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Mozilla and Yahoo sue each other over default search engine deal
Deals between web browser suppliers and search engine providers are big business. For Mozilla, agreements with search engines have brought in as much as US$300 million a year, which accounts for 90 percent of its income. So the stakes are high amid the latest tech company quarrel, which sees Mozilla end its partnership with Yahoo due to claims it hadn't been paid. Neither party is happy with the situation, so they're suing each other.
Just Eat gets the approval it needs to acquire Hungryhouse
Five years ago, a merger between Just Eat and Hungryhouse would have been impossible in the UK. They were two of the largest online takeaway sites and would, therefore, have created a monopoly. Now, of course, the situation is a little different. With Deliveroo, UberEats and Amazon vying for orders, both companies are now mid-sized players in Britain. As a result, the Competition and Markets Authority has approved Just Eat's acquisition of Hungryhouse, which was originally announced last December. In short, the regulator believes competition will still be rife in the UK, and that Hungryhouse wasn't large enough to survive on its own.
Toshiba sells its TV unit to Hisense
Toshiba has been shedding its departments for a few years to streamline operations and recoup losses after its 2015 accounting scandal. Sony bought out its sensor business in 2015 for $155 million and Bain Capital (of all entities) just purchased its NAND flash memory department for $18 billion. Today, Toshiba announced the sale of its TV division to Hisense for about $113 million, which fits the company trajectory.
Uber agrees to limit the power of its former CEO
Uber's board members got together to vote on some big changes that will allow a significant investment to push through. In a statement, the ride-hailing firm said that the board "voted unanimously to move forward with the proposed investment by SoftBank and with governance changes that would strengthen its independence and ensure equality among all shareholders." The changes they made to comply with the Japanese telecom titan's request for a shift in governance structure includes removing special voting powers that come with certain types of Uber stock. Former CEO Travis Kalanick, for instance, owns a third of what's called the Class B common stock, which had a 10-to-one voting power. Now each share equals to one vote only.
What if the Google-HTC deal is actually about voice assistants?
The news is out: HTC and Google have finally consummated their ages-long flirtation with each other. In exchange for $1.1 billion in cash, HTC will hand over 2,000 employees to the search giant. These are the people who formed the bulk of the Taiwanese company's "Powered by HTC" division, the R&D team responsible for building handsets like the Pixel.
Google is buying HTC's Pixel team for $1.1 billion
After weeks (months, and years) of speculation, HTC has announced that its "Powered by HTC" R&D division -- the team behind Google's Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones -- will be purchased by Google for $1.1 billion in cash. According to HTC's CFO Peter Shen, this will mean about half -- yes, half -- of the 4,000 people in his company's R&D team will be joining Google, but he emphasized that HTC will continue developing its own range of smartphones, including its next flagship product. The agreement also grants Google a non-exclusive license for a large part of HTC's intellectual property. The deal is expected to be approved and closed by early 2018. Curious about what all of this means? You could do worse than to check out our guide to the subject from last week.
Spotify's deal with Warner Music clears path to going public
Spotify just signed a deal with Warner Music to secure its artists for the streaming service's users worldwide. This is the last big label after Universal Music Group, Merlin and Sony to renew ties with Spotify, and now pretty much everyone's on board.
AT&T offers new DirecTV Now customers a free Apple TV, again
AT&T's offered plenty of goodies to entice customers into subscribing to DirecTV Now in the past. But, if a year's worth of HBO or a free Roku box wasn't enough to lure you in, maybe you'll take a liking to the carrier's latest deal. As of Wednesday, new customers who purchase the streaming service will get an Apple TV set-top box, completely free of charge. Those of you with a good memory (and a fondness for freebies) will recall the offer, which came bundled with DirectTV Now upon its launch last year.
Google cuts up to $200 off its Pixel phones
Google's Pixel phone has been on the market for a while now, but it's still one of the best handsets money can buy. If it's something you'd like to own, but are put off by the price-tag, today is your lucky day. As 9to5Google reports, the search giant has given the phone a heavy discount in the Google Store. The base-level model with a 5-inch screen and 32GB of storage will now set you back $524, rather than $649. The larger XL handset starts at $569, which is $200 cheaper than its launch price of $769. Oh, and you also get a free Google Daydream headset, which normally costs $79, with every order. So you're potentially saving close to $300.
