile operators are not huge financial cash machines, especially where multiple players vie for market share in one country, says an international organisation.
Governments should not seek to tax mobile operators out of existence, says an international organisation.
Men are ruling the digital world - creating a more sexist arena online than we face in the real world, industry leaders have claimed.
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Codewave has been featured in a recent press release about the competent Flutter app developers of May 2020 by TopDevelopers.co. This is one of our proudest moments to cherish throughout our successful journey in the industry, so far.
At Codewave, we consider gaining intelligence and technical expertise through our commitments as a main source to win what we strive to achieve every single day. We started with the aim of bringing design thinking to India in 2013.
UI/UX designing has always been our strength along with technology innovation. Our team who always believe in innovation and trying out new trends, picked up new ways of doing mobile app development keeping it closer to the native experience through Flutter and React Native few years back.
Flutter has emerged as one of the most happening mobile app development framework in the developers’ world currently, and we are glad that our team of expert developers have had an opportunity to gear up for the what’s necessary and beneficial for our customers. The hard work has paid off and we are today counted amongst the most prominent global Flutter app development companies in the industry.
Our customers fall in love with the projects that we accomplish and this is the real remuneration that inspires us to go places in the continuously innovating technical world.
In this wonderful journey, we have had the good fortune of working with a diverse set of industries like healthcare, education, finance, banking, transportation, energy, retail and insurance.
When two energetic innovators from Chennai came to us with an idea to build Uber for two wheelers, we were excited. Working day and night, we finished the app from idea to launch within a record time of 5 months. We developed a state of the art route resolution algorithm working with the Vroom team. We did extensive testing of the app and roped in 200+ riders for the job. The app gained traction within a short time and was covered by reputed media outlets like “The Hindu”. Visit our case studies to know more such interesting success stories.
We have got a signature process for structured problem solving; do check out its video on our Codewave’s profile on TopDevelopers.co.
Who is TopDevelopers.co?
TopDevelopers.co is a directory and review service providing platform dedicated for B2B IT service providers.TopDevelopers.co conducts deep research and finds out gems from the pool of B2B IT service providers online. The team analyses the companies through various industry specific parameters and lists the competent service providers to give the service seekers a ready-to-pick directory of top firms in the industry.


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The past year 2021 has become a year of qualitative shift in the global economy and has set new vectors of development for the fintech market. The pandemic period and the changed social needs have led to a significant expansion of the use of technological solutions in the financial sector.
Investments in global fintech companies in 2021 amounted to $210 billion, which is 70% more than in the previous year. Such data is contained in the KPMG Pulse of Fintech report. Almost a quarter of these funds — $51.7 billion — came from companies developing payment technologies, and the cryptocurrency and blockchain technology sector set another record for the amount of funds raised. What other fintech trends will be dominant in the near future, we will tell you in our article.
A trend aimed at simplifying users’ access to financial services. To use banking products or make a financial transaction, you no longer need to go to the bank, it is enough to have Internet access. Neobanks provide services like traditional financial organizations, but work exclusively in the digital space.
Currently there are 256 non-banks operating in the world, and according to statistics, even more similar projects are under development. The current leader in the number of clients is the Brazilian neobank Nubank, which serves accounts of more than 30 million people. In the second half of 2021, Nubank held another round of financing, within which it attracted $1.1 billion for its development. At the same time, the American neobank Chime received investments in the amount of $750 million, and the capitalization of the project reached a record for the industry – $31 billion.
The cryptocurrency and blockchain sector attracted a record $30.2 billion by the end of 2021, three and a half times exceeding the previous maximum of $8.2 billion recorded in 2018. KPMG analysts interpret such investment activity as recognition of the importance of digital payment technologies in the development of financial systems of the future.
Decentralized finance allows you to create an open system of services that is accessible to every market participant and can work without the influence of government agencies. Users retain control over their crypto assets by interacting with the financial system through peer-to-peer, decentralized applications.
Increasing the transparency of interaction between market participants, the absence of intermediaries, reducing transaction time to a few seconds, the use of smart contracts for complex financial transactions are just a short list of advantages of using blockchain technologies.
The IPO of one of the largest crypto exchanges Coinbase in April 2021 became a landmark event in the financial world. Cryptocurrencies are becoming an asset that even the most conservative banking and government structures are forced to recognize.
Big Data is the main tool in the work of financial organizations. Special algorithms process hundreds and thousands of sources, collecting information about customers. Structured data is used for statistics, analysis, forecasts and decision-making. However, most of the information collected is unrepresentative. A selective approach to data that takes into account user scenarios can improve the quality of analytics. To do this, fintech solutions that use synthetic data, audit information or specialize in processing certain types of data are being implemented.
IDC experts estimated that by 2021 the volume of the global Big Data and Business Intelligence (BDA) market reached $215.7 billion, an increase of 10% compared to the previous year. The calculations take into account commercial purchases of equipment, software and services related to BDA. About a third of BDA expenditures were in the banking sector, discrete manufacturing and professional services.
Analysts note the growing use of biometrics technologies for users’ access to financial transactions. Along with the retinal pattern, fingerprints and features of the voice, researchers study how the client thinks, walks, and even breathes. Fingerprint Cards research says that by 2026, about 6 billion payment devices will be produced annually, and almost all of them will be contactless.
Consulting company Mordor Intelligence predicts annual growth of the global biometric payment card market by 155.5% in the period from 2021 to 2026. In absolute terms, the market volume will increase from $8.75 million to $1.69 billion by 2026.
The possibilities of financial technologies are limitless, and fintech startups are still one of the most attractive for investors – they receive every fifth dollar invested in technology industries. However, the wider the possibilities and applications of fintech solutions, the more difficult it is to separate what really are long-term trends from a short-term surge in popularity.
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Motorola has launched the Moto E5 Plus alongside with Moto E5 in India. E5 Plus is launched with the focus on multimedia content and data consumption. The device is priced at Rs. 11,999 and will be available starting July 11 as an Amazon exclusive.
Talking about the highlight of the phone, Moto E5 Plus house a massive 5000 mAh battery, which comes with a 10W fast-charger. It means the device offers one of the best battery back-ups in its price segment. According to the company, the handset can deliver 18 hours of video playback and more than 200 hours of music playback. The battery of the phone surely makes it a useful device for multimedia content.
Talking more about the specs, the smartphone has a splash-resistant body, which saves it from liquids to some extent. The device sports a 6-inch IPS display with 18:9 aspect ratio and 720×1440 pixel resolution. It is powered by a Snapdragon 435 processor, coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The phone runs on stock Android 8.0 Oreo.
In terms of optics, Moto E5 Plus bears a 12MP sensor on the back with f/2.0 aperture. The rear camera has features like laser autofocus and phase-detection autofocus (PDAF). On the front, the phone consists of an 8MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture.


