Top news
* A U.S. district court judge ruled June 12 to allow AT&T Inc.'s proposed $85.4 billion purchase of Time Warner Inc. to proceed in a decision expected to lead to greater convergence in the media and communications sectors. In the highly anticipated ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon approved the deal with no conditions. S&P Global Market Intelligence spoke with experts to learn more about the decision's impact.
* 21st Century Fox Inc.'s FOX Sports will livestream nine games from the 2018 season of BIG3 basketball on Facebook Inc.'s Watch platform, starting June 22. As part of FOX Sports' multiplatform distribution plan for BIG3's 2018 season, FOX Sports will air three games exclusively on FOX (US) or FOX Sports 1 (US) during the regular season and playoffs, according to a news release.
* The internet is operating under a new regulatory regime in the U.S., but the battle over net neutrality is expected to continue to play out in cities, states and courts across the country. The Federal Communications Commission's Restoring Internet Freedom order, adopted in a high-profile 3-2 party-line vote at the end of 2017, went into effect June 11.
* Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC's Shawn Layden said at its E3 briefing that instead of a "bombardment of new creative," the company's focus would be on providing deeper looks into four key PS4 titles. Missing from the briefing were titles for the PlayStation VR, as well as any mention of Sony's PlayStation Now game streaming subscription service or the PlayStation Vue over-the-top TV service.
Technology
* Apple Inc. recently made a change to its App Store rules to rein in developers use of information about iPhone owners' friends and other contacts, Bloomberg News reports. The company's refreshed guidelines now keep developers from making databases of address book information they compile from iPhone users. Sharing and selling that database with third parties is also no longer allowed.
* Researchers at CogX, an annual artificial intelligence conference in London, said the industry should do more to counter fears about super-intelligent machines or autonomous robots acting against human interests. Speakers at CogX largely dismissed the idea of killer robots as a Hollywood fantasy and a fear-mongering distraction from the much-needed development of AI in crucial areas such as energy, healthcare and transportation.
Internet & OTT
* Instagram added a shopping feature to Instagram Stories. According to a company post, users can tap on a sticker with a shopping bag icon to see more details about the product featured in the post.
* Twitter Inc. expanded the availability of in-stream video ads to all advertisers in 12 global markets including the U.S., according to an official blog post. The other markets are Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, India, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Spain, United Arab Emirates and the U.K. In-stream video ads allow marketers to connect with their audience through pre-roll ads.
* Netflix Inc. greenlit three new unscripted series, according to a news release. Comedy show "The Fix" will feature 10 episodes, while music business-focused "Westside" and baking show "Sugar Rush" will feature eight episodes each.
* Netflix renewed anime series "B: The Beginning" for a second season. The streaming giant also will premiere animated adventure film "Hilda" Sept. 21, according to a news release.
TV networks
* Viacom Inc.'s MTV (US) is developing a live-action reboot of the "Aeon Flux" series, Engadget.com reports. "Aeon Flux" premiered in 1991 with a series of animated shorts that aired on MTV's Liquid Television.
The day ahead
Early morning futures indicators pointed to a mixed opening for the U.S. market.
In Asia, the Hang Seng lost 1.22% to 30,725.15, while the Nikkei 225 rose 0.38% to 22,966.38.
In Europe, around midday, the FTSE 100 gained 0.45% to 7,738.39, and the Euronext 100 increased 0.43% to 1,066.63.
On the macro front
The MBA Mortgage Applications, PPI-FD, Atlanta Fed Business Inflation Expectations, EIA Petroleum Status, FOMC Meeting Announcement, FOMC Forecasts and Fed Chair Press Conference are due out today.
Featured news
The Daily Dose Europe: EC to probe T-Mobile, Tele2 Dutch deal; Yahoo fined £250,000 in UK over hack: The European Commission opened a probe into Tele2 Netherlands' proposed acquisition of T-Mobile Netherlands, while Yahoo! UK Ltd will pay a £250,000 fine over a November 2014 cyberattack that affected its more than 500,000 account holders in Britain.
The Daily Dose Asia-Pacific: Vietnam's new law to hit Facebook, Google; Samsung appeals $539M patent verdict: Vietnam's new cybersecurity law could hurt global tech firms such as Facebook and Google Inc., while Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. appealed a U.S. jury verdict ordering it to pay Apple US$539 million in damages over a patent dispute.
Tech Time: AT&T, Nokia ink global IoT deal; Vision Fund pours $2.25B in GM unit: AT&T and Nokia Corp. teamed up for internet of things deployments around the world, while SoftBank Vision Fund is investing $2.25 billion in General Motors Co.'s self-driving unit GM Cruise Holdings.
Mediapro clinches deals with Ligue 1, Google; Telefónica, Netflix ink tie-up: In this monthly Southern Europe Video Spotlight feature, S&P Global Market Intelligence provides a roundup of news related to over-the-top, video-on-demand and other online video initiatives in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece and Turkey.
SoftBank invests US$2.25B in GM's driverless unit; SenseTime raises US$620M: SoftBank Group Corp.'s SoftBank Vision Fund will invest US$2.25 billion in General Motors' self-driving unit Cruise, while SenseTime group Ltd. raised US$620 million in a second funding round.
Featured research
Economics of Internet: Profile: Tencent Video (China): One of the leading over-the-top players in China, Tencent Video is part of a portfolio of internet services that make up Tencent Holdings Ltd.
Multichannel Trends: Mapping broadband penetration by state shows near universalism in the Northeast: Download a PDF map of the wireline broadband penetration rate by state as of the first quarter.
Economics of TV & Film: Rising ticket prices, costlier concessions boost 2017 exhibitor revenue: The domestic theatrical market continued to register growth in revenues in 2017 despite theater admissions declining for the second year in a row and the seventh time in the past decade.
The Daily Dose has an editorial deadline of 7 a.m. ET. Some external links may require a subscription. Links are current as of publication time, and we are not responsible if those links are unavailable later.
