Top News
* Discovery Communications Inc. disclosed a new senior leadership team for the company when its acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. closes, which is expected within weeks. Discovery's Gunnar Wiedenfels will serve as CFO of the combined company, while Jean-Briac Perrette, president and CEO of Discovery Networks International, will continue overseeing the combined company's global expansion.
* A consortium backed by Ron Burkle has reached an agreement to purchase assets from the embattled Weinstein Co. LLC, Variety reported. Weinstein Co. brokered a $500 million deal with Burkle and his investing partner, Maria Contreras-Sweet, with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman facilitating the revival of the deal that had broken down twice.
TV Networks
* ESPN Inc.'s FiveThirtyEight website could be sold soon as the property's group of suitors has now been narrowed down to three. People familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal that Walt Disney Co.'s ABC News, subscription-based sports website The Athletic and Emerson Collective LLC's The Atlantic magazine are the final bidders for FiveThirtyEight. The sale process is expected to conclude in the coming weeks, according to the report.
Technology
* Microsoft Corp. tapped Javier Soltero as head of product for its artificial intelligence assistant Cortana, VentureBeat.com reports, citing a company representative. Soltero previously oversaw the Microsoft Office product group.
* Uber Technologies Inc. is introducing a new division, called Uber Health, to offer a ride-hailing platform for healthcare providers, TechCrunch.com reports. The service will reportedly allow healthcare providers such as clinics, hospitals and rehab centers to get rides for their patients and clients from a centralized dashboard without the requirement of an Uber app or a smartphone.
* Daphne Koller stepped down as chief computing officer at Alphabet Inc.'s Calico unit, Bloomberg News reports, citing an emailed statement. Koller, who is an artificial intelligence scientist, exited Calico, a medical research lab focused on aging, to pursue other opportunities.
Internet & OTT
* Netflix Inc. is moving forward with a weekly talk show from comedian Hasan Minhaj, The Hollywood Reporter reports, citing a statement by "The Daily Show" correspondent. Netflix will stream the series, featuring 32 episodes, later this year.
* Amazon.com Inc. picked up a few Russian television series in a deal arranged by content supplier Janson Media, The Hollywood Reporter reports. Amazon Prime Video will add "Velikaya," a series focused on Russia's 18th century Empress Catherine the Great, and "Grigory R," a series about mystic Grigory Rasputin, among others to its lineup.
* Madison Square Garden Co. and Hulu LLC entered into a marketing partnership. The partnership includes naming rights to The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and the integration of Hulu content and branding across the venue, according to a news release.
Wireless
T-Mobile US Inc. opened a new customer care facility in North Charleston, S.C. The new facility added 400 new jobs to the 800 existing roles to support the company's postpaid subscribers, according to a news release.
The day ahead
Early morning futures indicators pointed to a lower opening for the U.S. market.
In Asia, the Hang Seng declined 1.48% to 30,583.45, and the Nikkei 225 fell 2.50% to 21,181.64.
In Europe, around midday, the FTSE 100 was down 0.93% to 7,108.93, and the Euronext 100 was down 1.36% to 1,004.59.
On the macro front
The consumer sentiment report and the Baker-Hughes Rig Count report are due out today.
Featured news
The Daily Dose Europe: Sky inks European deal with Netflix; Spotify, Tencent Music swap stake; MWC news: Spotify AB and Tencent Music Entertainment Group entered into a share swap deal, while Sky plc agreed to distribute Netflix's content.
The Daily Dose Asia-Pacific: SoftBank leads $535M funding in DoorDash; Chinese media firms complete merger: A SoftBank Group Corp.-led group of investors committed US$535 million for San Francisco-based food delivery service DoorDash, while Shanghai United Media Group-backed Jiemian (Shanghai) Network Technology Co. Ltd. and Cailian Press completed a merger.
Hires and Fires: SeaWorld CEO steps down; Comcast loses Xfinity Home head: Joel Manby stepped down as SeaWorld Entertainment Inc.'s president and CEO. Comcast Corp. confirmed the departure of Dan Herscovici, former senior vice president and general manager for its Xfinity Home business.
Netflix buys rights to Russian cartoon series; NTV-Plus launches OTT service: Netflix acquired streaming rights for Russian cartoon series "Yoko" in multiple territories, while Russian direct-to-home operator NTV-Plus rolled out multiscreen over-the-top service Online TV.
IQiyi eyes US$1.5B in IPO; Netflix bolsters Asian content: Baidu Inc.-owned streaming service iQiyi plans to raise up to US$1.5 billion in its U.S. IPO, while Netflix is bolstering its Asian content.
Featured research
Economics of Advertising: 2017-2018 NFL ratings recap: The NFL saw its ratings slide worsen for a second consecutive year during the 2017-2018 season. While the NFL could not pull itself out of a downward ratings spiral, it remains U.S. television's highest-rated franchise.
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