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'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' lives up to what made the original movie so fun

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Guardians Disney

For the most part, Marvel Studios has created movies that follow a uniform story structure and tone that appease the mass audiences that eat them up. But "Guardians of the Galaxy" has tweaked that model slightly, and it's a great thing.

The franchise starring the now-genuine movie star Chris Pratt as Peter "Star-Lord" Quill — and featuring the likes of Bradley Cooper as the perturbed raccoon Rocket, Dave Bautista as Drax, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, and Vin Diesel as Groot — is arguably the greatest payoff yet for Marvel.

After the first movie did better than anyone expected in 2014, the sequel, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (opening Friday), keeps the mix of a sarcastic tone and an excellent soundtrack that helped the original earn over $770 million worldwide while adding some new elements that elevate the franchise.

Major kudos must go to writer-director James Gunn, who in an era when tentpole movies (especially superhero ones) have to be everything to everyone has been able to harness an atmosphere in the "Galaxy" movies that would soften even the most snobbish anti-Hollywood moviegoer.

Though "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" has great action and a story that will keep you from drifting off until the next exciting fight sequence, the chemistry of the cast is what really makes it move. There are new additions to the Guardians this time around: Nebula (Karen Gillan), the sister of Gamora; Elizabeth Debicki as the evil Ayesha; and Kurt Russell as Peter's father, Ego.

Guardians 3 DisneyAnd that last part is where the plot really lies. Ego suddenly enters Star-Lord's life and persuades him to go back to his planet. Ego, it turns out, is a living planet who has taken a human form to communicate with Peter. All the dots connect to explain Peter's past.

Meanwhile, after the Guardians stole from Ayesha, she hires Yondu (Michael Rooker), the space pirate who you may remember from the first movie was the one who raised Peter, to track down the Guardians and reclaim Ayesha's property.

The movie isn't short on subplots. There's Gamora and Nebula working out their differences, Drax's hilarious sexual tension with Ego's telepathic sidekick Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and Baby Groot doing adorable Baby Groot things. The ending is wrapped up nicely, highlighted by Rooker's Yondu, who shines.

I'll leave it up to the superfans to determine whether this is better than the original "Guardians" movie (honestly, I think the two are equally fun), but what can't be argued is that under Gunn's watchful eye, this franchise is becoming a unique piece of counterprogramming from Marvel Studios. It sets itself apart from the Captain America and Iron Man movies with its colorful language and its insistence on not taking itself too seriously, which goes a long way.

Sometimes it really pays off to be the oddball in the group.

SEE ALSO: 35 movies coming out this summer that you need to see

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NOW WATCH: Watch the first trailer for ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’


How to build a startup inside a big company without getting swallowed up, from someone who did it

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Gabe Vehovsky Headshot 3 17Building a startup inside a big traditional company can be a nightmare. There can be a way-things-are-done attitude that will kill experimentation and cause a fledgling effort to fail.

But there are ways to succeed as Gabe Vehovsky has learned.

Vehovsky first built his media startup Curiosity inside of TV giant Discovery, and then spun the company out into an independent entity (although Discovery is still an investor).

Curiosity serves up 3-5 minute “healthy digital snacks” of information about topics from science to tech to animal care. The goal is to give you a conversational aptitude in a topic, which is deliberately steered away from news — or politics, for that matter.

The idea for Curiosity came to Vehovsky while he was working as a liaison between venture capitalists and Discovery, brokering commercial arrangements between the company and startups who might be good partners.

Most people in the education technology ("ed tech") market at the time were focused on long endeavors that required a big commitment from users, Vehovsky said. Online courses are a good example. But Vehovsky wanted to make something more akin to the “BuzzFeed of learning,” he said.

Discovery’s immediate reaction was “let’s partner, buy, or invest,” Vehovsky recounted. But when he told them there wasn’t a viable opportunity in the market, the company gave him a small four-person team to build a prototype of his vision.

