TOPNEWS
* China'sDalian Wanda Group Corp.Ltd. reportedly met with Viacom Inc. officials to a possible minority stakepurchase in Paramount Pictures. The Chinese cinema chain operator and owner ofCalifornia-based Legendary Entertainment is eyeing further expansion of itsmovie business in the U.S.
* Japanesemessaging app operator LINECorp. has made its IPO debut in New York, Jiji Press reports.Reflecting investors' strong interest, its shares opened at US$42 on July 14,28% higher than the offering price of US$32.84, matching expectations to becomethe biggest tech IPO this year. LINE begins trading in Tokyo today.
PAN-ASIAN NEWS
* -based independent channel distributorMulti Channels Asia announceda partnership deal with 24/7 pay TV service The QYOU to deliver its TV formatsacross the Asia-Pacific region. The agreement with the Ireland-based, youth-focusedbroadcaster focuses on bridging the gap between millennials and traditionallinear pay TV in Asia.
* A plan byTaiwan's Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd., to acquire Japan'sSharp Corp. is set tobe approved soon by the Chinese government, Jiji Press reports,citing a Sharp executive. Foxconn initially intended to close the deal by theend of June, but it has been delayed by an anti-trust review in China. Foxconnis investing ¥388.8 billion for a 66% stake in Sharp.
* Japanesegaming giant Nintendosaw its shares climb 15.9%, or ¥3,470, to reach ¥25,300 in Tokyo on July 14 asthe company continues to ride the wave of popularity from its new mobile game"Pokémon Go," The SankeiShimbun reports.
* Japan'sSoftBank Group Corp.and U.S.-based Aeris Communications Inc. establisheda joint venture in Japan. The JV will provide Internet of Things and telematicsservices using the Aeris IoT platform, with an aim to expand its business inmultiple market segments, including automotive in Japan, India, Europe and theU.S.
*Fujitsu Ltd. signed a memorandum ofunderstanding with U.S.-based Cloud Lending Solutions to cooperate on offeringa cloud-based, end-to-end lending and leasing platform to financialinstitutions. The companies will initially focus on the Japanese and ASEANmarkets before moving on to the U.S.
* Japanesenetwork services provider Internet Initiative Japan Inc. is planning tosell a prepaid SIM card for Taiwanese visitors planning to visit Japan. Theready-to-use, data-only SIM, which uses NTTDoCoMo Inc.'s LTE and 3G networks, offers 1GB of data for 30 daysfor NT$780, and will be sold through 7-Eleven stores in Taiwan starting July 17.
*Nintendo's hit mobile game Pokemon Go, which uses Google Maps, cannot be playedin South Korea due to restrictions on the mapping service, Yonhap NewsAgency reports.The government has refused to provide Alphabet Inc.'s Google Inc. with geographical data for its maps, citingnational security concerns. As a result, Korean gamers are traveling to Sokchonear the North-South border to play Pokemon Go, as the city is classified asbeing outside of South Korea by Google Maps, allowing the game's locationfunction to work there.
* TheKorean Fair Trade Commission will confirm its decision today regarding themerger plan for IPTV provider SKBroadband and cable TV operator CJ HelloVision, Digital Daily reports. If theFTC changes its stance of disapproval to a conditional approval, the governmentwill review it for 60 days for a final decision.
, HONG KONG, ANDTAIWAN
* China hasdenied the release of SonyCorp.'s upcoming "Ghostbusters" reboot in the country, The Hollywood Reporter reports,citing sources close to China Film Co., the film body that handles the releaseof foreign films. Sources said Chinese authorities felt the film would not drawin audiences, most of whom have not seen the original "Ghostbusters."China's censorship guidelines also prohibit films that "promote cults orsuperstition,"
*Alibaba Group HoldingLtd. is planning to open up its information security technologies for othere-commerce companies. The Chinese company has reportedly formed an alliance fore-commerce ecosystem security, and will give information security products toits alliance partners.
