CYNOPSISDIGITAL
12.10.15

Good morning. It’s Thursday December 10, 2015, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.

 
Yahoo has decided not to spin off its $30 billion stake in Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group – it seems that tax worries got in the way. Instead, Yahoo will create a new publicly traded company consisting of its Internet business, as well as its 35% stake in Japan. The move could conceivably make the inner workings of the company’s core business more transparent – and therefore more appealing – to investors, and maybe even potential buyers. 
 
 

 
It’s a bad day to be a cord-cutter. According to CBS CEO Les Moonves, Apple has put the brakes on its plans for a service capable of streaming live television through the Apple TV without requiring a traditional cable subscription. “They’ve had conversations on it, and I think they pressed the hold button,” said Moonves at the Business Insider Conference in NYC. “I’m not surprised at all that Apple would be shelving the idea,” said Dan Rayburn, EVP of StreamingMedia.com, in a phone call with Cynopsis Digital. “It has to make economic sense in their business. Why would [a consumer] pay 45 dollars to get less content at less quality on fewer devices [compared to a triple play bundle], with no DVR and only one stream at a time? It just doesn’t make sense.”
 
One great thing about owning umpteen media properties: You can bind them together to create consumer incentives. Google has launched its new $14.99-per-month family plan for Play Music, providing unlimited music streaming for up to six family members. To sweeten the deal, the company is granting Google Play Music subs (along with those same family members) access to YouTube Red, the new subscription-based ad-free counterpart to its video sharing site.
 
Today, the cross-platform entertainment service Playster is announcing the launch of its new U.S. platform. Content includes TV shows, movies, books, and video games. Subscriptions start at $3.95 per month, though access across all media types costs $24.95. (Users who sign up for a full year at $24.95 per month will receive a free tablet and headphones.) Playster’s content providers include Findaway, Harlequin, and HarperCollins, among others.    
 
FameBit continues to up its profile. The self-service influencer marketplace, which connects content creators with major brands, limited itself to YouTube creators from its inception in January 2014 until this past October, when it begin working with Twitter, Instagram and Vine.  Well, two more big kahunas have been added to the list: The company announced that it will now incorporate Facebook and Tumblr as well.
 

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Mashable is mashing in something new. The media property, best known for its news and short-form video content, is working with distribution company FilmBuff to release a STEM-heavy documentary. CodeGirl, which centers on teams of tech-savvy high school girls, will debut January 6, exclusively on Mashable’s website and Apple TV app. 
 
IBM has acquired cloud video provider Clearleap. Clearleap has worked to develop video services for Verizon, the NFL, HBO, and others. Financial terms of the acquisition weren’t made available.
 
Digital video producer Zazoom Media announced the debut of its new mobile-first lifestyle studio. The studio, devoted to verticals including parenting, food, and beauty, launches with three new series, Pennygem, Mommy 3.0 and Grate & Full.
 
 

 
Exhibit A in why Netflix has been willing to let some of its film licensing deals lapse in recent months: According to Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, the company plans to launch 31 original series in 2016. That number was 15 this year. Sarandos’ remarks came at the UBS Global Technology Conference in NYC.
 
 

 
Hulu has set a premiere date for The Path, its new original drama series starring Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul and Hannibal’s Hugh Dancy. The series, which centers on a family at the center of a cult, was created by Parenthood’s Jessica Goldberg and produced by Universal Television and True Jack Productions.  Debut date: March 30.
 
Amazon has set premiere date for Mad Dogs, its new comedy series starring Steve Zahn, Billy Zane, Romany Malco, Michael Imperioli and Ben Chaplin. The series, produced by Shawn Ryan and Chris Cole, centers on five friends who reunite to celebrate a friend’s retirement. Amazon Studios produced the series with Sony Pictures TV. The full first season will debut on Amazon Prime on January 22; first episode is available now.
 

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Get ready to strap on your laughing hat. (That’s a thing, right?) Seeso, the upcoming comedy-focused SVOD channel from NBCUniversal, has announced its launch date. The channel, now available in beta, will officially debut on January 7. At launch, Seeso’s original series will include The Cyanide & Happiness Show, The UCB Show, and several others.
 
If you ever need fundraising advice, go ask the folks at Magic Leap. The augmented reality startup is now in the process of raising $827 million dollars in series C funding, according to recently-filed paperwork. The documents were obtained by Forbes. Magic Leap has raised $1.4 billion to date, a goodly portion of it from Google.
 
 

 
EXCLUSIVE: Just what do 23-29 year olds want out of the media they consume? Well, a lot apparently. According to a new cord-disruptor study from Jake Katz, VP of Insights and Strategy at REVOLT, 60% of23-29 want the ability to pick and choose channels, and 75% want a “light” package with just a few channels at a lower price. There’s a lot more valuable information in the study, which surveyed 1,000 respondents and concluded in October. Check out the full infographic, here.
 
 

 
Switzerland-based digital media company joiz Group has named Antonius Salis as its Chief Business Development Officer, a newly created position. Previously, Salis served as VP of Global Venture Development at the start-up investment company Rocket Internet.
 

 
YouTube announced its top trending videos of 2015. Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae), from 17-year-old musician Silentó, took the top spot, with over 116 million views to date. Check the video out here.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM THE LUSTGARTEN FOUNDATION

See you tomorrow,
David Teich
12.10.15

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