Apple said to be near animated movie deal in video push
Apple Inc. has decided on its next Hollywood act: making feature films.
A deal is near for the rights to an animated movie as part of its upcoming slate of original video offerings, according to people familiar with the matter. Apple is in talks with Cartoon Saloon, an Irelandbased, Oscar-nominated animation studio, said the people, who asked not to be identified speaking about private negotiations.
The movie has yet to be made and is more than a year from release, but Apple has been in talks to buy distribution rights for the US and some other countries, the people said. It’s unclear how Apple plans to make the movie available, but a theatrical release, necessary to qualify for Academy Awards, is possible, one of the people said. Other potential movies are also in the works, the person noted. Apple and Cartoon Saloon had no immediate comment on Thursday.
The deal hasn’t closed and could still fall apart, but the talks mark a new level of ambition for Apple’s plan to take on Netflix Inc., Google and Amazon.com Inc. in the booming online video market. Apple has struck several deals for original TV shows and documentaries, including one about singer Ed Sheeran. But the company hasn’t announced any movies so far.
The iPhone maker has been one of the biggest sellers of other companies’ shows and movies through its iTunes store, so it has existing ties to the entertainment business, mostly through executive Eddy Cue. Its online video push has expanded into funding original content as the Cupertino, California-based company tries to double services revenue.
The company began by funding new shows, like “Carpool Karaoke,” for its Apple Music streaming service.
Last year, Apple hired TV industry veterans Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg to build an in-house studio. The two executives got a budget of at least $1 billion to spend in a year, people familiar with the plans told Bloomberg previously.
Apple faces stiff competition from Hollywood studios and digital streamers that spend billions of dollars annually on new material. But its large reservoir of cash and the popularity of its devices have ensured the company can get a meeting with anyone in the entertainment business.
SHARING LIMITED DATA WITH FB ON PAYMENT FEATURE: WHATSAPP
Popular messaging app WhatsApp has claimed it shares limited data of payment service with its parent firm Facebook and the social media major does not use the information for commercial purpose.
“Facebook does not use WhatsApp payment information for commercial purposes, it simply helps pass the necessary payment information to the bank partner and NPCI. In some cases, we may share limited data to help provide customer support to you or keep payments safe and secure,” WhatsApp claimed on its website. WhatsApp is running beta version of its payment service in India. According to government sources, the ministry of electronics and IT has written to National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) to verify compliance around WhatsApp payment and check if WhatsApp is sharing data with its parent firm Facebook. The ministry has asked NPCI to verify compliance of WhatsApp payment it scales up its service.
PININFARINA TO ROLL OUT $2 MN LIMITED EDITION CAR BY 2020
Automobili Pininfarina, the world’s newest luxury electric carmaker owned by Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd (M&M), will start selling its limited edition first car at $2 million (₹13.4 crore) per unit towards the end of 2020.
Subsequently, the firm will introduce two more products, catering to a wider audience.
“This is a way to introduce Pininfarina as a brand and create a brand halo, and follow a top-down approach,” said Pawan Goenka, managing director, M&M.
UK TO LAUNCH STARTUP VISAS IN 2019 FOR TECH ENTREPRENEURS
UK Prime Minister Theresa May announced on Tuesday a new visa from spring 2019 to invite talented founders of business ventures to the United Kingdom as part of measures to showcase the country as the best place to run a tech company.
Called ‘Startup Visas’, the new route will replace the current Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) visa, which allows Indian and other non-EU graduates from UK universities with a “genuine and credible business idea” endorsed officially to remain in the country.
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