Digital Disruption and the Digital Media Supply Chain

Media and Entertainment (M&E) industry go back a long way. From tapes that went burst with the onset of MP3s two decades ago, to the emergence of cord-cutters who never intend to own a television or buy a cable subscription, massive changes have been a constant theme for your business. Today, we are in the middle of another such transformation. The unprecedented growth in the demand for content across the globe presents you with wide-ranging opportunities to grow revenues and strengthen brand loyalty.

Spotlight

Roku Inc.

Roku pioneered streaming for the TV, and we aspire to power every TV in the world. Roku has nearly 21 million monthly active accounts as of the end of Q1 2018.We developed a streaming platform that delivers a best-in-class user experience. At the heart of the Roku platform is our proprietary operating system, the Roku OS, which we built from the ground up. We believe that all television will be streamed, and that all TVs and set-top-boxes will be powered by software-based operating systems that provide a dramatically better user experience than has existed historically for the TV.

OTHER ARTICLES
Technologies

New Doom VR Mod Releasing Soon For Oculus Quest

Article | February 14, 2022

The release will feature 5 sets of VR weapons and a launcher that will allow you to mix and match different Doom mods with ease. There’s support for smooth locomotion and teleport movement options, plus you’ll be able to switch between a couple of different walking speeds for the former. The person behind the mod is DrBeef, who has previously completed a number of well-known Quest ports and VR projects. He was behind the Lambda1VR mod for Oculus Quest, as well as QuakeQuest and many others.

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Virtualization

Boost Your B2B SaaS Business with Live Streaming

Article | June 21, 2021

Live streaming is an effective tool to attract the attention of your potential clients in the B2B SaaS domain. You can influence users and prospects without stretching your marketing budget. In a survey by Wyzowl, it was reported that 86% of businesses were relying on videos as a marketing tool. All you need to make the most of this tool is a good device, a strong internet connection, and the right live streaming application. Live Streaming: It’s All about the Connection Every business focuses on creating connections with their prospects through every form of communication, like discord, social media and websites. As a medium, live streaming offers an exciting opportunity to make this connection interactive. Let us look at what it can help you do: Build Your Brand Real-time comments, likes, and shares take brand interaction to another level. You can reiterate your brand’s ability to responsibly respond to your customers and create a new benchmark for how you deliver customer experience. Since live streams are unscripted, you can also showcase your brand’s ingenuity in handling customer issues without any hang-ups. Connect With Customers A live stream will help you connect with your customers in a novel way. Not only will your customers participate in your brand journey, but they will also feel excited to learn about your offerings. Tapping into their curious minds and influencing their buying decisions will be easier once they become visually engaged in your stream. Get Instant Feedback Product enhancements are a result of priceless customer feedback. When you present your products to customers over a live stream, they understand the product features and benefits in real-time and offer their feedback instantly, so you know what you need to work on. This feedback can also be the fodder for your content and marketing strategies. Keep Customers Informed Customers prefer watching interactive videos more than reading detailed emails on products. Keep your customers informed and updated about your latest product information through regular live streams. You can highlight important product updates that can help customers elevate their businesses and address any concerns that might hamper your sales through a stream. Boost Your B2B SaaS Business with Live Streaming Now that we have seen what exactly live streaming can do for businesses, let us narrow it down to the B2B SaaS domain. Here is how you can improve your SaaS sales with live streaming: Speed up problem resolution Allow customers to request live streams on what they need. Through live streams, you can troubleshoot for them without making them wait in queues or for your responses over email. If you address one customer’s problem over the stream, it can help you reduce and eliminate similar problems other customers are facing. Conduct detailed product tours If you live stream your product tour, you can show your customers how it works in detail. Product tours will help you create a personal connection with businesses because you can highlight how your product will help them address their pain points. You can also answer questions in detail and communicate with them better. Save the videos as tutorials Your live streams can become tutorials for your customers. Your ‘How-to’ live streams can help them understand your product and solve their problems without any brand intervention or waiting period. Reel in the customers Give your customers a glimpse of the trends in the SaaS industry. Update them on industry events, expos, and conferences they can attend. Let them see what goes behind making the product and get their opinion on new product ideas. It’s a Wrap B2B SaaS leaders must develop appealing live streaming strategies to solve customer problems, identify their needs, and connect with them on new platforms to increase sales and product uptake.