“I was never shut down, or embraced,” Vehovsky said. That ended up being a great spot to be in. He didn’t have insane expectations, but he had a dedicated team to build a first iteration of the product.

After about a year of incubating inside Discovery, Curiosity hit a point where it needed to get more resources and more formal budgeting. There was the choice of taking outside capital to build it, or staying completely within Discovery.

Vehovsky chose to raise outside money and succeeded with a $6 million Series A round in late 2014, all from venture capitalists in Chicago, where Curiosity is based. Discovery was an investor, too, and took a place on the board, but Curiosity became an independent company.

There was one big reason Vehovsky decided to take outside money. “Good luck getting talent without equity,” he said. And Vehovsky thought maintaining a startup culture was essential to continuing to improve on the product, which was easier to do as an independent entity.

Curiosity still has a ways to go in making “lifelong learning as easy and accessible as sports, news, and pop-culture,” but it has made progress, snagging over 5 million monthly visits to its owned-and-operate properties last month, and a total reach of 75 million, according to Vehovsky.

Even at this point, Curiosity, which now totals 25 people, is a early-stage example of how a big company can foster entrepreneurship inside itself, namely by dedicating some resources to creative projects without weighing them down with huge expectations right out of the gate. It also shows how a big company can eventually set a startup "free" while maintaining its investment and influence.

SEE ALSO: A potential fight is brewing in TV land over an under-20-dollar TV bundle without sports

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NOW WATCH: Yale history professor: Here’s why it's useful to compare Trump's actions to Hitler's

Here's how much money famous sequels have made compared to the original movies

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the force awakens disney

There are a lot of sequels coming in 2017, and many have already hit theaters. But to the chagrin of Hollywood executives, many are bombing at the box office.

Analysts are crying sequel fatigue, but studios trying to bank on franchises isn't new. They're just doing it a lot more frequently, but with titles people care way less about seeing.

In looking at Box Office Mojo's ranking of some of the highest-grossing franchises adjusted for inflation, it's clear that pursuing sequels has always been a roller-coaster ride.

Business Insider selected some of the most well-known franchises and compared their box-office gross numbers. 

Of those selected, only "The Lord of the Rings" and "Captain America" have seen revenue growth with every installment. "Deadpool" is the highest-grossing movie related to the X-Men universe, and not even the wide praise for 2017's "Logan" could change that. 

Every other franchise lacks a pattern, except that it seems that "Fast and Furious" reached a positive turning point in 2009. (Note: "Fate of the Furious" is still new to theaters, so it has time to earn a lot more.) And people really, really like "Star Wars" movies. Although "A New Hope" still remains the most successful at the box office by a pretty big number. 

See how your favorite franchise did over its lifetime:

Movie Sequels

SEE ALSO: The sequels that are bombing badly at the box office this year

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NOW WATCH: Keanu Reeves blasted his way through a gun range training for the 'John Wick' sequel

We finally know when 'Star Wars: Episode IX' will come out

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On Tuesday, Disney and Lucasfilm announced the release dates for numerous upcoming titles — including a future "Star Wars."

The major headline is that "Star Wars: Episode IX" will be released May 24, 2019. That's the first time a movie from the "Star Wars" saga will be released in May since 2005's "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith."

"The Force Awakens" and this year's "The Last Jedi" were given December releases. "Episode IX," the follow-up to "Last Jedi," will be the last film in the new "Star Wars" trilogy from Disney.

"Episode IX" is currently in preproduction and will be directed by Colin Trevorrow ("Jurassic World").

The next standalone "Star Wars" anthology movie will also be released during the summer: The untitled Han Solo film will come out May 25, 2018.

Disney/Lucasfilm also announced that the live-action "The Lion King" movie will be released July 19, 2019, while "Frozen 2" will be in theaters on November 27, 2019.

And the next "Indiana Jones" movie, with Harrison Ford starring, has been pushed back a year. It's now scheduled to be released on July 10, 2020.

