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AT&T To Take Over Time Warner

AT&T And Time Warner Acquisition

AT&T will build more strength by acquiring Time Warner.  There would be more contents to deliver entertainment, and media to all corners of the networks of AT&T.

The company is preparing for the mobile video revolution.  The company wants to lead media streams over mobile networks.  Time Warner has one of the largest TV studios and films all over the world.  Time Warner has a vast entertainment library.

History:

AT&T:

The company is an American telecommunications conglomerate.  The company is located in Dallas, Texas.  The company is the second largest mobile phone company and the largest residential telephone company in the United States.  The company has the largest revenue in telecommunications.

 

Time Warner:

The company is centered on mass media.  The company is made up of three major divisions.  Turner Broadcasting System, Warner Bros, and Home Box Office (HBO).  A collection of popular HBO medias are: The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Deadwood, Entourage, True Blood, Games of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Veep, and Westworld.  The Turner Broadcasting System has networks such as HLN, CNN, Cartoon Network, TBS, Turner Classic Movies, and Turner Sports.  Turner also manages websites like NBA.com, bleacherreport.com, PGA.com and NCAA.com.  The Warner Bros. company has home entertainments productions worldwide, and distributes videos, animation, comic books, international cinemas and broadcasting.  The company also distributes DVDs and Blu-ray items.  The company also produces major films year to year.

 

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Canadian Housing Check for May 2016 by Royal Bank of Canada

The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Housing Check for Major Cities in Canada produces a housing economic research report.

The cities with heated housing conditions are:

  • City of Vancouver, Province of British Columbia
  • City of Toronto, Province of Ontario

 

The jobless rate increased for the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta.  The largest housing markets in Canada are:

  • The City of Toronto, Province of Ontario
  • The City of Montreal, Province of Quebec,
  • The City of Vancouver, Province of British Columbia
  • and The City of Calgary, Province of Alberta

 

source:
Royal Bank Canada Housing Research

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Synacor (NASDAQ:SYNC) to Provide Portal Services For AT&T

Synacor to offer Portal Services to AT&T:
Synacor was selected to operate portal services for AT&T customers. The expected revenue from this situation would be around 100 million per year.  Synacor is a multi-screen technology and monetization partner for internet, video, communications providers, device manufacturers and enterprises.

AT&T
AT&T (NYSE: T) is a telecommunications company. The company is the second largest provider of mobile telephone in the United States. The company also provides broadband television services.

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Apple Information For April 2016

Apple announces April 2016 Quarter

Apple commentator says revenue was at $50.6 billion dollars for the quarter.  Apple says the weakness in growth is due to the weak international currency markets.  There was a 9% decline in revenue compared to last year due to weakness in international currencies.  Apple says there are over one billion of active devices.  The iPhones sold at 51.2 million units for the quarter.  Although this may be lower than the last quarter.  Apple says there are three types of customers that buy the iPhones: They are customers who upgrade, customers who switch, and customers who purchase a smartphone for the first time.  Apple has 42% smartphone penetration.  For the country India: iPhone sales are up 56% from a year ago.  Apple says that Apple Pay mobile wallet has one million new users per week, and is still in expansion.  Apple also says there were more shipments of Apple Watch in this quarter.

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Apple

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E-commerce Giant Alibaba Registers Record Sales on the Singles Day Shopping Event

alibaba record sales

alibaba record salesAlibaba, the Chinese e-commerce behemoth managed a record sale of goods worth more than $9.34 billion on November 11th which is aptly known as the Singles Day. It is a marketing gimmick which most e-commerce sites conduct by giving away goods at unbelievable discounts. On the Singles Day they encouraged people who are not in any sort of relationship to treat themselves by buying a gift.

Although it is blatant marketing stunt, the company managed to make full use of it as the people in China accepted this day with open arms and made this day the single biggest online shopping day in the world. By the end of the day, the company revealed how much sales they had made. The company also stated that 43 percent of the orders placed was through mobile devices. The sales this year easily beat the record of $6 billion which was set last year.

Saying that the record sale achieved by Alibaba is mind-boggling would be putting it mildly, as America’s Black Friday sales of $5.29 billion is just a little more than half of Alibaba’s Singles Day. This comparison is not even justified as the sales in America includes all the e-commerce companies put together while Alibaba is just a single company.

In a very smart move, Alibaba tapped numerous foreign brands which includes the likes of American Eagle, Costco, Calvin Klein among many others which added up to a total of 27,000 active labels which was aimed at piquing international interest.

