Forbes reports: “Long-time U.K. pay-TV rivals Sky and Virgin Media have signed a new multi-year partnership that expands on the existing collaboration between the two content providers. From 2020, Sky’s ultra HD linear channel and additional video-on-demand content will be added to the current package of Sky TV channels already available on the Virgin Media network.”
VentureBeat reports: “Google, which has already paid security researchers over $15 million since launching its bug bounty program in 2010, today increased bug bounties across the Chrome Vulnerability Reward Program and the Google Play Security Reward Program.”
TechCrunch reports: “As Facebook continues to lay the foundation for getting some of the world’s largest payment processing and technology companies a seat at the global monetary policy table, the company faces significant obstacles to enacting its plans from both sides of the congressional aisle.”
Variety reports: “Netflix badly undershot its subscriber forecasts for the second quarter of 2019 — posting its first net U.S. customer decline since 2011 while growth slowed considerably overseas. The company added 2.7 million subs worldwide, almost half as many as the 5 million it had projected.”
Hypebot reports: “Billionaire investor Haim Saban, Chairman of Saban Capital Group, is teaming with music industry veteran Gustavo Lopez to launch Saban Music Group with a promised $500 million investment. SMG is positioned as a record label, international A&R, and artist development company built around offering ‘360 deals’ to artists.”
gamesindustry.biz reports: “Disney’s video games strategy (or perceived lack of one) has been a hot topic of discussion in recent weeks. It kicked off when an investor suggested it could acquire Activision Blizzard — a publisher that, coincidentally, said investor had a hefty stake in — to get back into the traditional games space after withdrawing in 2016.”
VentureBeat reports: “Horizon Blockchain Games has raised $3.75 million in seed funding and it has unveiled its debut blockchain game, SkyWeaver, which offers true ownership of digital cards. The Toronto-based game company is treading in a familiar area for blockchain game companies, such as CryptoKitties, in using blockchain — the transparent and secure decentralized ledger technology — to create one-of-a-kind, verifiable collectibles in digital form for gamers.”
Variety reports: “Fans of Disney movies and TV shows can now dive into a dedicated music hub on Spotify, featuring seven playlist sections with top hits from Disney animated favorites and music from Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars films.”
Hollywood Reporter reports: “Sony Corp. is putting both Sony Music Entertainment and Sony/ATV Music Publishing under the new umbrella of Sony Music Group, which Sony Music’s CEO Rob Stringer will helm as chairman. The move is effective Aug. 1, according to an internal Sony memo obtained by Billboard, and represents a significant structural change for the Tokyo-based conglomerate.”
TechCrunch reports: “FaceApp, the AI-powered selfie-editing app that’s been having another viral moment of late, has now responded to a privacy controversy that we covered earlier here.”