SEE ALSO: "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" lives up to what made the original movie so fun

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NOW WATCH: Watch the first trailer for ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’

How to use FaceApp — the popular new app that can make you smile and change your gender

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A popular new app called FaceApp is taking over your Facebook and Twitter feeds. Users can apply various filters to their faces to make them look different ages or different genders. It can also give you a smile that looks surprisingly realistic. Here's everything you need to know.

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Inside the insanely lavish Airbnb homes Drake and Lady Gaga stayed in for Coachella

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drake coachella house

The headliners of any given year's Coachella festival are pretty much music royalty, and at the 2017 fest that just wrapped last weekend, they were definitely treated as such in their accomdations for their stay.

Drake, Lady Gaga, and Kendrick Lamar stayed in luxurious homes provided by Airbnb. The large pool spaces, fire pits, mountain views, and in-home bars (and a wine cellar) gave the artists a lot of room to relax in between their performances, which last over two weekends. One of the Airbnb homes even has a tennis court. As with just about everything that goes on at Coachella, these rentals go all out.

They also come at hefty prices as high as $10,000 a night. But the best part for the stars? They got to stay in them for free. (They shouted out their thanks on social media.)

Here are the luxurious home that Drake, Lady Gaga, and Kendrick Lamar stayed in courtesy of Airbnb for Coachella: 

SEE ALSO: 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' lives up to what made the original movie so fun

Drake stayed in this Villa Grande Bellezza Airbnb, which goes for $10,000 per night.



The home is in Benedict Canyon in Los Angeles, several hours of driving away from Indio, California, where Coachella takes place.



It has plenty of space.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'Great News' star Nicole Richie explains why the new show doesn't tackle Trump

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Tina Fey's new NBC comedy, "Great News," premieres on Tuesday, and it arrives at a time when the president refers to respected media institutions as "fake news." But don't expect the show to address that — at least in its first season.

"We wrapped the show in October. The entire show was done before this surprise of 2017," Nicole Richie, who stars on "Great News," recently told Business Insider of the show's scheduling and Donald Trump's presidential win. "Going forward, I think dealing with that would be up to [show creator Tracy Wigfield]. But at the core, this is not a political show."

So if "Great News" isn't about current political news and isn't tackling President Donald Trump, what is the show about?

Executive produced by Fey and "30 Rock" producer Robert Carlock, "Great News" is set at a national cable news show. It stars Briga Heelan ("Undateable") as Katie, one of the show's producers, whose retired, overbearing mother Carol ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding's" Andrea Martin) lands an internship at the show. Nicole Richie plays the show's young cohost Portia opposite veteran newsman Chuck ("Best in Show" actor John Michael Higgins).

"The conversation that we're having in our show is really just about the generational gap of what is news, and how are we getting it to people," Richie said. "Do we have to make things aesthetically pleasing and bright and colorful and poppy? Or can we just give people the hard-hitting news and just the facts without some sort of opinion? And that's the biggest difference between my character and Michael's character, because he feels one way and I represent a younger audience who feels a totally different way."

In her actual life, Richie, 35, wouldn't consider herself to be the prime example of millennial tastes. But among the show's cast, she feels like she's the best bet.

"I have a few friends who are in their early 20s and I feel so old compared to them," she said. "They're talking about, like, 17 new apps that I've never heard of and social media this and social media that. I'm very late to the game when it comes to people my own age. But then I do the show and I'm around Michael and Andrea and they look at me like I'm young, hip, and cool. So I'm in this weird middle ground. I would say that I'm a healthy medium. I use social media, I'm probably the last millennial to get it, but I'm there."

And as for confronting today's political noise, Richie doesn't believe "Great News," or any TV show for that matter, could keep up.

"I think that the show can probably touch on today's news in a generic enough way," Richie told us. "I think probably for the future of TV, it's going to be impossible to keep up with the pace of the topical scandals that we're talking about."