There is a big question mark though on how the company is going to deliver all the products on time. People though do not seem to mind even if the delivery is late by a day or two as long as they are getting the discount.

The company was in the news less than two months ago when they raised a record $25 billion—making it bigger than companies like Facebook, Amazon, and Intel.

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Business

Tim Cook Acknowledges his Gender Orientation

Apple CEO Tim Cook has finally spoken out to the public about his gender orientation by announcing that he has come out and is proud of it. Cook came out with this public acknowledgment because he felt that the people who are struggling with their identity may benefit from his announcement. He wrote about it  in an essay for Bloomberg Businessweek on October 30. Since the time he became the chief of Apple after Steve Jobs departure, many people kept speculating about his gender orientation. He never really denied anything and at the same time, he never acknowledged about his gender orientation either and always tried to maintain a basic level of privacy until now.

Cook also challenged his home state of Alabama to make sure that the rights of other different gender orientations are upheld. In the article, he also mentioned that he is no activist, but admitted that he benefited from the sacrifices made by others. He considers being born as a different gender orientation, one of God’s greatest gift to him. He said that if anyone who is finding it difficult to come to terms with the fact about who they are and if knowing that the CEO of Apple is also one among them is going to be of any help, then its totally worth the trade-off of his privacy.

In his article, he also quoted Martin Luther King’s words when he said “What are we doing for others?” Cook has challenged himself with this question many times and then decided finally that he should stop holding himself back and do something very important. He also stated that he was lucky to work with colleagues who completely understood about his situation and never ever treated him with any difference.

Cook who has earned a fortune for himself since becoming the Apple chief said that being a different gender orientation made him more empathetic and helped him rise above bigotry and adversity. He also said at the same time that his privacy still remains very important to him and hope that people will understand and focus more about the Apple products than his personal life.

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Apple Posts Profits For Fourth Quarter of 2014

apple store iphone ipad itune
Apple Profits Fourth Quarter 2014

Apple Posts Profits For Fourth Quarter of 2014:

Apple posts revenue of $42.1 billion dollars and quarterly net profit of $8.5 billion dollars. The previous 2013 quarter the same time period, net profit was at $7.5 billion dollars. The international sales of Apple’s products were 60% of revenue.

A statement from the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Apple, Tim Cook; states, “With amazing innovations in our new iPhones, iPads, and Macs, as well as iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, we are heading into the holidays with Apple’s strongest product lineup ever. We are also incredibly excited about Apple Watch and other great products and services in the pipeline for 2015”.

apple store iphone ipad itune
Apple Profits Fourth Quarter 2014

Achievements:

Apple mad the Macs, one of the best personal computers in the world, with OS X, iLife, iWork and other professional software. The digital music revolution was led by Apple Company who created the iTunes online store and iPods. The technology company modified and pioneered and revolutionized the mobile phone. The tech giant through the App store and the iPhone defined the future of mobile media and mobile computing.

iPad Air 2:

Apple released the iPad Air 2 which is the most powerful and thinnest iPad to date. The device will feature improved Retina display for better contrast and richer, greater vibrant colors. The cameras will show better stunning photos and videos. The device will come in various colors such as gray, silver, and gold. There will also be a touch Identification fingerprint sensor system for more security.

Apple Pay:

Apple Pay is a new category of service Apple will introduce into the market. Apple Pay will enable users to process mobile payments with secure, private, and easy way to pay. The technology is made of the NFC antenna design with a dedicated chip known as the Secure Element, with the Touch ID. Users register their debit or credit card on the iTunes Store account in order for the flow of the payment system of Apple Pay to work. Apple Pay can be used in store, and online. The payment system will be introduced into the iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6, and later introduced into the iOS 8 operating system.

Documents and References:

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HBO Streaming Online Starting 2015

HBO TV Online Stream
HBO To Start Streaming Online TV.

HBO Streaming Online Starting 2015

The CEO of HBO (Home Box Office) “Richard Plepler” announces the HBO stand-alone streaming service for 2015. The head of the company sees future growth in the broadband internet only households and imagine that this is a great opportunity to grow in the information super high way arena. The CEO also stated “That is a large and growing opportunity that should no longer be left untapped. It is time to remove all barriers to those who want HBO”. There seems to be over 80 million homes in the United States that do not have HBO due to existing business models with current partners such as the TV service providers. HBO Company will try and aim for the homes that have broadband internet only to easily access the HBO streaming. (Publication)

HBO TV Online Stream
HBO To Start Streaming Online TV.