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Los Angeles - AMC announced a new way to butter up its customers: movie theatre popcorn and candy in the comfort of home.
The largest theatrical exhibitor in the United States announced Nov. 4 that it is expanding its business outside of the traditional theatre.
Beginning in 2022, AMC will sell its popular "Perfectly Popcorn," which has been available to consumers in theatres for more than a century continually since the year 1920, outside of theatres.
A customer gets a bucket of popcorn before seeing a movie at AMC Town Square 18 on August 20, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The buttery treat will be available for purchase at select mall retail locations, supermarkets and convenience stores around the country.
AMC also plans to make its popcorn available through food delivery-to-home services, with ‘To Go’ packages at its theatres available for takeout.
"Perfectly Popcorn" at AMC Theatres (Credit: AMC)
"The announcement that AMC will become a competitor in the multi-billion popcorn market is so natural and logical, one wonders why the idea has not been tried before," Adam Aron, the Chairman of the Board and CEO of AMC, said. "Needless to say, AMC knows popcorn ever so well. On our busiest days, AMC Theatres currently pops in the range of 50 tons of popcorn per day. But the popularity of popcorn extends well beyond the doors of our movie theatres."
AMC plans to have up to 15 retail stores open by the end of 2022, and more locations are expected in 2023.
The menu at retail stores will consist of traditional and gourmet-flavored popcorn made on-site, candy and other movie theatre treats, Coca-Cola Freestyle options and bottled water.
The company hopes this initiative will allow consumers to enjoy the unbeatable taste and aroma of "real movie theatre popcorn" outside of a theatre.
"With this new AMC initiative, we expect to reach entirely new segments of the U.S. population with our popular AMC Theatres Perfectly Popcorn. For AMC Entertainment, this is an opportunity to diversify our business and to create a new revenue stream for our company, all the while delighting popcorn lovers whether they are in our theatres, are on the go, or find themselves in the comfort of their own home," Aron continued.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.


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On September 27th 2019, Kongregate’s popular pixel dungeon-crawler RPG turns 3 years old! With the recent acquisition of the title from our friends at Juppiomenz earlier this year, the Bit Heroes team is working hard to bring loads of new dungeons to explore, bosses to beat and loot to plunder. It’s been an incredible run so far, with even more adventure on the way, and we cannot wait to show you what we’ve got in store. To help celebrate this special occasion, we’ve got some new anniversary features to showcase this weekend we think folks will enjoy: A new quest is available in town, featuring unique anniversary gifts and items Daily buffs are boosted for a limited time Special anniversary bundles Legendary sales A new expedition! We’re also running a limited time fan art contest to engage with our fantastic and passionate community, so be sure to check that out! Thanks for making the last 3 years so so so great. Here’s to more to come! Happy looting, Heroes!
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Open-World Adventure ‘Pine’ Out Now on PC have 281 words, post on blog.kongregate.com at October 10, 2019. This is cached page on GameMaz. If you want remove this page, please contact us.


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Latest in Audio
Staying out for the summer? Give your memories the soundtrack they deserve with the latest speakers and headphones.
Want better sound from your TV? The Sonos PLAYBASE is perfect for TVs that sit on stands and furniture…
Known as the company who brought us Beats headphones, Monster has been working on some seriously exciting products - and we got an exclusive look - here's all the action from the Monster camp at CES 2017…
We dropped in on the Monster press conference at CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, to find out what the audio experts had in store for 2017…
Amazon has finally launched its on-demand music service in the UK – how will it fare against Spotify?
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A packaging mistake prompted Pfizer to recall one lot of Children’s Advil Suspension Bubble Gum Flavor.
The instructions for the medicine are in milliliters. The dosage cup is marked in teaspoons. Even if parents pouring the kiddie Advil weren’t worried about their suffering offspring’s fever or headache, this milliliters-to-teaspoons conversion is not one companies expect United States parents to make.
“Pfizer performed a Health Hazard Assessment which concluded that the use of the impacted product has a chance of being associated with the potential overdose,” the recall notice posted on Publix’s website explained. “The most common symptoms associated with ibuprofen overdose include nausea, vomiting, headache, drowsiness, blurred vision and dizziness.”
Lot No. R51129 with an expiration date marked as “11/20” is being recalled. Customers with the recalled medicine can return it for a refund or exchange for a properly packaged lot.
Customers with questions can call Pfizer at 800-882-3845.


