Julia Louis-Dreyfus signs a multiyear overall deal with Apple’s (AAPL +0.5%) new streaming platform and will develop exclusive content as both an executive producer and a star.
Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
Former HBO CEO Richard Plepler recently inked a five-year production pact with Apple TV+. Plepler greenlit Louis-Dreyfus’ acclaimed Veep series while he was heading the premium cable network.
Sources say the Louis-Dreyfus deal was already in negotiations while Plepler was finalizing his deal.
Beyoncé signs with Sony/ATV – Variety
It’s a late-Friday musical coup for Sony/ATV Music (NYSE:SNE), as Variety reports superstar recording artist Beyoncé has signed with the publisher.
But the move keeps some relationships close: Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z have worked for much of their careers with Jon Platt, who took over Sony/ATV as chairman/CEO last year after working at Warner/Chappell.
Sony shares are up 1.4% in some light trading this evening.
Platt had similarly brought Rihanna over to Sony last fall.
Spotify in talks to buy The Ringer – WSJ
Spotify (NYSE:SPOT) is in preliminary talks to buy podcast network The Ringer, well known for its founding by ESPN ex Bill Simmons, the WSJ reports.
That would bring another 30 podcasts (including popular sports and pop culture content) into Spotify’s orbit.
It follows a number of investments in podcasting by the music-streaming giant (including $400M for three podcast companies last year), and Spotify is reportedly in the market for more, which might include a deal for The Ringer.
The Ringer (bolstered by The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Watch, Binge Mode and The Rewatchables) doesn’t have the same platform as rivals like ESPN and Bleacher Report, but its podcast revenues exceeded $15M in 2019 and it’s profitable.
SoftBank led secret $750M startup investment – report
The built-in system offers typical turn-by-turn directions along with waypoint routing (up to 100 stops on a route) along with real-time traffic and weather overlays (with Doppler radar a key concern for motorcyclists).
The solution uses Comtech’s Location Studio platform and is part of its Ride Command system, included with various Indian models.