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Technologies, Business

Watch out Warzone and Fortnite: Ubisoft is coming after free-to-play

Article | July 20, 2022

Ubisoft announced last week that it is adding specific focus on free-to-play, alongside its AAA catalogue. In doing so, it is following a route that has been very successful for Activision with its Warzone strategy. Free-to-play games which draw audiences via big franchise names and monetise via in-game spending are going to be increasingly common among AAA publishers. The focus on in-game spending and particularly on the cosmetic, rather than the progress-related, parts will be the key revenue component. As games become less finite and more perpetual (consumer goal is less about ‘finishing them’ and more and ‘playing/spending time in them’), the opportunity to monetise needs that stem from this perpetual engagement (e.g. socialising or expression) starts to outweigh the mere monetisation of access to a packaged product. Simultaneously, free-to-play games also act as a powerful marketing driver for AAA releases as they come out, as well as streamability and word of mouth for the franchise.

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Why Shares of AMC Entertainment Are Surging Today

Article | April 28, 2020

It was just two weeks ago that it looked as if the COVID-19 pandemic would push AMC into bankruptcy, as forced theater closures shut off revenue to the world's biggest cinema operator. The company also slashed its dividend, and executives all took pay cuts to help conserve cash. Investors should still be wary, even if AMC is able to open many of its theaters sooner than the mid-June date it had been eyeing.

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Spotlight

Roku Inc.

Roku pioneered streaming for the TV, and we aspire to power every TV in the world. Roku has nearly 21 million monthly active accounts as of the end of Q1 2018.We developed a streaming platform that delivers a best-in-class user experience. At the heart of the Roku platform is our proprietary operating system, the Roku OS, which we built from the ground up. We believe that all television will be streamed, and that all TVs and set-top-boxes will be powered by software-based operating systems that provide a dramatically better user experience than has existed historically for the TV.

Related News

Applications

ComingSoon Expands Entertainment News Coverage

PR Newswire | October 05, 2023

Evolve Media LLC, a passion-based publisher of some of the most influential internet brands since 1996, announced that its marquee entertainment site ComingSoon is continuing to grow and expand its coverage areas. ComingSoon will expand to new coverage areas, including Bollywood With traffic up 79 percent since April 2023, ComingSoon is expanding in order to continue its rapid growth since a redesign was launched in December 2022. The site is now broadening its entertainment coverage into new areas, including Indian films and television, Korean dramas, reality television, documentaries, and true crime. All of these new verticals will be easily accessible in the site's revamped navigation bar as coverage is rolled out. ComingSoon will also further commit resources to delivering top-notch anime, documentary and horror coverage, which have become key elements of the entertainment site. It will also continue to produce top-quality features and reviews that are just as engaging as they are informative, while also conducting interviews with some of Hollywood's biggest directors and stars. "Our goal is to make ComingSoon a one-stop destination for media consumers all over the world," said Todd Jacobs, Director of Content & Operations at Evolve Media. "With these strategic investments, ComingSoon will exponentially expand their global audience." "Thanks to streaming, we've seen entertainment around the globe become pop culture phenomenons," said Tyler Treese, Frontpage Editorial Manager of Evolve Media's Entertainment and Gaming Division. "International hits like Squid Game and Jawan have shown that Korea and India are producing incredible content, while anime continues to grow in popularity. We'll finally be able to cover these areas with the news coverage they deserve, and help fans figure out the next show to binge or what film to invite their friends over to watch." About Evolve Media, LLC Evolve Media is a premium publisher of leading enthusiast destinations for influential men and women. Leveraging proprietary advertising and publishing technologies, as well as hundreds of talented content professionals, Evolve Media offers premium and engaging content to its readers, while offering marketers the tools needed to execute custom, content-led marketing solutions that reach its audience of over 78 million people globally each month.