HBO History:

HBO is a cable and satellite television network that belongs to “Home Box Office Inc.”. HBO was founded in 1972. HBO is also a part of Time Warner. The network shows released movies, television series, documentaries, sports matches, stand-up comedy, concert specials and more. HBO is the longest operating pay television service in the USA. HBO also created “The Comedy Channel” that featured stand-up comedians, comic movies, and funny television series. The Comedy Channel eventually become known as “The Comedy Network” and finally “Comedy Central”. In the year 2003, Viacom took over the “Comedy Central” network. HBO also launched the HBO Go service. (HBO website)

HBO Go

HBO Go is a service that holds over 1,000 hours of program content used for streaming movies, television series, comedy specials and more. This service allows for the user to watch HBO anywhere they go as long as they have an internet connected device such as a smart TV, tablet computers, and even smart phones. (HBO Go Website)

Television and Film Production Involvment

HBO started to help produce movies and television series in 1990. Some the works include: The Ben Stiller Show, Everybody Loves Raymond, Roc, and Martin. HBO also joined joint ventures with major movies productions companies such as Columbia Pictures.

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Red Bull Agrees to Pay $13 Million to Settle a False Advertising Lawsuit

red bull picture
© depositphotos.com/giromin
red bull picture
© depositphotos.com/giromin

Have you ever tried the Red Bull energy drink in the past 12 years, if yes then you can claim a $10 refund from the company. This after they lost a case involving a class action lawsuit filed by some customers led by New York resident Benjamin Careathers claiming that Red Bull misled them by including the catch phrase “Red Bull gives you wings” in their advertisement. The case was filed against the Austrian beverage company in a New York court. The defendant have lost the case and have agreed for a settlement by paying a humongous sum of  $13 million as compensation.

Red Bull’s outrageous advertising and promotional campaign left their customers believing that the drink was a superior product, that deserves the premium price and provides vitality and energy. Mr Benjamin has been drinking the product since 2002 when it was launched. Since the main ingredient is caffeine, the company cannot claim their drink to be any more stimulating than a normal cup of coffee.

The case became a one-sided affair as despite the absence of any hard evidence supporting that the drink provides extra benefit to the consumers, the company continued to market its product as a better source of energy which is worthy of the high price-tag. The suit also includes the fact that since the drink was launched in North America 12 years ago a whopping $2 billion has been spent on its marketing.

The Canadian division of the company continued to defend its marketing campaign saying that they agreed for the settlement only because of the high costs of litigating in the US and it applies only to its US customers. The company has even created a website where the users who want to be included in the settlement will have to fill-up a form. The payout won’t exceed beyond $13 million, so more the number of applications, the lesser the amount each will get.

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Twitter Sues U.S. Government to Demand Transparency

twitter transparency social blog tweet
Twitter Wants Transparency.

Twitter Wants Transparency From U.S. Government.

Twitter would like to argue for transparency when the U.S. government puts Twitter on surveillance. Twitter has been prohibited from reporting the government’s surveillance actions. The laws has prohibited Twitter from disclosing information regarding the surveillance.

Introduction of the Transparency Report:

The company started to publish the transparency reports in 2012. Twitter has established a transparency report that shows a total of 54 countries requesting information for Twitter’s users’ accounts. When looking at a snapshot of the transparency report; The United States of America and Japan were the largest countries to request for users account information. (Twitter’s Transparency Report).

Removal Requests:

Twitter also receives requests from various countries to remove users’ accounts that involve in defamation issues. The largest requests for defamation issues came from countries such as Turkey, France and Russia.

Increased Requests From Countries:

Twitter has noticed that over the years, there seems to be increasing requests from various countries around the world that asks for account information, perform copyright takedowns, and forces content removals.

Twitter:

twitter transparency social blog tweet
Twitter Wants Transparency.

The company was founded in the year 2007. Twitter is a social networking service and website that allows for users to send short 140 character messages known as “tweets”. The registered users can tweet and read posts. The unregistered users can only read posts. According to Twitter’s website, there are 271 million monthly users, 400 million Tweets per day, 78% of users are on mobile, 77% of users are outside the U.S., and can supports more than 35 languages. The company also launched “Vine” in the year 2013. The Vine application allows users to record videos lasting six seconds long. The videos are looped, and replayed over and over again every six seconds. The social microblogging social networking website also comes in many forms such as in phone or tablet app form to be downloaded in the android store and apple store.

The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as the symbol “TWTR”. (Graph)

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