Watch a trailer for "Great News" below:

SEE ALSO: 18 TV shows you're watching that are probably going to be canceled

DON'T MISS: Watch 'SNL' star Kate McKinnon's amazing 4-minute makeup transition between scenes

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NOW WATCH: 'You are fake news': Watch Trump attack a news reporter during his first press conference as president-elect

Fox News is in the middle of a class-action racial-discrimination lawsuit

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Kelly Wright fox news

Thirteen current and former employees of Fox News are filing a class-action lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court, alleging that they experienced "abhorrent, intolerable, unlawful and hostile racial discrimination," while senior Fox News officials ignored their requests to take action.

"When it comes to racial discrimination, 21st Century Fox has been operating as if it should be called 18th Century Fox," said Douglas Wigdor and Jeanne Christensen, representatives of the plaintiffs, in a statement cited by BuzzFeed News.

Fox News reporter Kelly Wright, an employee of the network since 2003 and the latest plaintiff to join the suit, claimed in the filing that he was marginalized by the network's so-called "plantation-style management."

He alleges that Bill O'Reilly, the former host of "The O'Reilly Factor," denied him opportunities to appear on his show to examine race relations in America — even rebuffing Wright's reporting on the escalating racial tensions in Ferguson, Missouri, because it portrayed "blacks in too positive a light," according to BuzzFeed.

Fox News said in a statement that it "vehemently denies the race discrimination claims in both lawsuits" and said it would "vigorously defend these cases."

Wright is joined by other African-American ex-employees who allege they encountered "horrific discrimination" from Judith Slater, a Fox News comptroller who was fired in March after an internal investigation. Several plaintiffs alleged that Slater had asked if their children were raised by the same father; told Wright that he had to comb his hair before work because he had "too much afro," and allegedly asked if they could beatbox for her.

fox news 21st century fox newsroom

Though Fox representatives said that they took "any complaint of this nature very seriously and took the appropriate action in investigating and firing Ms. Slater within two weeks," the plaintiffs criticized the statement, saying that they repeatedly complained about Slater's actions to no avail in years past.

Monica Douglas, a credit and collections manager of Panamanian heritage, claimed she was warned by Slater not to bring her grievances to the human resources department: "I am HR," Slater was alleged to have said. Douglas' accusations go further, alleging that Slater had kicked her buttocks and said that she "would not even let her dog eat the food Panamanians eat," BuzzFeed reported.

The latest accusations are unfolding at a time when Fox News is trying to recalibrate from Bill O'Reilly's firing last week over a growing sexual harassment scandal.

"If 21st Century Fox chooses to defend the indefensible--systemic race discrimination—we will utilize our collective efforts and resources to hold those responsible for these egregious discriminatory acts before a Bronx jury," attorneys Wigdor and Christensen said.

SEE ALSO: Bill O'Reilly is out at Fox News

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NOW WATCH: A Yale history professor explains how governments can use disasters and tragedies to control society


Nintendo-themed Happy Meal toys are back at McDonald's, like it's the '90s again

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Finally: a reason to buy a McDonald's Happy Meal as an adult. 

Super Mario

McDonald's and Nintendo are partnering on a throwback sure to please both today's kids and those of the '90s: Happy Meals sold in the US between April 26 and May 22 come with one of eight totally rad Nintendo toys. 

Here's the whole gang:

Super Mario toys at McDonald's

Notably, two of the toys aren't characters — the 1Up mushroom and the red shell. Also, of concern: Luigi appears to be stuck in a pipe, and Mario is frozen in a plastic prison of some form. Horrifying!

Nintendo says that each of the toys has a "special function." For example, the clear Mario "lights up in different colors." The partnership is a promotion timed to run alongside the launch of "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" on the Nintendo Switch, which arrives on April 28.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)

If all of this feels bizarrely familiar to you, that's because Nintendo had similar partnerships years ago with McDonald's.