* Offlinemobile phone and accessories retailer D.Phone is forming a partnership withChinese e-commerce company JD.com, Xinhua News Agency reports.JD.com has been taking over sales from offline retailers, while D.Phone hasseen a significant drop in phone sales at its stores starting last year.
* FujianStar-net Communication has combined augmented reality technology with karaokein China, China Daily reports.The company produces karaoke machines and dominates the domestic market with a60% share. The new equipment with the AR technology is priced around 2,000Chinese yuan.
SOUTHEASTASIA
*Thailand's NationalBroadcasting and Telecommunications Commission has been granted theright to shut down TV and radio stations presenting anything that contradictsthe information provided by the Thai National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO),newspaper Prachachat reports.The announcement reportedly came through an executive order from the primeminister and head of the NCPO.
*Philippines-based Globe Telecom and Turner Asia Pacific Ventures Inc. are set to release twoupgraded Cartoon NetworkInc. apps to Globe users, BroadwayWorld reports.An authenticated CN Watch and Play app will offer live streaming of the channelas well as VOD content, while the CN Anything app will feature selected contenton mobile devices. Turner Asia-Pacific is a unit of
*Commission 1 of the House of Representatives of Indonesiaexpects that its draft bill on broadcasting will be finalized byDecember, accordingto news site Kabar 24. Evita Nursanty, a member of the commission,reportedly said when the draft bill is finalized, all broadcasting companieswill not be required to do any trials before migrating their channels fromanalog to digital.
* AscendCommerce Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Thai telco , invested 300 million Thaibaht in an online shopping platform called WeMall, according tonewspaper Thansettakij. Thewebsite offers brand-name products with installment payment plans. Ascendreportedly said WeMall garnered 2 million users after a month of trial runs andhas already shipped more than 600,000 items.
*Temasek Holdings (Pvt)Ltd. subsidiary Heliconia Pte. Ltd. is a consortium to invest in theAsian MMA promoter ONE Championship. The partnership aims to pushSingapore-based ONE Championship's expansion across Asian markets by increasingthe number of live MMA events. Financial details were not disclosed.
* TheIndonesian Telecommunication Regulation Body, locally known as BRTI, confirmedthe dominant market position of telco company PT Telkomsel outside Java Island,news site Berita Satu reports.According to BRTI, this is because PT Telkomsel utilizes the infrastructuredeveloped by its parent company, PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk, which has beendeveloping the network using government funds.
*Thailand-based cellular operator Total Access Communication (Dtac) reported a90% drop in net profit, the BangkokPost reports.The company reportedly earned 141 million Thai baht in the second quarter, aplunge from the 1.26 billion baht it made in the first quarter.
*Indonesian government-owned agriculture and trading company PT RajawaliNusantara Indonesia is finalizing a digital marketplace platform calledPasarproduk.com for state-owned enterprises, accordingto industry website Indotelko. The platform, which will be launched in oneor two months' time, will sell products that are rarely available in themarket, such as honey and wood products from a state-owned forestry company.
*Malaysia-based telco Axiata Group Berhad announced that Datuk Seri ShazalliRamly has been appointed as the group's regional CEO for Southeast Asiastarting Sept. 1, The Edge Markets reports.
AND NEW ZEALAND
* Nintendo'sPokemon Go has raised security concerns in Australia after the mobile gameaccessed users' information, prompting the country's privacy commission tointervene, ZDNet reports.The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner asked the game'sdeveloper, Niantic Labs, to ensure they are managing personal data inaccordance with the Australian Privacy Act.
* The NewZealand Commerce Commission is investigating whether the proposed of 's New Zealand unit andSKY Network TelevisionLtd. will result in a substantial loss of competition in themarket, ITWire reports.The two companies will have to wait until early November to see if their mergergets the green light from the commission.
*Telstra Corp. Ltd.has acquired mobile management services firm MSC Mobility for an undisclosedamount, The Australian reports.The telco giant will use MSC's experience in enterprise mobility.
