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Disney takes full control of Hulu in deal with Comcast
When AT&T sold its shares of Hulu last month, Disney and Comcast were left as the company's sole owners. Today, Comcast relinquished its control, leaving Disney in charge of the streaming platform. This means, since its acquisition of Fox's 30 percent stake in 2017, Disney has slowly chipped away at its fellow Hulu owners.
Facebook's FTC punishment could involve 20 years of oversight
Facebook and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are edging closer to negotiating the tech giant's multibillion dollar penalty for security failures. Reuters reports that the deal "could be a month away" and could put the company under 20 years of privacy oversight.
US and Luxembourg sign 'space commerce' pact
The current US government relishes the thought of bringing business to space, and it's now eager to make deals with countries that share the same dreams. The US has signed a memorandum of understanding with Luxembourg in a bid to cooperate further on space exploration, research and, to no one's surprise, a "business-friendly regulatory framework." Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister Étienne Schneider didn't mince words when talking about the pact -- his country is eager to make asteroid mining a reality, and the US relationship could be an "important step forward" in making use of those resources.
Governments reach deal to implement Paris climate change agreement
Politicians signed the Paris climate agreement back in 2015, but they've finally laid the groundwork for acting on that agreement. Governments have developed guidelines, known as the Katowice Climate Package, that will determine how they implement emissions reductions starting in 2020. It establishes how nations will set targets, measure technological progress, verify effectiveness and otherwise translate the agreement's goals into reality.
Nokia will make €3 for every 5G smartphone sold
Licensing-related patent wars are pretty run-of-the-mill occurrences for tech companies -- there's always a report of some spat or another in the news. But now Nokia, and a bunch of other giants, are taking steps to avoid future battles by publicly disclosing the licensing fees involved in its 5G technology.
AT&T reportedly won't sell Huawei phones after all
Huawei's flagship phone, the Mate 10, was rumored to be coming to the US this February. The Chinese smartphone maker was reportedly in talks with AT&T to sell its phones, but it looks as if the deal has stalled. According to The Wall Street Journal, AT&T has walked away from the deal.
Cable giant Altice will become a wireless carrier with Sprint's help
Just because Sprint was jilted at the altar doesn't mean its weekend was all bad. The carrier has struck a deal that will turn Altice (the French company that bought CableVision) into an American wireless provider. Under the agreement, Altice USA will have "full" use of Sprint's network for nationwide voice and data service. In return, Altice will use its broadband network to help Sprint "densify" its coverage as it adds legions of small cell sites.
ESPN will stream big-name boxing matches under a new deal
Many eyes might be focused on a certain hyped-up boxing match this weekend, but ESPN just struck a deal that could be more important in the long run for fisticuffs fans. The sports broadcaster has forged a multi-year agreement that will make it the exclusive home of Top Rank boxing matches in North America. And importantly, that includes airing fights both on TV and online, in virtually every format ESPN (and its Canadian counterparts TSN and RDS) can offer -- you'll see bouts both through the ESPN app as well as the upcoming standalone streaming service.
Time Warner is the latest broadcaster to ride Snapchat's coattails
Snap seems to have no trouble scoring giant media deals. The social app creator has forged a $100 million, 2-year agreement that will have Time Warner making short-form original shows (around 3 to 5 minutes per episode) for Snapchat viewers. While it's still too early to know what those shows will entail besides a variety of genres, Time Warner will make as many as ten shows per year. You can also expect to see a lot of related ads: the company has promised to buy promos for HBO, Turner and Warner Bros. content.
Lyft and Waymo work together on self-driving cars
Waymo just got a ton of help in its bid to make self-driving cars a common sight on public roads. The Alphabet-owned company and Lyft have forged a deal that will see the two work together on self-driving cars, both for development and for test projects. The exact terms aren't clear, but both have strong incentives to team up. Waymo tells the New York Times that it's about helping autonomous tech "reach more people, in more places." For Lyft, meanwhile, it's about getting access to the "best self-driving technology" and speeding up its plans for autonomous ridesharing.
Twitter will livestream portions of PGA golf tournaments
Twitter has dabbled in live golf coverage before (it streamed the FedExCup Playoffs last year), but it's now ready for something more substantial. The social network has struck an exclusive deal to livestream parts of 31 PGA tournaments across what's left of the 2016-2017 season. It's not the comprehensive coverage you'd like, as it'll be limited to pre-game presentations and the first two holes for each day's Marquee Groups. However, it'll be free and won't require a login -- if you just want to see top-tier golfers in action, you won't have to pony up for a subscription.