That video above is what I saw on TV growing up — I actually own that "hopping Koopa paratroopa." It's still in my living room!

Nintendo is no doubt looking for that level of nostalgia with this partnership. Even the font used for "Super Mario" is from "Super Mario World" on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. And what year was that released? That's right: 1991. 

With games like "Super Mario Run" and "Super Mario Maker" breathing new life into the long-running series — to say nothing of the excellent new "Mario Kart" game launching this week — there's no doubt that a new generation of kids will excitedly ask their parents for Happy Meals in order to get these new toys. But this time, the parents themselves will have a hard time resisting a second Happy Meal so they can have their own "Super Mario" toy.

SEE ALSO: A new 'Mario Kart' is about to launch — here's how much better it looks than the last one

DON'T MISS: Nintendo could be making another mini version of a classic game console: the Super Nintendo

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Nintendo’s ‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ is amazing — here’s what it’s like

Caitlyn Jenner defends voting for Trump: 'I'm not a one-issue voter'

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Caitlyn Jenner continued to defend her decision to vote for President Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election despite his heavily criticized record on LGBTQ issues.

Jenner, the former Olympian and reality star, opened up about the decision to Seth Meyers on Tuesday night's "Late Night."

"I'm not a one-issue voter and obviously — I know, I’m not stupid — the Republican party does not do a good job when it comes to equality and the entire LGBT community. The Democrats are better there," Jenner said. "But for me, I've been around a long time, I'm probably more conservative. I believe in little things like the Constitution and freedom. I believe in minimal government... And so Republicans have done a better job in that direction."

When pressed by Meyers about whether she thinks Trump has done a "decent" job on other issues beyond LGBTQ rights, Jenner said, "In some ways, yes."

However, she hit Trump hard for his decision to roll back protections given to transgender students under President Barack Obama.

"I gotta keep an eye on these people," Jenner said. "Trump, who I talked to before [at] the inauguration, about a lot of LGBT issues when the whole North Carolina bathroom bill, all that mess. And I had talked to him about my feelings on that. All of sudden he gets into office and one of the first things he does, which he never should have done, is repeal the Title IX for equality for trans people in school. That was good federal guidelines for states to be able to follow, and I blasted him."

Jenner emphasized she will continue to fight for the transgender community while also sticking to her own political beliefs.

"My loyalty is not with Donald Trump," she told Meyers. "My loyalty is not with the Republican party. My loyalty is with my community, and I will fight for this community. So I did a blog on it, I did a video on it, and at some point I may talk to [Trump] about it."

She added that when she was recently asked if she would vote for Trump again, she said, "Wait a second, it's three and a half years away. There’s a lot that’s going to happen in that three and a half years and I'll make that decision at that point."

Meyers asked about reports that Trump asked Jenner to play golf after he became president. She said she refused the opportunity based on Trump's reversal of transgender protections, but added that she would talk to Trump "in private" about the issues that concern her.

As for the golf, she did get in a jab about Trump's athletic ability.

"I don't think he wants to get beat by a 67-year-old trans woman," Jenner said.

Watch the interview with Caitlyn Jenner on "Late Night" below:

 

SEE ALSO: All the 'Game of Thrones' deaths, ranked from least tragic to most tragic

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NOW WATCH: This is the worst part of Silicon Valley, according to the cast of ‘Silicon Valley’

'President Trump' crashes Trevor Noah's 'Daily Show,' and they go at each other

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On Tuesday night's "The Daily Show," an impersonator of President Donald Trump, Anthony Atamanuik, interrupted Trevor Noah while he was discussing Trump's first 100 days in office and the proposed US-Mexico border wall.

"Don't try to be nice," Atamanuik's Trump told Noah. "I don't watch your show, but I've seen all the episodes, and you've said some very not nice things about me."

"Most of the time I just repeat your words, man," Noah said.

After some banter about how Trump would pay for the wall, Noah told Trump that he had to get back to what he was doing.