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Casino gaming equipment supplier Spintec d.o.o. is in talks with operators to install its new multi-game system – branded Aura – in Macau, says regional sales manager Primož Krševan.
“Now Macau is opening up to this kind of equipment, so shortly we should have two or three installations,” Mr Krševan (pictured) told GGRAsia.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia 2018, a casino industry trade exhibition and conference that began today (Tuesday) in Macau.
The Slovenia-based firm is pushing to promote its new multi-game system in Asia, following successful installations in Europe.
“It’s going to be another challenge,” admitted Mr Krševan. However, he said he was confident the versatility of its multi-game amphitheatre – which can include virtual, automatic or live roulette, baccarat or sic bo – will appeal to Asian operators.
In Macau, Spintec is particularly known for its eight-seat automated roulette product, part of its Karma Roulette line. Late last year it also received regulatory approval to deploy a sister version of the product featuring sic bo to casino floors in Macau.
“We already have four machines, at Venetian, Sands and Grand Lisboa, now we’re hoping to expand it a little bit,” said Mr Krševan.
Spintec is bringing the second generation of its Karma line to G2E Asia as well. “Technically it’s still the same, very stable, but it’s more flashy, with bigger screens and a modern design,” said the company representative. Mr Krševan said he hoped to repeat the success of the first Karma generation, by placing the first machines until Autumn.
Before that, Spintec is aiming to enter the Australian market, its main expansion target for 2018. “We have already signed the first deal but we are still waiting for regulatory approval. We expect to have the products in place by July,” said Mr Krševan.
After a strong performance in Asia during 2017, with the firm entering several new markets, Spintec is now “expanding slowly into Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos,” said the regional sales manager. The company has just placed it first machine in South Korea, with “a couple more” on the way, Mr Krševan added.
Sep 24, 2020A new, centralised authority to oversee the entire gambling industry in Singapore, is on track to be established in 2021, confirmed the city-state’s Ministry of Home Affairs in an email reply to...
”Despite the re-opening of the integrated resort [Okada Manila], we believe there are significant risks to the segment’s recovery in view of travel restrictions, potential new outbreaks and further lockdowns that could weigh on earnings and cash flows”


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Gone in 30 Seconds
The classic TV spot can’t dominate advertising much longer. Microsoft’s new MSN Video is bringing Web-based commercials to a computer monitor near you.
By John Battelle, November 2003 Issue
NOTE: This has been updated from the version published in the November 2003 issue of Business 2.0
Let’s consider a few fun stats. First, broadband has reached nearly 39 percent of all Internet-connected households and is expected to be in 79 percent in five years. Next, research firm In-Stat/MDR predicts that corporate spending on broadband content-delivery services, essential to high-quality video streaming on the Web, will almost triple by 2007. Third, the vast majority (72 percent) of work connections are high-speed. Throw in the forecast that TiVo-like devices will be in 20 percent of American homes (and certainly a higher percentage of wealthy ones) by 2007. And finally, 99 percent of homes with incomes over $100,000 have Net access, and it’s a safe bet that most of those have broadband connections.
Add it all together and here’s what it means: A massive broadband marketing opportunity is upon us — and, as a recent Yankee Group report concludes, the 30-second TV ad will soon lose top billing as our most valuable marketing vehicle. What will replace it? Web-based video advertising. (more via link below)
Leading the revolution is Microsoft’s (MSFT) MSN, which has just introduced MSN Video, the Web’s first high-quality broadband video service to be entirely free to consumers. Making its debut this winter in the U.S., it will feature on-demand, interactive news, sports and entertainment at no cost to viewers — no subscription fees, no annual charges, nothing. Instead MSN Video will carry traditional 15-second video ads.
MSN Video is pioneering a form of advertising that will be vastly different from its TV ancestors: It will be measurable, trackable, and targetable to the nth degree of demographics. And to the extent that a given audience member cares to invite an advertiser into his or her private database of likes, dislikes, and desires (a profile on Amazon (AMZN) or Yahoo, for instance), marketers will be able to target specific intent to buy — and psychographics to boot.
In essence, Web-based television advertising will be grafted onto the already booming market for streaming video on the Web, and instead of buying mass-market television shows (content, for lack of a better word), marketers will soon learn to buy pure demographics and consumer intent, courtesy of Web-based networks — starting with MSN Video but eventually including AOL (AOL), and Yahoo (YHOO); preference engines like those in place at retailers like Amazon; and new distribution channels like TiVo (TIVO).
Yes, I’m on my hobbyhorse of content over intent again, but this is worth repeating: Marketers are in a slow, denial-laden shift from buying content-attached audiences, like those of TV shows, to buying intent-attached audiences, like those of search engines and personal video recorders. But imagine what happens when the two merge: Advertisers can buy the audience they want, just when the advertisers are most wanted by the audience.
I admit that the idea of television advertising migrating to the Web has always been a bit suspect. After all, the Web was supposed to provide a targeted, one-to-one medium that would far surpass the relatively blunt instrument of the 30-second TV spot. What’s interesting is that it need not be an either-or proposition. It’s still flawed, but video on the Net is wildly popular — MSNBC alone streams between 14 million and 25 million clips a month on average (and 87 million in the first four weeks of the Iraq war).
Microsoft is now gambling that there’s a business in selling that audience to advertisers. “MSN will be a cable-size property within a year,” says Todd Herman, “streaming media evangelist” for MSNBC. “And MSN will be successful insofar as we make it easy for advertisers.”
Microsoft already has early evidence that it’s on to something big. Its MSNBC.com has sold out its inventory of 15-second advertising spots, which run adjacent to many of the news clips it streams each month. “We know there is pent-up demand,” say Scott Moore, general manager of MSN News and Information. These 15-second clips are precursors of the multiple forms of marketing-driven video we will one day see on the Web — the first fish with feet, so to speak. And because it can tie in to Microsoft’s Passport registration technology, MSNBC.com will someday link that ad inventory to specific demographics or audience preferences. Advertisers that buy these spots are not buying shows; they’re buying pure audience, as well as specific knowledge of that audience’s intents. And that’s something revolutionary.
There are any number of problems with selling television advertising on the Web, of course. Will Web surfers accept it? Will they hit the fast-forward button (or will they be able to)? Will advertisers see the Web as a valuable medium? Can they even buy it in a way that makes sense to them — using the same reach and frequency metrics they apply to buying television and print? Can they let go of their decades-long dependence on the up-front and learn to love the Web?
I’d bet that the answer to all these questions is yes. But don’t take my word for it. Thanks to Microsoft, we’re going to find out sooner than most people think.
John Battelle directs the business reporting program at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. He founded the Industry Standard and was a co-founding editor of Wired.
Find this article at http://www.business2.com/b2/subscribers/articles/0,17863,534114,00.html
©2003 Business 2.0 Media Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.