HTC's Vive Prime Day deal makes the Oculus Rift even better value
As tech brands go to war on Amazon Prime Day, Oculus has emerged triumphant over HTC in terms of value. The Vive, usually on sale for $800 has been reduced by a meager $100 to $700. Meanwhile, the Rift and Touch bundle -- already on a limited-time offer for $400/£400 -- now comes with a Prime Day perk of a $100 Amazon gift card (which makes it such a good deal it's currently out of stock). If you regularly drop a lot of dollar at Amazon, this essentially brings the price of the bundle down to $300, which is less than half the price of HTC's offering.
Actors on streaming shows reach a deal for better pay
It's not just writers who are getting a better deal from streaming video providers. SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reached a "tentative" 3-year deal that includes better pay for actors on Amazon, Hulu, Netflix and other subscription-based on-demand services. They'll now get their first residual payments (compensation for subsequent showings) within 90 days, rather than a year. They'll also get a higher residual rate, and will receive their first residuals for "foreign use." A streaming show available worldwide will be about 300 percent more lucrative over the first 2 years.
ABC affiliate deal makes it easier to livestream local channels
Disney has signed deals with more than 160 television stations that will finally enable them to stream their local content. Most of the affiliates will now use services like DirecTV Now, Sony PlayStation Vue and YouTube TV to broadcast their own shows within target markets. Ultimately, this means 90 percent of all TV-equipped households will soon be able to stream content from their local affiliates through cable, satellite and app services.
Discovery's channels stay on Sky thanks to last-minute deal
Discovery's 12 channels are staying put on Sky, with the pair having agreed a new multi-year carriage deal at the eleventh hour. Negotiations had all but imploded last week, and Discovery threatened to pull its factual and sports programming from both Sky and its Now TV service. The channels would've gone dark today, but thanks to a last-minute handshake the stand-off has ended rather anticlimactically, given how candidly both companies spoke out about their strained relationship.
Dish drops NFL channels after deal expires
Tribune stations went dark on Dish Network earlier this week, making it difficult for some customers to watch the NBA and NHL championship matchups. The TV provider is dealing with another sports-related dispute too, and this time it's with the NFL. Dish subscribers won't be privy to the league-owned NFL Network and NFL RedZone for the time being as contract negotiations stalled before the previous deal expired last night. The NFL pointed out that this is the first time a television provider has blacked out its channels and set up a website to let eager football fans in on other options for watching its content.
YouTube will offer classic NFL games as part of a new deal
The National Football League and YouTube have expanded a deal that allows the site to play previews, highlights and recaps. In 2016, YouTube will not only carry more content and expand its search options, but also show entire classic games. "Three of the most memorable games for each of the 32 clubs in the NFL will be posted to the NFL's official channel on YouTube prior to the start of the 2016 season," according to the NFL's blog. In other words, the site will soon host dozens of vintage matches.
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).
SoundCloud inks deal with Sony Music as streaming service looms
Back in January, SoundCloud and Universal Music Group came to terms on a licensing deal and now the popular music site has inked another agreement. SoundCloud announced today that it has a deal in place with Sony Music Entertainment, which means that the company now has agreements will all three major labels. In late 2014, the audio repository revealed its licensing deal with Warner Music Group and added 20,000 indie labels last summer after hashing out royalty terms with Merlin.
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]
Lyft is dropping prices to get you out of the house
It's so cold outside. Well maybe not right now (thanks climate change), but the colder weather does tend to keep us indoors and out of ride-hailing services. To lure us out of our warm abodes, Lyft is cutting prices on rides in 33 cities. Some of the cities with reduced fares include Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington DC. Sorry New York and Chicago, you're still on the hook for full price.
SoundCloud and Universal finally agree on licensing deal
It took a while to complete, but SoundCloud and Universal Music Group have a licensing agreement in place. Back in 2014, reports surfaced that the music hosting site was working on deals with both Universal and Warner Music, and the company inked an agreement with the latter in the months that followed. SoundCloud also reached a deal with Merlin last year, a company that represents 20,000 indie labels on matters of royalties and licensing. With its latest agreement, SoundCloud secures access to Universal Music's massive roster of artists which includes the Weeknd, Sam Smith and U2.