"I'm sure you're very busy as well," Noah said.

"No, I got nothing to do," Trump said. "I was gonna sleep under the desk."

Atamanuik's new show centering on his impression of Trump, "President Show," premieres Thursday night on Comedy Central.

Watch the segment:

SEE ALSO: Inside the insanely lavish Airbnb homes Drake and Lady Gaga stayed in for Coachella

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NOW WATCH: Here's everything we know so far about 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'

Netflix is finding a way into China (NFLX)

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In a partnership that provides access to China, Netflix has signed a content licensing deal with video platform iQiyi, Tech in Asia reports.

The licensing agreement covers Netflix's original shows, allowing the US streaming service to distribute content in China for the first time, and by extension build its brand and audience in that territory.

China is a notoriously difficult market for Western companies to enter because of protectionist regulations, but it’s also one of the most lucrative internet markets. It has:  

  • The world’s biggest internet population. In March 2017, internet users totaled 730 million, or a little over half of the country’s total population. Digital TV Research expects China to have 74 million SVOD subscribers by 2021, up from an estimated 40 million subscribers in 2016. And according to Media Partners Asia, China will account for 76% of the $35 billion in projected revenue that Asia Pacific’s online video sector will generate in 2021.
  • A growing, free-spending middle class. Total household income in China is higher than in other emerging markets — including Brazil, Mexico, and Indonesia — and discretionary spending in the country is on the rise, according to Credit Suisse and World Bank data cited by McKinsey. Internet penetration is also rising as rural China comes online and increases its purchasing power. In 2015, rural China accounted for 64% of online purchases, according to Credit Suisse.

The online video market in China is also mature and fiercely competitive. As you’d expected, it’s dominated by the country’s big three consumer internet companies. Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent (BAT) — which altogether account for nearly 70% of online video watch time. Baidu’s iQiyi commands 35% of the monthly time spent watching online video in China, compared to Alibaba’s Youku-Tudou at 22% and Tencent Video at 13%, according to iResearch data cited by Jefferies.

Some of Netflix’s content is already quite popular in mainland China too, so Baidu’s iQiyi also stands to benefit from this partnership. Netflix's original cartoon Bojack Horseman has amassed a cult following in China, and translated screenshots from the show are routinely relayed on the Chinese social network Weibo. The hit series House of Cards has also become popular in China, via a distribution deal with the internet company Sohu.  

Growth of subscription-video-on-demand (SVOD) services in the US has slowed considerably over the last year as competition in the online video streaming space intensifies. Heavy hitters like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime are increasingly squeezed by new competitors with exclusive content and niche video offerings.  

International markets, and specifically, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region will be paramount for both established SVOD players and new entrants looking to establish themselves in the successful video space.

The SVOD market in the APAC region is poised for explosive growth over the next five years due to increased mobile adoption, amplified broadband expansion, and enhanced purchasing power.

Dylan Mortensen, senior research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on subscription video on-demand that explores how slowing SVOD growth in the US will lead to a surge in the APAC region.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

  • While SVOD services are increasingly rooted among US households, growth is beginning slow. Growth in North American SVOD subscriptions is set to fall from 30% in 2014 to 4% by 2018.
  • The best opportunity for continued growth lies in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The region had nearly 42 million SVOD subscribers in 2015, but could have up to 158 million by 2021.
  • The increasing adoption of smartphones and mobile data is propelling growth in mobile video viewing across APAC, which is poised to outpace the rest of the world.
  • Rising purchasing power in APAC underlines the opportunity for online video services. China and emerging Asian economies represent nearly two-thirds (63%) of global economic growth.
  • Content creators and marketers stand to gain from SVOD’s push into the APAC region. Content creators can benefit from the surge in short-form video, while marketers can capitalize on advanced product placements.

In full, the report: 

  • Forecasts SVOD subscribers in the APAC region.
  • Explores the factors behind SVOD’s slowing growth in the US.
  • Breaks down reasons why APAC is ripe for massive online video growth.
  • Discusses who will benefit from SVOD growth in APAC.