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MACEDONIA, Ohio -- Nestled among packages of Bob Evans, Tyson and Jack Daniels refrigerated side dishes, you might find a new one from a Northeast Ohio company.
The package says "Simply Southern Sides," and the food is what you would expect: black eyed peas, turnip greens, creamed corn.
Food from the Macedonia company hit the shelves in this market at Dave's supermarkets for the first time in August, three months before Thanksgiving. But the growing packaged food business started capturing the interest of retailers like Kmart and Kroger three years ago, soon after it launched.
Co-owners Claude and Crystal Booker built a nearly $4 million packaged foods business from their Northfield Center Township home, by marketing to large food service channels like grocery chains, universities and military bases that buy the boil-in-a bag products in volume for hot foods and deli counters.
In March, the lean, three-employee business moved into an 11,000-square-foot building, with hopes of expanding further by trying to get local retailers and consumers to give the food a taste.
The first account Claude landed in 2007 was Super Kmart. But except for small independent grocery stores, also affiliated with I & K distributors, no other company would listen to a formal presentation for nearly a year. Company sales that first year were just $75,000.
"We thought we had arrived with our first big account," said Booker, 42, president of Simply Southern Sides. "But nobody in this area would take us on after that. I knew I had to do something. I started focusing on the South, where people know me."
Booker, a native of Spartanburg, S.C., started cooking as a young child, taking part in holiday meal preparations reserved for the men in his family.
"My dad was a great novice cook. He'd spend hours prepping, cutting and chopping and baking," Booker said. "He wanted to be a chef, but he never got the opportunity."
Booker didn't become a chef, but he got three food service and management degrees. Then he spent 15 years working in sales and district management positions for food companies like U.S. Foodservice and Sysco Corp. Twice he took breaks from his corporate career to give entrepreneurship a try. Both times he chose after three years to close businesses he started.
Even when businesses close, though, good business relationships often continue. Brad Meadows, the owner of a boil-in-a bag packaging manufacturer in Columbus, Ga., used to supply products for "The Wang King," Booker's former fast-food chicken restaurant in Randall Park Mall that closed in 2004. Four years ago, after Booker returned to corporate America, Meadows persuaded him to launch Simply Southern Sides.
It wasn't an easy sell for Booker, mainly because he knew his wife didn't want to hear about another one of his entrepreneurial ideas. But he also hadn't quite gotten over his failed dream of running a national chain of chicken wing restaurants with southern cuisine side dishes.
"I wanted to be the king of chicken -- The Wang King," Booker said. "But the side dishes is what really took off. Where else could people find 16 southern side dishes of comfort food, like okra and tomatoes, collard greens and creamed corn?"
Meadows never forgot the stories Booker shared about his customers' love for side dishes prepared by fast-food employees that simply dropped bags into boiling water. But the plant manufacturer said he didn't give Booker the idea just to be nice. He wanted to expand his own business and was tired of the limited success he found by working with multiple brokers and salespeople.
If Booker launched his own company, "he'd have skin in the game," Meadows said. The only investment Meadows would make would be mentoring, helping to identify potential customers that distribute to multiple chains.
Booker worked on a business plan for Simply Southern Sides for six months, but his wife, Crystal, who now serves as CEO, wouldn't discuss it. It took assurances from Meadows for her to dive in handling all of the details, while Claude focused on growth strategies.
Meadows warned the couple it would take at least a year to make progress, and he was right. In the last two years the business has expanded to more than 800 grocery stores in 18 states with clients ranging from health care institutions to military bases throughout the country and the Middle East.
Aside from snagging Dave's as its only Northeast Ohio customer for the new grab-and-go consumer packages, the company gained a distributor in August that added 300 grocery stores to its customer list.
Booker chalks up the success to one reason. People want good food even when they don't have time to prepare it.
"Our company is preserving Southern classics by simply boiling our bags," Booker said. "We want to be available in grocery stores everywhere."