YouTube deal ends years-long fight over music videos in Germany
German music fans haven't had it easy in the past 7 years. A royalty dispute with music rights group GEMA has forced YouTube to block thousands of music videos in the country, leaving locals no choice but to either find alternative video sources or (gasp) settle for audio alone. At last, though, they can relax: GEMA and YouTube have reached a deal that makes sure GEMA members get paid for video streams. The exact terms of the deal aren't public, but it'll cover both the usual ad-supported free viewing as well as the eventual European launch of YouTube Red subscriptions.
Video game voice actors push for standardized contracts
In the midst of a protracted squabble, the union representing voice actors has come up with a contract for low-budget indie game developers. SAG-AFTRA is promoting a new agreement for titles under $250,000 that would limit difficult vocal sessions (presumably involving yelling or other vocal gymnastics) to two hours. Actors would also be paid double for such work, and collect residuals above the normal rate ($825.50 for four hours) for games that sell 500,000 units or more.
NASA and the UAE team up on space exploration
NASA wants whatever help it can get for its journey to Mars, and it's willing to forge some unusual partnerships to make that happen. Case in point: the agency has reached an agreement with the United Arab Emirates that will have them cooperating on space exploration. The deal lets them share everything from data and research facilities to aircraft and spacecraft. Mars exploration is the initial focus of their cooperation, but they'll look at other areas where they can work together.
Google's self-driving tech goes into Chrysler minivans this year (update: official)
That rumored deal between Google and Fiat Chrysler for self-driving car technology? It's reportedly happening... if not quite in the way you'd expect. Bloomberg sources claim that the arrangement will put some of Google's autonomous tech into the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan sometime this year. Just how deep this integration would go isn't clear, but it's not believed to be an exclusive arrangement -- either side could cooperate with other partners. If the leak is accurate, the deal could be signed as soon as May 3rd (if you're reading this in time, today).
US and Europe struggle to agree on data sharing
How tech companies share your data overseas is a thorny issue, and it doesn't appear to be getting any easier. The US and European Union failed to reach a deal over data sharing before an end-of-January deadline, leaving important questions of privacy and legal responsibility up in the air. According to the New York Times, the two sides aren't even close. The EU wants promises that data is protected against bulk US spying, for instance, but it's not thrilled by a proposed US State Department "data ombudsman" who'd help Europeans concerned about American misuse of their info.
Uber deal with Airbus gives you more helicopter rides
It might not be long before Uber helicopter rides are more than just expensive novelties. Uber has forged a deal that has Airbus supplying helicopters for a transportation test project launching in "several weeks." Details of how it'll work aren't available just yet, but the hope is that this will lower the cost of Uber-by-air options -- they may eventually be inexpensive enough that you can realistically take a chopper when a normal ride would be inconvenient (or just plain boring). The pact isn't surprising given Uber's recent attempts to diversify beyond cars, but it's welcome all the same. [Image credit: Eric Piermont/AFP/Getty Images]
Final climate change deal keeps emissions in check, if it sticks
After weeks of work, the United Nations is on the cusp of reaching a deal to prevent climate change... hopefully. A just-published final draft agreement sets some clear targets that include a hefty amount of cooperation. The deal would limit the global temperature increase to "well below" 2 Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and reach a balance in greenhouse gas emissions (that is, as many offsets as there are emitters) by the second half of this century. There would be a progress review every five years, and developing countries would get a helping hand to the tune of $100 billion per year as of 2020.
Draft climate change deal lowers greenhouse gases by 2050
Earth just took a tentative step toward a new, comprehensive plan for improving the environment. Representatives from 195 countries have approved a draft UN climate change agreement that will ask all participants to lower their carbon dioxide emissions. There are still many, many details left to resolve ahead of a final deal (ideally signed next week), but the ultimate goal is to have countries reduce their greenhouse gas levels by 2050, and to eliminate emissions completely between 2060 and 2080.
Loss of flight MH370 prompts UN satellite tracking agreement
Following the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 last year, the United Nations agreed to use global satellite tracking for passenger airliners. Under the terms of the deal, nations can use specific radio frequencies to monitor planes via satellite rather than solely relying on radar-driven technology on the ground. With a target of 2017, aircraft capable of sending Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) signals to the ground will also communicate with satellites to track their movements. Shortly after the MH370 tragedy, Inmarsat offered airlines free satellite tracking for more accurate location info. With this week's agreement, the UN aims to keep an eye on the 70 percent of the world's surface than the ground-based systems can't cover. In theory, the use of satellite tracking would reduce the chance of another flight disappearing without a trace. [Image credit: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images]