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

  1. Subscribe to an All-Accesspass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. » START A MEMBERSHIP
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Stephen Colbert turns Sean Spicer into a soap opera: 'The Bold and the Babbling'

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sean spicer

Stephen Colbert has gotten a lot of amusement out of President Donald Trump's White House, and that continued on Tuesday night's "Late Show" with a parody video tackling press secretary Sean Spicer.

The show turned Spicer, known for sometimes rowdy bouts with journalists, into a character in a CBS soap opera, splicing Spicer into some melodramatic daytime television. Basically, a lot of women tell Spicer that they're pregnant. He doesn't offer any sympathy.

The name of Colbert's fictional Spicer show? "The Bold and the Babbling."

It's worth noting that Spicer's real press conferences sometimes get higher ratings than actual soap operas. 

Watch Colbert's take on Sean Spicer below:

 

SEE ALSO: All the 'Game of Thrones' deaths, ranked from least tragic to most tragic

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NOW WATCH: Sony and Marvel just dropped another 'Spider-Man' trailer — and it looks amazing

Billionaire venture capitalist Chris Sacca is retiring from startup investing — and 'Shark Tank'

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chris sacca shark tank

Chris Sacca is leaving the show "Shark Tank" and startup investing all together. 

The 41-year-old announced Wednesday that he will be "hanging up his spurs" and no longer devoting his time to startup investing. He'd just placed No. 2 on the Midas List of the world's best startup investors after early bets on companies like Twitter and Uber. 

The "Shark Tank" judge infamous for his cowboy shirts won't be leaving entertainment altogether though. He's signed onto a Zach Braff TV-pilot based on The Startup Podcast, playing himself. Sacca also plans to launch his own podcast "because, I mean, the world desperately needs another podcast, am I right?", he says.

The one thing he promises he's not doing is running for political office, despite his heavy engagement in the resistance movement. 

"Crystal and I are committed to doing all we can to ensure Utopia wins," Sacca said of what comes next. "We are passionate about solving our climate disaster, criminal justice reform, and women’s issues and we have a couple irons in the fire. We are also deeply committed to paying forward the luck and opportunities we have enjoyed in our space. So we’ve been quietly backing the next generation of investors, but specifically women and people of color who have been starting venture funds."

There's "more to come" on a lot of the projects Sacca will tackle in retirement, but he's finished with startup investing for now. Read his full good-bye to "Shark Tank" and startup investing here.

SEE ALSO: Billionaire Chris Sacca: My role on 'Shark Tank' is to 'bust Mark Cuban's balls'

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NOW WATCH: BARBARA CORCORAN: Chris Sacca is 'probably the most arrogant Shark we've ever had'

These are the top Netflix shows teens want their parents to watch, according to Netflix

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stranger things netflix

Teens love Netflix.

Earlier this month, Piper Jaffray released the results of its semi-annual survey of teens, and both Netflix and YouTube came in ahead of cable TV in popularity.

Piper Jaffray asked about 5,500 teens "What percent of your time do you spend watching video across these platforms?" On average, the teens responded that they spent 38% of their time on Netflix, 26% on YouTube, and 23% on cable TV. Amazon and Hulu came in much lower at 3% and 4% respectively.

In short: Netflix dominates. But what shows are teens watching on Netflix?

Netflix is notoriously secretive about its data, but from time to time we get some clues. On Tuesday, Netflix released a study of US teens centered around how TV shows can bridge the gap between parents and children, which explicitly mentioned Netflix's recent original show "13 Reasons Why." But one of the most interesting portions came at the end, when Netflix listed the top shows teens would recommend to their parents, to spur conversation.