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Businesses have already started to see some major changes in the new year, including minimum wage hikes that have taken effect in 18 states. But a new report suggests that wages were already rising in small businesses around the country, although job growth took a bit of a hit in December.
These are just a few of the headlines making waves in the small business community early in 2018. Check out even more news in this week’s Small Business Trends news and information roundup.
New Minimum Wage Laws Take Effect for Small Businesses in 18 States
The new year 2018 is upon us and if you have hourly wage employees at your small business, there’s nearly a 50-50 chance you’ll be paying them more right away. A total of 18 states have raised the minimum wage for hourly employees, effective Jan. 1, 2018, according to information from the Labor Law Center.
Small Business Job Growth Down – But Wages Up – in December
Job growth at American small businesses continues to slow as wages trend the opposite way. That’s the finding from the latest Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch for December. The Paychex index uses a standard of 100. Anything below that figure shows a decline in job growth. In December, the Paychex index stood at 99.70.
OSHA Warns Small Businesses About Dangers of Employees Removing Snow
Businesses that rely on employees to clear snow in front of their storefront or office need to use care to prevent serious injury and illness, according to OSHA. OSHA and the U.S. Department of Labor just released a warning to businesses that rely on employees to perform snow removal or other outdoor activities in severe winter conditions.
Moneta International Connects Businesses and Lenders as Regulations Change
Since the global financial crisis hit in 2008, many banks have been forced to ‘tighten their belts’ by lending less and steering clear of less profitable clients. Businesses are bearing the brunt of this climate of increasing regulation and scrupulous lending.
Pitchsome Encourages Small Businesses to Show – Not Tell – in Video Marketplace
Product descriptions play a big role in the initial purchasing decision of consumers. Pitchsome takes this step to a new level by using video to enhance the customer experience so they can see the product in action. Pitchsome says it is the world’s first video content platform for selling and buying products.
Video Use in Influencer Marketing will Reach an All Time High in 2018, Report Says
A new report from Influicity (PDF) predicts the use of video in Influencer Marketing will reach an all time high in 2018, peaking at 80 percent of global online traffic by 2020. Marketers who work with influencers have their work cut out for them. The new “always on” campaigns will be longer.
Restaurant Owners Expect Higher Sales in First Half of 2018
Restaurant operators are more confident about the business condition in the coming months. This is according to the latest National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) November report, released at the end of December. The monthly index for November trended higher at 101.1 compared to October, which was at 100.9.
The BlueCart Report Keeps Restaurants and Hotels on Top of Consumer Trends
BlueCart recently introduced a report spotting purchasing trends in the hospitality industry. The 2017 Hospitality Report is designed to help restaurants, hotels and suppliers gain a competitive advantage by revealing the food and drink that’s most in demand. It’s the first time BlueCart has issued such a report, but small businesses in this market will certainly want to take note.
Small Online Stores Will Spend $2.62 for Every $1 of a Fraudulent Transaction
One fraudulent online order can cost a small retailer nearly three times as much as the cost of the transaction. That’s what Stripe found in its December 2017 Online Fraud Trends and Behavior report (PDF). The online payment processor recently released the report and gave Small Business Trends a unique perspective via exclusive email comments.
Mastercard Says Retail Sales Grew 4.9% During Record Holiday Season
The largest year-over-year holiday sales increase since 2011 was just recorded by the Mastercard SpendingPulse report. The 4.9 percent increase comes at a time when terms such as “Retail Apocalypse” are in the headlines forecasting the demise of retailers. According to Mastercard, customer confidence is one of the biggest drivers.
Small Biz Spotlight
Spotlight: Dat Dog Puts a New Spin on the Old Hot Dog Stand
Hot dog stands are nothing new. But the team behind Dat Dog, Enterprises set out to put a new spin on the popular concept, with unique recipes and a vibrant atmosphere. The company has since grown from one small stand to multiple locations throughout New Orleans. But it still maintains that unique vibe.
Small Business Operations
VendorGo Mobile App Creates Better Communication for Small Contractors
The VendorGo app from Constellation HomeBuilder Systems has been developed to improve communications between vendors, suppliers and contractors. According to the company, the app will provide accurate real-time communications for vendors and contractors whether they are onsite or in the office.
Procore and Plans4Less.com Partner to Keep Construction Companies Literally On the Same Page
Procore Technologies, Inc., a provider of cloud-based applications for construction, recently partnered with fixed-rate reprographics services provider Plans4Less.com to inject more efficiency into the construction industry by putting construction industry pros –quite literally — on the same page.
GlassWire Promises Free Network Monitoring and Protection with Free Firewall
In today’s fast-paced environment, every small and growing business owner requires fast and reliable Internet connection to run an operation effectively and to remain competitive. While you might have a good internet, unauthorized WiFi connections might be slowing your connection and that’s where GlassWire comes in.
Sift App Helps Business Users Find Hidden Benefits of Their Credit Cards
Do you know there’s an app that unlocks hidden benefits of your credit cards? Well, the Sift app — an innovative free mobile application — unlocks hidden benefits of your credit cards you probably were not aware of, such as price adjustment refunds, extended warranties, return protection, rewards and much more.
Cargo VPN Offers Your Business Protection While You Work Remotely
Cargo VPN for Mac provides personal IP address and server with an added layer of protection for your digital presence. Eltima Software’s newest VPN or virtual private network keeps unwanted eyes from peeking at your activity, location, communications and traffic. The personal static IP address and server from Cargo VPN gives you another level of control when you are online.
Libby App Connects eReaders to Business Titles from Most Major Metro Public Libraries
When was the last time you thought about going to your local library to check out a book? The Libby app connects local libraries and the thousands of eBooks and audiobooks on their digital bookshelves 24/7. The Libby app is developed by OverDrive. To date, more than 39,000 libraries and schools in 70 countries are part of the service.
What Apple’s Battery Mea Culpa Can Teach Your Small Business About Transparency
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) officially admitted it was slowing down iPhones as their batteries age. The reasoning for this move by the company makes perfect sense, but it was the execution which will cost Apple in terms of money and a black eye on its reputation and brand.
Photo via Shutterstock
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STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN TOM HARKIN (D-IA) ON THE FOOD SAFETY MANAGER’S PACKAGE
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, today issued the following statement on the manager’s package for The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. Harkin has been working on a bipartisan basis with HELP Committee Ranking Member Mike Enzi (R-WY), authors of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Judd Gregg (R-NH) and lead cosponsors Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Richard Burr (R-NC) on the proposal.
The full manager’s package is available here (http://help.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/WHI10337.pdf).
“For far too long, the headlines have told the story of why this measure is so urgently needed: foodborne illness outbreaks, product recalls and Americans sickened over the food they eat. This 100-year-old plus food safety structure needed to be modernized,” said Harkin.
“I am pleased that after a great deal of time and effort from members on both sides of the aisle, we have a strong, bipartisan proposal that will overhaul our current food safety system – a system that right now fails far too many American consumers. I am confident that the remaining details will be worked out and am hopeful that the measure will come to the Senate floor as soon as possible.”
The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act passed the HELP Committee without a single dissenting vote on November 18, 2009. The bill is supported by dozens of industry and consumer organizations including the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the Consumer Federation of America, the Grocery Manufacturers of America, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, the National Restaurant Association and the Trust for America’s Health.