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Technologies, Solutions

Paysafe launches upgraded Skrill digital wallet for iGaming in Ontario

Businesswire | May 11, 2023

Paysafe (NYSE: PSFE), a leading payments platform, today announced the launch of its revamped Skrill digital wallet for online betting in the Canadian province of Ontario. Developed specifically to meet the payment preferences of iGaming players, the upgraded Skrill wallet allows Ontarians to instantly fund wagers and effortlessly cash-out winnings while enjoying a streamlined and intuitive user experience (UX). Launched in the U.S. in 2021 and available across all 26 American iGaming jurisdictions where Paysafe supports operators, the upgraded Skrill wallet is now live in Ontario, Canada’s most populated province (14.2m residents) which launched an expanded market for private operators in April 2022. With Paysafe’s 2023 All the ways players pay research revealing that 73% of Ontarian online sports bettors have deposited at sportsbooks using a digital wallet, the latest Skrill innovations will allow operators to better serve these customers, who favour wallets for their transactional security and speed. Now, after a streamlined registration process with Skrill that links Ontarians’ bank accounts to the wallet and takes just seconds, players can use Skrill to deposit instantly yet securely into sportsbook accounts via online bank transfer. Alternatively, online bettors can load funds to their Skrill wallet balance using the Paysafecash eCash solution. For returning Skrill users, the redeposit process is even more rapid, skipping log-in (when ‘remember me’ is activated) to deposit with a single click. Ontarians will also enjoy the wallet’s state-of-the-art ‘look and feel’, with Skrill boasting a seamless UX across desktop, iOS and Android apps that meets the transactional expectations of casual players to high-stakes VIP sports bettors moving money across multiple sportsbooks. Through a ‘tiled’ display, all the info a player needs is centralized, ensuring an uninterrupted depositing process. Cashing-out is just as simple, with funds accessible in players’ Skrill accounts in real time. Winnings can either be spent online using Skrill at supporting merchants or transferred to players’ linked bank accounts. Zak Cutler, President of Global Gaming at Paysafe, said: “Since we first rolled-out the new Skrill in the U.S. two years ago, we feel it’s been a game changer for the payments experience of American players. We expect the upgraded wallet to be just as well received north of the border, with Skrill giving Ontarian operators a competitive edge when it comes to acquiring and retaining their customers.” About Paysafe Paysafe Limited (“Paysafe”) (NYSE: PSFE) (PSFE.WS) is a leading payments platform with an extensive track record of serving merchants and consumers in the global entertainment sectors. Its core purpose is to enable businesses and consumers to connect and transact seamlessly through industry-leading capabilities in payment processing, digital wallet, and online cash solutions. With 25 years of online payment experience, an annualized transactional volume of over $130 billion in 2022, and approximately 3,300 employees located in 12+ countries, Paysafe connects businesses and consumers across more than 250 payment types in over 40 currencies around the world. Delivered through an integrated platform, Paysafe solutions are geared toward mobile-initiated transactions, real-time analytics and the convergence between brick-and-mortar and online payments. Further information is available at www.paysafe.com. About Paysafe iGaming Paysafe brings over two decades of specialized payments experience supporting the global iGaming and sports-betting sectors and provides operators with a comprehensive suite of traditional and alternative payment methods through a single, streamlined API integration. Paysafe is also a leader in digital and affiliate marketing technology and services for iGaming operators through its Income Access business unit. Since the opening-up of the U.S. iGaming market in May 2018, Paysafe has consistently stated its ambitions to be the payments leader in the fast-growing sector, building on its leadership in Canada and Europe. As of May 10th, 2023, the company supports 75% of operators in the country with payments or marketing solutions across 26 jurisdictions. In Canada, Paysafe also has a leading position and partners with the majority of regulated iLottery and gaming brands.

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Hiber raises $2.25 million for user-generated web game platform

Hiber | August 21, 2020

Hiber has raised $2.25 million in a second round of seed funding for its web platform that makes it easy to create user-generated games. The company says it is at the intersection of connected devices, AI, and creator-focused entertainment. The Gothenberg, Sweden-based company has quietly amassed more than 300,000 games from 250,000 monthly active users for its HiberWorld platform. Those players are creating 3D games without the need to learn any coding. The company says it is enabling users to create and express themselves through bite-sized games and is giving a generation a new way to communicate. The social nature of the games puts it somewhere akin to Snapchat or TikTok, with people expressing themselves with what they create.

Read More

Applications

ComingSoon Expands Entertainment News Coverage

PR Newswire | October 05, 2023

Evolve Media LLC, a passion-based publisher of some of the most influential internet brands since 1996, announced that its marquee entertainment site ComingSoon is continuing to grow and expand its coverage areas. ComingSoon will expand to new coverage areas, including Bollywood With traffic up 79 percent since April 2023, ComingSoon is expanding in order to continue its rapid growth since a redesign was launched in December 2022. The site is now broadening its entertainment coverage into new areas, including Indian films and television, Korean dramas, reality television, documentaries, and true crime. All of these new verticals will be easily accessible in the site's revamped navigation bar as coverage is rolled out. ComingSoon will also further commit resources to delivering top-notch anime, documentary and horror coverage, which have become key elements of the entertainment site. It will also continue to produce top-quality features and reviews that are just as engaging as they are informative, while also conducting interviews with some of Hollywood's biggest directors and stars. "Our goal is to make ComingSoon a one-stop destination for media consumers all over the world," said Todd Jacobs, Director of Content & Operations at Evolve Media. "With these strategic investments, ComingSoon will exponentially expand their global audience." "Thanks to streaming, we've seen entertainment around the globe become pop culture phenomenons," said Tyler Treese, Frontpage Editorial Manager of Evolve Media's Entertainment and Gaming Division. "International hits like Squid Game and Jawan have shown that Korea and India are producing incredible content, while anime continues to grow in popularity. We'll finally be able to cover these areas with the news coverage they deserve, and help fans figure out the next show to binge or what film to invite their friends over to watch." About Evolve Media, LLC Evolve Media is a premium publisher of leading enthusiast destinations for influential men and women. Leveraging proprietary advertising and publishing technologies, as well as hundreds of talented content professionals, Evolve Media offers premium and engaging content to its readers, while offering marketers the tools needed to execute custom, content-led marketing solutions that reach its audience of over 78 million people globally each month.

