MoviePass is putting two fingers in the air and screaming “YOLO” as it doubles down on its huge bets. Even though its parent company was running low on cash and its stock price has hit new lows, the film subscription company has announced plans to buy a prolific production company and launch its own movie studio.
What a strange, many-headed beast MoviePass seems to be. In addition to being a tech company, a payment service, a data network, and moviegoers’ sugar daddy, it’s now looking to own a piece of the movies that you go out to see.
Brick-and-mortar retail had a really bad year, with thousands of major chains shutting down stores. But Amazon, the company that many people blame for the retail apocalypse has been more eager than ever to build up its retail presence. As the world nervously awaits Jeff Bezos’ next big move, a prominent analyst…
Walt Disney Co. has agreed to buy the bulk of 21st Century Fox’s holdings in a $52.4 billion deal. While the changing future of the Marvel Universe and the movie landscape, in general, is big news, this deal also changes the entire calculus of streaming services. Disney is now the proud majority owner of Hulu, and the…
Intel just plunked down $15.3 billion for Mobileye, a leading manufacturer of sensors and cameras for autonomous cars, as it tries to catch up with microchip rivals Nvidia and Qualcomm in the driverless car industry.
Microsoft is buying LinkedIn in an all-cash transaction valued at $26.2 billion (at $196 per share). It will continue to operate independently and will retain its brand after the acquisition. LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner will report to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and the deal is expected to be finalized by the end of…
Timmy the ThinkGeek Monkey isn’t sad. Not one bit. He’s just trying to fit in with his new friends! They’ve got, shall we say, a darker taste in fashion. They shared his love of Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Minecraft, so why not reciprocate? Oh, and $122 million in cash didn’t hurt either.
Softbank has officially announced that it is buying a 70 percent stake in US mobile carrier Sprint. The Japanese company is ponying up a total of $20.1 billion for the privilege.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Japanese mobile carrier Softbank is in advanced talks to acquire US operator Sprint for a cool $12.8 billion.
Google could be on the brink of confirming suspicions that it only bought Motorola for its 17,000 patents. The $12.5 billion acquisition is barely official—Justice Department approval came in February—but Google is reportedly looking to pawn off the hardware division.
AT&T wants to acquire T-Mobile in the worst way. The carrier is so desperate that it may sell 25% of T-Mobile's business if the acquisition is given the green light by the FCC and the DOJ.
Push Pop Press, an e-publishing startup founded by ex-Apple engineers Mike Matas and Kimon Tsinteris, has announced its acquisition by Facebook.
The latest rumor out of TechCrunch claims Electronic Arts may scoop up casual gaming company PopCap for a cool $1 billion.
Apple has shelled out an undisclosed number to acquire Polar Rose, a software firm specializing in facial recognition. Apple already uses facial recognition in iPhoto, but with the inevitable spread of FaceTime, refining their recognition tech makes sense. [9to5 Mac]
Motorola has acquired startup 280 North, the company behind the Cappuccino programming language. Cappuccino is an open source framework aimed at making web software comparable to a desktop equivalent—an expertise Motorola will presumably apply to their own apps.
Intel is set to acquire venerable security firm McAfee for a whopping $7.7 billion. Intel claims the deal will lead to safer computing through security measures that integrate their hardware, rather than a strictly-software approach. [Business Insider]
The latest item in Google's shopping spree is Agnilux, a small and somewhat mysterious startup full of former Apple, TiVo, and P.A. Semi employees. Few details are available about the acquisition, but it looks like a good deal for Google.
Say what you will about how media moguls will never learn: Comcast CEO Brian Roberts isn't an idiot. So what is he thinking?