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Experienced smartphone creator Horizon Electronics seeks crowdfunding to produce its latest high tech phone at a competitive price.
WINDSOR, U.K.—Horizon Electronics has been designing and manufacturing smartphones and software for some of the world’s major electronics brands since the company was formed in 2013, and now the company is ready to roll out its own smartphone design called Hyperion. Horizon Electronics’ new smartphone will offer cutting edge design and features, and in order to keep the phone at a competitive price, the company has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise £10,000,000 by August 15 to help finish the phone’s software and begin the manufacturing process.
Named for the Greek sun god, Hyperion will truly rise above its competitors with its state of the art internal design, which includes a dual boot system and a desktop-based operating system that can be docked. “Hyperion’s operating system will be fast with a multicore central processing unit and six gigabytes of RAM,” said Horizon Electronics CEO Mike Baxter. “It will also come with 64 GB storage with a place for optional external storage.”
In addition to its forward thinking internal design, Hyperion will also have a sleek external design and exceptional display. The screen, which will be made of durable Sapphire Glass, will protect the device’s integrated front camera, while microscopic holes in the screen will produce high-definition audio. “Sapphire Glass is virtually unscratchable, and the screen’s revolutionary audio design allows for clarity during phone conversations,” said Baxter. Hyperion will also feature a 3-D dual-lens camera for capturing images and video.
Prototypes, which will be available exclusively to crowdfunding supporters, will feature ultra-light and durable carbon fiber casing and will be available by September. Supporters of the crowdfunding campaign will receive logoed merchandise, including baseball caps, t-shirts, polo shirts, and hoodies, and they will also have the opportunity to preorder a Hyperion mobile phone with carbon fiber casing for a pledge of £400. “The campaign is going to help us keep production to a reasonable cost so we can pass that price point on to our supporters,” said Baxter. “Compared to our contemporaries – the iPhone 5s 64 GB for £709 and the Samsung Galaxy S5 for £569 – supporters of the campaign will receive a great value.”
About Horizon Electronics
Comprised of an international team of experts from the U.K., U.S., and China, Horizon Electronics is a group of people who are passionate about electronics. The company is known for its green solutions that help customers consume less power and spend less money on the products they want. For more information, visit www.HorizonElectronics.co.uk. To contribute to the company’s Hyperion crowdfunding campaign, visit igg.me/at/horizon/x.
This post was originally published on this site


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Residents in Wakulla County say the key to boosting the economy there is boosting tourism. A revitalization effort is underway in Panacea to give that small fishing village a major facelift.
Folks are talking about creating more storefronts, renovating fishing piers and turning the tiny town into a final destination rather than a rest area for tourists.
Its mystic appearance and simpleton lifestyle are selling points in Panacea, Florida, as more tourists flood the forgotten coast. Panacea wants a piece of the pie, attracting tourists is the goal; something longtime locals have mixed feelings about.
“I've lived here most my life, we've enjoyed it the way it's been but development has got to come. It's almost unstoppable,” says Mike Barwick, a Panacea fisherman.
Panacea means “cure all” in Latin. Legend has it years ago folks would journey south to these springs to cure all ailments.
Today, as you can see many folks cruise on through this sleepy fishing town. That's where these folks come in, a waterfront committee who want to makeover the town's features to keep tourists from passing by.
“What we want is to guide that change to retain our resources but a t same time come into the 21st century,” says Bonnie Holub, Wakulla County Tourist Development Director.
And the group is making headway. Holub says the brand new visitor center is almost ready for guests and renovations at local fishing piers are underway.
If you ask Delam Thomas, time is of the essence. His business could use a boost so he could take down these for sale signs.
“We're gonna have to do something to get business better. I want to get out of debt- I'm tired of debt,” says Delam Thomas, a seafood wholesaler
More plans are underway to create storefronts around rock landing pier, and talk of condos has been spreading around town.


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Sainsbury’s is attempting to put its ill-fated takeover of Asda behind it with a new five-year plan to turn around the business and cut costs.
Speaking to analysts following a store tour in Southampton, bosses said they will close 125 Argos stores and supermarkets but open even more amid an overhaul to slash costs.
The group said it will shut up to 70 Argos shops and open around 80 instead within its supermarkets, while it also plans to close up to 15 large supermarkets and as many as 40 convenience stores.
It also said it will open around 10 big stores and some 110 convenience outlets under the plan, which it insisted will increase its store estate.
Chief executive Mike Coupe was asked repeatedly how many staff would be affected by the changes, which stores are set to close, where the new sites could be located, or when workers would be informed if their store is safe. He declined to comment, only saying “we think it’s a good news story for our colleagues”.
Finance chief Kevin O’Byrne said: “These are stores we don’t see a long-term future for.”
The company explained it reviews all properties every five years to identify which stores are underperforming, and acts accordingly.
However, sources said the decision on which stores has not been made and they will close “over a period of time” during the next five years.
The plan, being led by Mr Coupe, is set to cut costs by around £500 million over the next five years and comes after the failure of its ill-fated £7.3 billion takeover tilt for rival Asda.
Sainsbury’s also revealed narrowed sales declines in its second quarter, but warned over a £50 million hit to underlying half-year profits.
It blamed the interim profits warning on the impact of cost cutting, with weather and higher marketing costs also taking their toll, though it stuck by full-year forecasts.
Sainsbury’s also announced its financial services arm would stop new mortgage lending “immediately” as part of its five-year plan.
The company is considering its options for its mortgage book of 7,000 customers, including a potential sale, following rival Tesco’s recent move to offload its home lending business.
Bosses also said they do not plan to put any more cash into funding Sainsbury’s Bank.
Other details to emerge from the presentation included plans to continue cutting costs – highlighting that Sainsbury’s has reduced prices against Aldi by 7.2%.
A major overhaul of the supermarket’s “basics” range is also ongoing and will be expanded after the company admitted the budget lines had been underperforming.
Tesco relaunched its “value” range in 2016, creating a series of fictional brands, replacing the “Everyday Value” labelling, and some of the products displayed by Sainsbury’s appeared to be taking inspiration from its rival.
The J.James & Family Cooking Bacon brand has already proved popular, bosses said, and they will also be rebranding its Taste The Difference range.
Elsewhere in the business, bosses said they would be introducing new technology to make shopping easier and had improved availability after a overhaul of store staff roles led to some sites running out of stock.
Details of the plans came as Sainsbury’s announced a 0.2% fall in like-for-like sales, excluding fuel, over its second quarter to September 21.
This marked an improvement on the 1.6% fall seen in the previous three months.
Sainsbury’s said like-for-like grocery sales rose by 0.6% in the second quarter, but this was offset by a 2% drop in general merchandise sales – which includes the Argos business.
Mr Coupe said: “Sales momentum was stronger in all areas and we further improved our performance relative to our competitors, particularly in grocery.
“Argos continued to grow market share in key categories, but sales were impacted by reduced promotional activity and the timing of new product releases in gaming and toys.”
Sainsbury’s also said it would reduce its debts by £750 million over the next three years.


