Top News
* Verizon Communications Inc. nixed plans to launch its own over-the-top service, the company's CEO Lowell McAdam said in a recent interview cited by Multichannel News. The company will instead work with a partner "in the linear game" and add digital content from Oath, McAdam said.
* 21st Century Fox Inc. activist investor Chris Hohn told Executive Co-Chairman Rupert Murdoch that he will support a potential bid from Comcast Corp. for Fox assets over the current offer from Walt Disney Co., The Wall Street Journal reports. In a private letter to Murdoch, Hohn revealed that he owned a 7.4% stake in Fox and dismissed regulatory risks from closing a Comcast-Fox deal. He encouraged Murdoch to engage with Comcast on an offer.
* Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have initiated a criminal probe into sex-abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing unnamed sources. Among the issues being investigated, the prosecutors will seek to determine whether the disgraced movie mogul lured or induced any women to travel across state lines to commit a sex crime. The probe is being headed by the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York.
Internet & OTT
* DISH Network Corp.'s DISH DBS Corp. has officially rolled out its AirTV service, according to a report by Multichannel News. The OTT, over-the-air service allows customers to access to dozens of OTA broadcast channels across multiple devices inside and outside of the home.
* Twitter Inc. will add election labels for specified candidates running in the 2018 U.S. midterm general election. The labels will contain relevant information about a political candidate, including what office they are seeking and which state the office is located in, according to an official blog post.
* Idris Elba will star, direct and produce a modern retelling of Victor Hugo's "Hunchback of Notre Dame" for Netflix Inc. The untitled feature film will be a sonic and musical experience and Elba will produce the music as well, the company said.
Technology
* Apple Inc. has teamed up with Volkswagen AG to use the carmaker's new T6 Transporter vans as self-driving shuttles for the iPhone maker's employees, The New York Times reports, citing three sources with knowledge of the matter. According to the report, Apple's deal with Volkswagen came after the company failed to reach deals for its self-driving initiative with luxury carmakers Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, or BMW, and Mercedes-Benz Bank AG.
* Apple CEO Tim Cook held a meeting with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper to discuss the possibility of opening a new customer-service facility in the Raleigh-Durham area, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing a source with knowledge of the meeting. Apple plans to announce the selected location for the facility later this year.
Film & TV
* American Cable Association President and CEO Matthew Polka said Comcast Corp. preparing an offer to challenge Disney's deal to buy Fox assets "is not good news for consumers and competition." Polka said Disney owning the Fox programming will hurt consumers by increasing prices and limiting choice, but Comcast and NBCUniversal Media LLC owning these assets is "even more harmful."
* Bruce Rosenblum will step down as president of business operations at Disney-ABC Television Group at the end of May, Variety reports, citing an internal memo. Rosenblum, who joined Disney in 2016, has also exited Hulu LLC's board.
The day ahead
Early morning futures indicators pointed to a mixed opening for the U.S. market.
In Asia, the Nikkei 225 dropped 1.11% to 22,437.01, while the Hang Seng was up 0.31% to 30,760.41.
In Europe, around midday, the FTSE 100 slid 0.01% to 7,787.43, and the Euronext 100 rose 0.44% to 1,080.45.
On the macro front
The jobless claims report, the FHFA House Price index, the existing home sales report, the EIA natural gas report, the Kansas City Fed Manufacturing index, the fed balance sheet and the money supply report are due out today.
Featured news
The Daily Dose Europe: O2 to launch in Spain; IBM to add 1,800 jobs in France: Telefónica SA will launch its O2 brand in Spain, while International Business Machines Corp. will add 1,800 more jobs in France over two years.
The Daily Dose Asia-Pacific: Didi Chuxing planning Hong Kong IPO; India's Reliance Jio eyeing European entry: Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing Technology Co. Ltd. is considering a Hong Kong listing in the second half of 2018, while Indian telco Reliance Jio is reportedly planning to expand overseas by setting up a subsidiary in Estonia.
Slovak Telekom debuts Netflix-type OTT; Mediapro inks YouTube soccer deal in CEE: Slovak Telekom rolled out a Netflix-type platform named Magio Kino, while Spain's Mediapro teamed up with Google Inc. to live stream a Brazilian soccer tournament via YouTube in selected central and eastern European markets.
The Program Guide: Global edition: Amazon snags Nazi hunter series; Channel 4 orders Brexit drama: Amazon Prime Video has given a direct-to-series order for a drama about Nazi hunters, while Benedict Cumberbatch will star in tentatively titled Channel 4 (UK) political thriller "Brexit."
Featured research
Broadcast Investor: More than half of broadcast affiliation agreements up for renewal by end of 2019: Updated affiliation deal database shows that NBC (US) has 76 potential contract expirations in 2018, while FOX (US) has 67 expected renewals in 2019. More than half or 111 of the 184 listed agreements for CBS (US) will expire in 2020-2021 time frame.
Multichannel Trends: Triple-play cable subs drop again in Q1: Cable's latest double- and triple-play subscribers suggest bundling strategy is running out of steam.
Multichannel Trends: Wireline phone services suffer as VoIP growth dries up in Q1: Cable operators more than wiped out the gains collected in the fourth quarter of 2017.
Wireless Investor: Q1'18 carrier metrics: churn falls, devices rise: Churn is down across the board among U.S. carriers as some operators experience the benefits of triple plays and all enjoy the benefits of more connected postpaid devices.
Economics of Advertising: Reboots, reality shows top midseason TV program ratings: Among the prime-time TV shows launched in the first quarter, reboots and reality shows scored some of the highest live average ratings, based on a Kagan analysis of viewership data from comScore's TV Essentials.
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