Read More

Technologies, Solutions

Paysafe launches upgraded Skrill digital wallet for iGaming in Ontario

Businesswire | May 11, 2023

Paysafe (NYSE: PSFE), a leading payments platform, today announced the launch of its revamped Skrill digital wallet for online betting in the Canadian province of Ontario. Developed specifically to meet the payment preferences of iGaming players, the upgraded Skrill wallet allows Ontarians to instantly fund wagers and effortlessly cash-out winnings while enjoying a streamlined and intuitive user experience (UX). Launched in the U.S. in 2021 and available across all 26 American iGaming jurisdictions where Paysafe supports operators, the upgraded Skrill wallet is now live in Ontario, Canada’s most populated province (14.2m residents) which launched an expanded market for private operators in April 2022. With Paysafe’s 2023 All the ways players pay research revealing that 73% of Ontarian online sports bettors have deposited at sportsbooks using a digital wallet, the latest Skrill innovations will allow operators to better serve these customers, who favour wallets for their transactional security and speed. Now, after a streamlined registration process with Skrill that links Ontarians’ bank accounts to the wallet and takes just seconds, players can use Skrill to deposit instantly yet securely into sportsbook accounts via online bank transfer. Alternatively, online bettors can load funds to their Skrill wallet balance using the Paysafecash eCash solution. For returning Skrill users, the redeposit process is even more rapid, skipping log-in (when ‘remember me’ is activated) to deposit with a single click. Ontarians will also enjoy the wallet’s state-of-the-art ‘look and feel’, with Skrill boasting a seamless UX across desktop, iOS and Android apps that meets the transactional expectations of casual players to high-stakes VIP sports bettors moving money across multiple sportsbooks. Through a ‘tiled’ display, all the info a player needs is centralized, ensuring an uninterrupted depositing process. Cashing-out is just as simple, with funds accessible in players’ Skrill accounts in real time. Winnings can either be spent online using Skrill at supporting merchants or transferred to players’ linked bank accounts. Zak Cutler, President of Global Gaming at Paysafe, said: “Since we first rolled-out the new Skrill in the U.S. two years ago, we feel it’s been a game changer for the payments experience of American players. We expect the upgraded wallet to be just as well received north of the border, with Skrill giving Ontarian operators a competitive edge when it comes to acquiring and retaining their customers.” About Paysafe Paysafe Limited (“Paysafe”) (NYSE: PSFE) (PSFE.WS) is a leading payments platform with an extensive track record of serving merchants and consumers in the global entertainment sectors. Its core purpose is to enable businesses and consumers to connect and transact seamlessly through industry-leading capabilities in payment processing, digital wallet, and online cash solutions. With 25 years of online payment experience, an annualized transactional volume of over $130 billion in 2022, and approximately 3,300 employees located in 12+ countries, Paysafe connects businesses and consumers across more than 250 payment types in over 40 currencies around the world. Delivered through an integrated platform, Paysafe solutions are geared toward mobile-initiated transactions, real-time analytics and the convergence between brick-and-mortar and online payments. Further information is available at www.paysafe.com. About Paysafe iGaming Paysafe brings over two decades of specialized payments experience supporting the global iGaming and sports-betting sectors and provides operators with a comprehensive suite of traditional and alternative payment methods through a single, streamlined API integration. Paysafe is also a leader in digital and affiliate marketing technology and services for iGaming operators through its Income Access business unit. Since the opening-up of the U.S. iGaming market in May 2018, Paysafe has consistently stated its ambitions to be the payments leader in the fast-growing sector, building on its leadership in Canada and Europe. As of May 10th, 2023, the company supports 75% of operators in the country with payments or marketing solutions across 26 jurisdictions. In Canada, Paysafe also has a leading position and partners with the majority of regulated iLottery and gaming brands.

Read More

Hiber raises $2.25 million for user-generated web game platform

Hiber | August 21, 2020

Hiber has raised $2.25 million in a second round of seed funding for its web platform that makes it easy to create user-generated games. The company says it is at the intersection of connected devices, AI, and creator-focused entertainment. The Gothenberg, Sweden-based company has quietly amassed more than 300,000 games from 250,000 monthly active users for its HiberWorld platform. Those players are creating 3D games without the need to learn any coding. The company says it is enabling users to create and express themselves through bite-sized games and is giving a generation a new way to communicate. The social nature of the games puts it somewhere akin to Snapchat or TikTok, with people expressing themselves with what they create.

Read More

Events