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Integra LifeSciences Corporation has issued an urgent, worldwide recall of its NeuroBalloon Catheter. The FDA is expected to classify the recall as a Class I recall, the most serious since use of the recalled device may lead to death or serious injury. The New Jersey company received eight complaints, none involving injury. However, the malfunction is serious enough to warrant an immediate recall. Upon inspection of the catheter, a defect in the catheter was found. The NeuroBalloon Catheter is designed for use during intracranial procedures.
In July, the company had issued a voluntary recall. Nearly 2,000 catheters have been distributed.


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Marks & Spencer is one of the last bastions of middle-class Britishness. Long before the department store gained a following for its Percy Pig sweets and canned gin and tonics, it was an institution as British as the royal family, tea and scones, and complaining about the weather.
The 134-year-old department store—the country’s biggest clothing retailer—has long been seen as a barometer for the health of the UK high street. And it’s not doing particularly well, having announced that it will close more than 100 stores by 2022. This is of course partly due to the shifting retail landscape and the rise of e-commerce, but the company’s chairman, Archie Norman, suggested last September that there’s an internal problem too: “M&S has been drifting and under-fulfilling its promise not for five, 10 but for 15 years.”
With its well-appointed food hall and racks of neutral, unassuming clothing, Marks & Spencer was always aspirational—but not in a modern, Instagrammable way. It trucked in old-fashioned class aspiration, functioning as a reliable litmus test for a certain kind of bourgeois gentility.
Especially in its high-quality food offerings, the store tapped into Britain’s obsession with class—carving out a market niche with prepared food and ingredients posh enough to be daily fare for the well-to-do (prawn mayonnaise sandwiches and pre-ripened imported peaches), and a splurge for the working class (vol-au-vents and Belgian truffles). I remember thinking to myself when I was younger that I’d know I was comfortable financially when I could go food shopping at M&S without checking the price on every item. Shopping there was a luxury, but a realistically obtainable one, a goal and a signal that you were well off.
Upstairs in the women’s clothing department, it was twin sets and boxy blouses that were conservative but not nun-territory, and vast swaths of basics—comfortable but unsexy cotton underwear, as well as socks and stockings in neutral colors. The store was a stop on countless back-to-school shopping trips, where kids stocked up on school uniform trousers and sensible lace-ups.
But in the last 20 years, society has changed. Shopping has changed. Class stratification hasn’t gone away in the UK, but (as last week’s royal wedding showed the world) the country has become more diverse, and new forms of social mobility have emerged. Meanwhile, as Norman pointed out, M&S has stagnated—failing to find a cure for its blandular fever when it comes it clothing.
By the time it realized it had a problem, it was too late.
Upstart online retailers like ASOS and Boohoo, with strong stylistic identities and the promise of prompt shipping, threaten the department store’s existence. People don’t want to look like the Queen’s long-lost sister anymore, and aren’t concerned about dressing like someone who comes from old money. Nor do they see the merit in paying double the price for a sweater that they could easily buy on an e-commerce site such as Amazon, which has staked out its place as a go-to for basics like socks, underwear, and other staples.
While its food offerings remain genuinely delicious and luxurious (I find that canned G&T perfect for a long train commute home after a hard day!), the chain has struggled both in food and in its core business, clothing.
It’s not so surprising. Walking into an M&S clothing section is a whiplash experience. On one side there are skirts your granny would love, and probably the exact same shirt you wore to your first job interview. On the other side are an attempt at “what kids wear these days,” with a smattering of guest designer items and celebrity “collaborations.”
M&S’s bosses have said they’re getting their shop in order, to become more modern, digital, and responsive. But the problem is, M&S’s brand has always been obtainable bourgeoisie. Society, thankfully, has progressed, and M&S can no longer lean on such outdated notions to prop it up. It should really ask itself, does it still have a place on our high streets, if it can’t progress with the rest of us?


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We finally have an almost complete view of the upcoming Galaxy Xcover 5 rugged phone thanks to a couple of leaked press renders that were shared with us by one of our readers via the SamMobile Telegram group. The renders reveal the phone’s back panel for the first time, and they’re also accompanied by two official wallpapers and a handful of additional specs and pricing details.
We’ve seen the Galaxy Xcover 5 from the front before, and same as last time, the new renders confirm that the upcoming device has a conventional non-Infinity display with thick bezels at the top and bottom. Now, the back of the device was also revealed and it carries a single camera surrounded by a metallic red design element, along with a dual-LED flash module. The back panel looks rubberized and it has a grippy texture.
A couple of official Galaxy Xcover 5 wallpapers were also shared along with the press renders. You can check them out and/or download them from the image gallery below.
Galaxy Xcover 5 alleged pricing details emerge
Samsung will supposedly release the Galaxy Xcover 5 in Europe for anywhere between €289 and €299. This sounds about right given that the Galaxy Xcover 4s was released for around €299, but the newer model will offer more value.
The Galaxy Xcover 5 is expected to feature a 5.3-inch display with a resolution of 1480 by 720. The screen has Gorilla Glass 6 protection and the phone’s chassis benefits from an IP68 dust and water resistance rating and a MIL-STD-810G certificate.
Other hardware specs include the Exynos 850 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of built-in, expandable storage, and a 3,000mAH battery with 15W fast charging. The main camera reportedly has a resolution of 16MP and an f/1.8 aperture, while the selfie sensor tops out at 5MP (f/2.2).
The Galaxy Xcover 5 should ship with Android 11 and One UI 3.1 out of the box, and Samsung has prematurely confirmed that the device will take advantage of monthly security updates.
Thanks for the tip, Wigetta Gaming!
Update: A couple of additional renders revealing the phone’s edges were revealed by WinFuture.


