Top news
* After briefly breaking up, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and Walt Disney Co. reached an agreement to produce a third Spider-Man movie starring Tom Holland, Variety reports, citing a statement from the companies. Marvel Studios LLC and its president, Kevin Feige, will produce the third film in the "Spider-Man: Homecoming" series. "Spider-Man" will also appear in a future Marvel Studios film.
* Apple Inc. plans to run its feature-length films in theaters before releasing them on its streaming service, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing people familiar with the plans. The company reportedly consulted with an entertainment executive for its theatrical-release plan, which would keep Apple movies in theaters for weeks before they launch on Apple TV+. Apple plans to launch its streaming service Nov. 1 for $4.99 per month.
* Facebook Inc. Oculus Quest is receiving a slew of game-changing updates in the coming months that could position the virtual reality headset as the company's flagship VR device over the Oculus Rift. The Quest, which launched in May, is a fully stand-alone VR headset that does not need to be plugged into a computer like the Oculus Rift headsets. The new Oculus Link feature will allow the Quest to plug into PCs and access games that were previously exclusive to the Rift.
Internet & OTT
* Discovery Inc. is looking to bring multiple revenue streams to the latest addition to its direct-to-consumer menu. Set to debut in late October, live interactive cooking platform Food Network Kitchen will have monetization opportunities around advertising, sponsorship, subscriptions and a slice of monies generated by ingredient and product sales. Food Network Kitchen will be integrated into Amazon.com Inc.'s Alexa voice assistant line.
* Disney signed a content distribution agreement with Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Vue to deliver its lineup of sports, news and entertainment content to PlayStation Vue customers. The agreement covers the FX (US) and National Geographic Channel (US) networks, as well as ESPN Inc.'s newly launched ACC Network (US). Sony will continue to provide PlayStation Vue customers with access to Disney networks, including ABC (US), Disney Channel (US), ESPN (US) and FXX (US).
* Apple disclosed release dates of the first round of its original film slate, which include Anthony Mackie's "The Banker," Minhal Baig's "Hala" and the wildlife documentary "The Elephant Queen," Variety reports. "The Banker" will open in the awards corridor on Dec. 6, "Hala" will open Nov. 22 and come to Apple TV+ in December, while "The Elephant Queen," which premiered in New York this week, will open in theaters Oct. 18 and be available for Apple TV+ customers on Nov. 1.
* Ellen DeGeneres is reportedly behind four new shows coming to Warner Media LLC's upcoming streaming service, HBO Max, according to Variety. Three of the shows have been handed straight-to-series orders while one of the shows has been put in development, DeGeneres announced the pickups on her popular talk show, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
* The upcoming sixth season of the adult animated comedy "BoJack Horseman" is going to be its last on Netflix Inc. The final season will air in two parts, with the first launching Oct. 25 and the second airing Jan. 31, 2020.
Technology
* Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.'s latest efforts to convince the U.S. government to reverse a ban on its telecoms network equipment may have little impact, analysts said. The Chinese company's CEO Ren Zhengfei said Sept. 26 it is willing to license its 5G technologies exclusively to a U.S. company, saying this would establish "a new starting line" in the race to roll out next-generation 5G wireless networks.
* Alphabet Inc.'s Google LLC roped in Mark Isakowitz, the chief of staff of Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, to lead the company's Washington, D.C., office in a bid to deal with the ongoing confrontation with the Congress and the Trump administration regarding the tech policy, Politico reports. Isakowitz will serve as the head of government affairs and public policy for the U.S. and Canada for the U.S. search giant.
* Apple appointed AstraZeneca PLC Chief Information Officer David Smoley vice president, Bloomberg News reports. Smoley, who is reporting to Apple Chief Information Officer Mary Demby, will work in a similar IT role and will not be focused on Apple's healthcare efforts.
Film
* Universal's "Abominable" pulled in $20.9 million to top the domestic box office for the Sept. 27 weekend, followed by Focus Features LLC's "Downton Abbey" at No. 2 with $14.5 million and STX Entertainment's "Hustlers" at the third spot with $11.5 million, according to Comscore Inc. Warner Bros.' "IT Chapter Two" remained at No. 4 with $10.4 million, while 20th Century Fox Television's "Ad Astra" took the fifth spot with $10.1 million.
The day ahead
Early morning futures indicators pointed to a higher opening for the U.S. market.
In Asia, Hang Seng lost 0.33% to 25,954.81, while the Nikkei 225 dropped 0.77% to 21,878.90.
In Europe, around midday, the FTSE 100 slipped 0.25% to 7,407.99, and the Euronext 100 shed 0.06% to 1,092.48.
On the macro front
The Chicago PMI and the Dallas Fed Manufacturing Survey are due out today.
Click here to read about today's financial markets, setting out the factors driving stocks, bonds and currencies around the world ahead of the New York open.
Featured news
The Daily Dose Europe: BritBox on Samsung TVs; Yandex's video service; Axel Springer, eBay deal: Subscription-based video service BritBox struck distribution deals with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Freeview Play and YouView; Yandex NV is launching its own video streaming service; and Axel Springer SE could acquire online auction platform eBay Inc.
The Daily Dose Asia-Pacific: China investment curbs; Sony/Disney agreement; Apple bailout for Japan Display: The U.S. Treasury denied that the Trump administration is considering ways to limit U.S. investments in China, Sony Pictures and Disney agreed to produce a third "Spider-Man" movie, and Apple is considering doubling its planned investment in Japan Display Inc.
MarketWeek: Facebook takes brunt of antitrust pressure; Endeavor postpones IPO: During the week ended Sept. 27, Facebook Inc. was in the hot seat as lawmakers weighed antitrust and privacy concerns. Hollywood talent agency Endeavor LLC postponed its IPO, citing market conditions.
Data Dispatch: 'Abominable' to leave its footprint on box office: With comic book blockbuster "Joker" kicking off October, studios seemed hesitant to launch a competitive title, leaving animated film "Abominable" to roar over the weekend.
The Best Of: Editor's picks: New Oculus VR features; users' audio privacy: Stories about Facebook's new VR features for Oculus headsets and privacy risk related to users' audio collection are featured in the editor's technology, media and telecommunications top picks for the week ended Sept. 27.
The Best Of: Most read: YouTube spinoff chatter; Chicago RSN notice: Articles about YouTube LLC CEO believing that the company should not be spun off from Alphabet Inc. and Chicago RSN warning DIRECTV and DISH Network Corp. subscribers were among the most read in technology, media and telecommunications news for the week ended Sept. 27.
Hires and Fires: Starz names new CEO; DHX Media appoints CFO: Starz executive Jeffrey Hirsch was named president and CEO of the company after signing a long-term deal with Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., while Doug Lamb is stepping down as CFO of DHX Media Ltd.
Featured research
Multichannel Trends: Cable TV Investor: Table of contents for issue No. 781, published September 2019.
Global Multichannel: Global markets update — Malaysia: Kagan has recently updated Global Multichannel and Broadband analyses for Asia-Pacific country Malaysia, as well as analyses for related operators Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd. and Telekom Malaysia.
Multichannel Trends: Early AT&T TV markets cast wide net with an emphasis on Charter systems: AT&T Inc.'s 10-market launch of its DIRECTV replacement video service covers a broad swath of the company's traditional territory, testing the waters against a broad sample of traditional cable competitors.
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