AllThingsD editors Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher are leaving News Corp. at the end of the year, and have reportedly completed a deal with NBCUniversal for a news and conference business. Mossberg and Swisher will have majority control over the company while NBCUniversal and another unnamed investor will share one-third of the business, according to an unidentified source. Most of the current AllThingsD staff is expected to join the new holding company. Continue reading Mossberg and Swisher Leaving News Corp. for NBCUniversal

Spotify has plans to launch a free, ad-supported version of its streaming music service on mobile devices, according to people familiar with the matter. The Sweden-based company has reached licensing deals with three of the global music companies to use their recordings on the service. The ad-supported offering will allow nonpaying mobile users to play a limited number of songs on demand, but will mostly serve up music based on user input, similar to services such as Pandora.

Continue reading Spotify Has Plans to Go Mobile with Free, Ad-Supported Music

Yahoo announced it has acquired SkyPhrase, a four-person startup that develops natural language processing technology. SkyPhrase will join the Yahoo Labs team in New York and will help with Yahoo’s efforts in content delivery for mobile users, who are becoming more accustomed to devices that respond to conversational queries. SkyPhrase’s NLP technology is expected to be used for fantasy sports and other areas that rely on queries involving complex data sets. Continue reading Yahoo Picks Up Natural Language Processing Startup SkyPhrase

Intel is reportedly asking about $500 million for its OnCue service, which the chipmaker developed before making the decision to no longer pursue its online pay TV ambitions. The company is looking to secure a sale by the end of the year, according to inside sources. Verizon, which has been talking with broadcast and cable channels regarding terms for a streaming TV service, is believed to be one potential suitor. Intel has also met with Samsung and Liberty Global. Continue reading Intel Looking to Sell Online Pay TV Service for $500 Million

Rumors are swirling that Apple is close to reaching an acquisition deal with 3D sensor technology company PrimeSense to the tune of $345 million. But if it is true, the deal has not yet gone through, and PrimeSense’s only statement on the matter is vague. If it does happen, however, Apple would potentially be able to use PrimeSense’s motion sensing technology for current or future Apple products, including wearable devices. Continue reading Apple Rumored to be Acquiring 3D Sensor Firm PrimeSense

In an extension of the deal in which advertising holding company Publicis Groupe agreed to buy up tens of millions of dollars of YouTube’s advertising, the company’s agencies DigitasLBi and Razorfish will also buy $100 million of Google advertising across several of its platforms, including YouTube, Google+ and Hangouts. Publicis is getting a sizeable discount, and Google is positioning itself to compete more fiercely with TV advertising. Continue reading Google Deal Extension with Publicis Threatens TV Ad Sales

At the Business Insider’s Ignition conference in New York this week, Facebook revealed more of its plans to develop social TV advertising products. Justin Osofsky, Facebook vice president of media partnerships, discussed deals with broadcast networks, which were initially announced along with hashtags and verified accounts back in September. The social platform is trying to prove it is just as valuable as Twitter in real-time TV discussions, if not more so. Continue reading Facebook Plans to Compete with Twitter for TV Ad Business

Disney and Netflix have inked a deal for multiple original live-action series based on Marvel characters to be streamed exclusively on Netflix, which has committed to streaming at least four 13-episode series and a miniseries. Marvel will develop series based on characters Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage, leading to a miniseries event for “The Defenders.” The programming is planned to begin on the streaming service starting in 2015. Continue reading Marvel Series to Stream via Netflix Through New Disney Deal

As its contracts with producers come up for renewal, YouTube is changing its terms for ad revenue splits, no longer providing major Hollywood players like CBS or Warner Bros. with special deals over smaller names such as Machinima or AwesomenessTV. Previously, YouTube offered up to 70 percent of its ad revenue to encourage film and TV producers to place content on the site. Now that YouTube has exploded in popularity, it plans to keep 45 percent of all advertising profits starting in January. Continue reading YouTube Changes Ad Revenue Split: No More Sweetheart Deals

San Francisco-based TV guide startup Digit Media — the company behind the NextGuide personal TV watchlist service — has launched new partnerships with Fox, BBC America and truTV. As part of the deals, the networks will add a Reminder Button to their program websites. By clicking on the button, consumers can register for NextGuide and receive reminder alerts via email or the NextGuide iOS app, letting them know when new episodes are about to air on TV. Continue reading NextGuide Has New Network Partners for TV Show Reminders

Sony Pictures Television has inked a deal to produce a psychological thriller for Netflix. From the creators of the FX legal drama “Damages,” the series is slated to begin production early next year. It marks the first time a major Hollywood studio will produce a program for the streaming video service. Following in the footsteps of cable networks such as HBO and AMC, Netflix is aggressively pursuing original content. The success of its Emmy-winning “House of Cards” could help pave the way. Continue reading Sony is First Big Studio to Ink Production Deal with Netflix

Comcast and Twitter announced a deal yesterday that will allow Comcast customers to access TV programs from Twitter messages related to specific shows. The two companies hope that the “See It” feature will eventually become an industrywide practice. While the feature will initially only be available for Twitter posts published by Comcast-owned channels, the companies are talking with distributors and channel owners about extending it to additional content. Continue reading Comcast Deal Could Turn Twitter into TV-Watching Service

Canadian movie exhibitor Cineplex launched its SuperTicket service this summer that bundles admission to a theater screening with a digital copy of the same film, delivered electronically months later. The package costs more than twice as much as a ticket to see the movie in a theater. The company experimented with SuperTicket deals for three films: “The Smurfs 2,” “Pacific Rim,” and “Kick-Ass 2.” While the approach could be a remedy for declining DVD sales, it remains unclear whether fans will pay in advance for a digital copy. Continue reading Canadian Exhibitor Bundles Movie Admission and Home Video

Intel executives have spoken with Amazon and Samsung in search of a strategic partner willing to back its Web-based pay TV service that it hopes to launch by the end of 2013. If Intel cannot find a backer to help fund and distribute the service, it is possible that the plan will be dissolved. Earlier in the year, Intel executive Erik Huggers disclosed that the company plans to sell an OTT pay service that includes a wide array of broadcast and cable TV networks. Continue reading Intel Looking for Backers to Help Keep Pay TV Service Alive

Hulu is making significant investments in content, including a licensing deal with BBC Worldwide North America to bring 144 titles to its video-streaming service. The company is also adding the first four seasons of CBS series “The Good Wife” to its library, and ordered 10 episodes of supernatural comedy “Deadbeat” from Lionsgate, one of approximately 40 original series it plans to introduce in the upcoming years. Hulu was taken off the auction block just two months ago. Continue reading Fresh Off the Auction Block, Hulu Investing in New Content