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Amid efforts to offer its own mobile payment system, Google is being sued by PayPal over claims it misappropriated trade secrets from its mobile-payment business. "Osama Bedier, a former
PayPal executive now at Google, stole PayPal's confidential information," reports Bloomberg, citing a lawsuit filed by the company on Thursday.
What's more, "Stephanie Tilenius, another ex-PayPal executive now at Google, violated contractual obligations by recruiting Bedier," PayPal claims. Bedier "is now leading Google's efforts to bring point of sale technologies and services to retailers on its behalf," according to the complaint. "Bedier and Google have misappropriated PayPal trade secrets by disclosing them within Google and to major retailers."
Regarding Google's just-unveiled mobile payment plans, paidContent writes: "Now it looks like another big player in the payment-processing market is seeking to crash that party, and not in a fun way."
"Today's announcement is another early salvo in what will be a long and hard-fought battle to change consumers' payment behavior and, as a potential result, the makeup of the payments landscape," Forrester analyst Charles Golvin tells the Associated Press.
For its part, "PayPal, which is on track to become bigger than its parent company eBay over the next few years, is quickly expanding as it sees opportunities in mobile and other alternative payment options," reports All Things Digital. "It plans to have in-store trials by the end of this year."
"Large companies often sue former employees -- mostly out of spite -- without much success," writes GigaOm. "But this time around PayPal is serious, as the company feels these former executives threaten its future business."


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The spot starts in black and white, featuring historical photos of postal carriers along with the postal creed ("Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds"), then switches to color halfway into the spot with pictures of current mail carriers doing their jobs. The ad is accompanied by Carly Simon's song "Let the River Run."
The spot will run on network news-related programming, on NFL games on network and cable, and on prime-time shows.
The Postal Service declined to disclose spending.
All agencies reported to D.C.
Bcom3 Group's Leo Burnett Co. is the Postal Service's agency of record, but after the anthrax incident, the service asked each of its agencies to come to Washington and present ideas -- even its
Grey Worldwide produced a speculative ad for its meeting and it won the backing of the Postal Service. Grey will produce print of the ad as well, but the Postal Service said Burnett remains its agency of record, though no other creative is planned.
"We hope the takeaway is that the Postal Service is working hard and that people are working even in the face of some danger," said Larry Speakes, manager of advertising for the Postal Service.
Normally November and December are a heavy time for Postal Service ads as the service works to persuade shippers to use mails rather than delivery services to send holiday packages.
Mr. Speakes, however, said the Postal Service plans no other message this year and will rely on the Grey creative at least until January.
Grey Worldwide President Steve W. Blamer said his grandfather was a postal carrier for many years and the ad was developed by Grey's creative team after he described his grandfather's experiences.
Mr. Speakes said Leo Burnett remains the Postal Service's agency of record and ads from that agency would likely resume next year.


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Eurosport Multimedia Platform “The Best in Europe”
July 7, 2011
An EMS Survey has stated that a strong performance in Eastern Europe, premium sports rights and a successful digital strategy have once again confirmed Eurosport Group’s multimedia platform as the No.1 in Europe
The survey, the only one to measure all multimedia devices of PETV channels, found that Eurosport’s combined platform reach across TV, online and mobile out-stripped nearest rivals MTV by 28 per cent among the EMS target demographics.
A report said that Eurosport, the group’s flagship TV channel and live sports specialist, ranks No.1 PETV channel – for the 16th consecutive year – showing that sport remains the key audience driver across all times categories and ahead of other genres such as news.
Meanwhile, Eurosport 2 cemented its status as one of Europe’s fastest growing TV channels with a gain of 25 per cent in weekly reach versus 2010. The channel exclusively broadcasts the German top football league live to 23 territories in a deal lasting until 2015, and the EMS performances demonstrate how the group’s strategy of premium rights acquisition is enhancing the regional offer and boosting audiences.
The survey also stated that Eurosport.com is the leading web and mobile sports destination in Europe. Laurent-Eric Le Lay, CEO and Chairman of Eurosport Group, said: “The EMS results are extremely positive as they demonstrate Eurosport’s leadership in Europe with excellent gains in key markets for Eurosport 2.
“Our leadership is both geographical and technological. Eurosport.com has been innovating since its launch in 1999 and the latest EMS figures for mobile reach underline the success of our digital strategy.
“Whether on TV, online or mobile Eurosport provides first-class content such as premium exclusive Bundesliga rights, which help build a strong brand and fulfil our brand promise: to deliver top content anytime, anywhere and on any device.”


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Microsoft (MSFT) stock rose 5 percent on Thursday to $107.56 after the company released a strong quarterly report that beat expectations on both earnings and revenue.
According to Refinitiv, Microsoft reported earnings of $1.14 per share versus the $0.96 per share expected by analysts. For revenue, the company reported $29.08 billion against the $27.90 billion expected by analysts, rising 19 percent year over year.
Much of the Microsoft’s better-than-expected results may be attributed to the its Intelligent Cloud segment, which contains server products and cloud service (such as Microsoft Azure). Microsoft continues to emphasize the growth of its business-focused cloud services as it challenges similar services offered by competitors such as Amazon, Alphabet, and Salesforce.
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