* Googlelaunched its digital wallet Android Pay in Australia, The Australian Financial Review reports.Australians will be able to access Android Pay through partner financialinstitutions including ANZ, Macquarie, Bank Australia, Bank of Sydney, TeachersMutual Bank and American Express.
AND SOUTH ASIA
* PakistanMobile Communications Ltd., or Mobilink, plans to invest US$1 billion inPakistan over the next five years, The Express Tribune reports.This move comes after its merger with Warid Telecom. The firm will reportedlyinvest US$300 million on the expansion and upgrade of the country's cellularservices within the year, as well as open 1,500 franchise outlets and create5,000 jobs.
* TheBangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission hasserved telco giant GrameenphoneLtd. (GP) with a show-cause notice for providing the Go Broadbandservice to its clients using optical fiber, breaching the terms of agreement,BDNews24 reports.According to the BTRC, GP can only provide internet services through mobile andmodem, the report said. GP could face penalties of up to 3 billion Bangladeshitakas, BTRC officials said.
* Sweden'sEricsson AB has movedthree senior executives to its India operations, The Economic Times of India reports.A source said the operations head of Ericsson's Latin America and Caribbeanregion, Jose Luis Serrato, is now vice president and head of network services.Ekow Nelson, formerly head of the firm's consulting and systems integrationbusiness in the Middle East, will now lead the IT and cloud unit. DavidHagerbro from Sweden has taken over as vice president and customer unit head ofEricsson's service providers vertical in India.
*Bangladesh-based telco Robi Axiata Ltd. has chosen Mahtab Uddin Ahmed to lead the company as CEO andmanaging director starting Nov. 1. He will replace Supun Weerasinghe, whowill return to Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata Plc to succeed current group CEOHans Wijayasuriya starting Jan. 1, 2017.
FEATUREDNEWS
US RegulatorySpotlight: Cable group 'shocked' as FCC leaves retrans regimeunchanged: Pay TV providers hoping the FCC would overhaul theretransmission consent regime were left disappointed after the commission saidit would not adopt any new rules governing good faith negotiations.
DataDispatch: Thinking outside the box office: 'Ghostbusters' looking topummel some pooches: Yet another break-out animated movie willfight for the top spot at box offices during its second week in theaters,challenging the long-anticipated "Ghostbusters."
: Golf Channelis teeing off a 12-week swing in which it will present live tournament actionfrom a men's major for the first time, cover the sport's return to the Olympicsafter more than an century, and air the PGA playoffs and the Ryder Cup. MikeMcCarley, president of golf for NBC Sports Group, discussed these and otherdevelopments driving the network.
: S&P Global MarketIntelligence presents a weekly rundown of executive changes in the media andcommunications industries.
: S&P Global Market Intelligence presents a roundupof recent programming announcements from various networks and online videoplatforms, including the debut of the docu-series "Run Mama Run" onespnW and the re-airing of a special interview with Elie Wiesel on OWN.
: S&P GlobalMarket Intelligence presents a biweekly rundown of executive and board changesin the European media and communications industries.
: Analysts consider the recent tie-upbetween EE and BT Sport as the next punch in an ongoing battle with Sky,Vodafone, Virgin Media and others to bring quad-play initiatives to the U.K.mark.
FEATUREDRESEARCH
Economics ofNetworks: Cable network ratings decline to new lows:Traditional ratings are down for many cable networks as viewers consume TV onplatforms not yet included in Nielsen's C3 ratings currency.
: Video delivery and content creation servicesfor virtual reality have only just begun to emerge, but have already garneredinterest from investors searching for the Netflix or YouTube of VR.
: Our recently completedAsia Consumer Insights survey reveals that consumers in China not only own moreInternet-connectable devices than U.S. or South Korean households, but are morelikely to use their smartphones, tablets and smart TVs for digitalentertainment.
Nozomi Ibayashi, Sunny Um, Grace Shao, WilHathaway and Ed Eduard contributed to this report. The Daily Dose has aneditorial deadline of 7 a.m. Hong Kong time. Some external links may require asubscription.