Here are Netflix's top teen picks for parents (in alphabetical order):

SEE ALSO: Only 8% of college students don't have Netflix, and that's a great sign for the company's future

'Arrow'



'Breaking Bad'



'Daredevil'



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

M. Night Shyamalan is making a sequel to 'Split' and 'Unbreakable,' and fans will go nuts

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unbreakable bruce willis

Director M. Night Shyamalan announced on Twitter Wednesday that his next movie will be a sequel to both "Unbreakable" (2000) and this year's "Split."

"Split," itself already a quasi-sequel to "Unbreakable" — one of Shyamalan's earlier movies with a passionate cult following — was a surprise hit at the box office, earning $275 million worldwide on a relatively tiny $9 million budget. Bruce Willis appears for a brief cameo at the end of the film as his character from "Unbreakable," David Dunn.

Rumors about a potential sequel have been swirling around, but it's now a reality, and fans will not doubt be delighted.

Shyamalan said it "was always my dream to have both films collide in this third film."

He gave out more details on Twitter, confirming that Willis is coming back along with Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price/Mr. Glass (also from "Unbreakable"). James McAvoy and Anya Taylor Joy, the stars of "Split," will be in the sequel, too.

The movie's title, according to Shyamalan, is "Glass." Blumhouse Productions and Universal are partnering on the film, and the director says it's set to come out January 18, 2019.

"How's that for not keeping a secret!" he said.

 

SEE ALSO: Here's The Rock's insane workout and diet he uses to get ripped for 'Fast and Furious'

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The best racing game ever made is getting a truly insane addition

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There are few better games on any modern video game console than "Forza Horizon 3."

Forza Horizon 3

It's a killer racing game — the best ever made— but it's also just a fantastic game. One of its strongest features is its variety: There are dozens of cars, SUVs, trucks, and other vehicle types to drive in "Horizon 3," to say nothing of environmental variation. You're just as likely to fly down a twisting coastal highway in this Lamborghini as you are to fly over sand dunes in an off-road buggy.

Forza Horizon 3

There's just one thing missing from the massive open-world of "Horizon 3": Fantastical, gravity-defying madness.

That's where the new Hot Wheels expansion comes in!

Forza Horizon 3

Check it out below:

SEE ALSO: 'Forza Horizon 3' is the best racing game on any game console

First and foremost, the Hot Wheels expansion arrives on May 9 — just a few weeks from now.



As you see in these ridiculous images, the expansion is a completely different take on the typical racing in the "Horizon" racing series.



That means not just Hot Wheels-based cars, but also "miles of looping, banking, giant, iconic, orange Hot Wheels tracks."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Sony Music is reportedly dropping Dr. Luke after Kesha's explosive sexual assault claims

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dr. luke

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Music is severing its ties with Dr. Luke at Kemosabe Records, which is a subsidiary of Sony. Dr. Luke established Kemosabe Records with Sony in 2011.

Over the past few years, Sony has been under immense pressure from supporters of Kesha to fire Dr. Luke over the singer's allegations against him.

In 2014, Kesha accused Dr. Luke — the executive producer of both of her albums — of giving her drugs and sexually assaulting her. She also accused him of threatening her if she went public with the claims. Kesha is still legally binded to a contract with Dr. Luke, and the two have waged a legal battle in court.

Over the years, Dr. Luke has helped produce hits for other artists including Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, and Miley Cyrus.

SEE ALSO: Disney just announced all its movies coming through 2020 — here's what you have to look forward to

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Here's your first look at the newest 'Call of Duty' game, set during World War II

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Every year, a new "Call of Duty" game comes out — it's an annual franchise, like "Madden" and "FIFA," except it's a first-person shooter instead of a sports game.

2017 is no different, and this year's "Call of Duty" just got the big reveal treatment. It's called "Call of Duty: WWII":

Call of Duty: WWII

In the big reveal, we get a taste for the horrific nightmare that was fighting in World War II — storming the beaches at Normandy on D-Day and pushing through Western Europe (to name a couple examples). 

The game's publisher, Activision, isn't offering many details about the game just yet. Here's what we know:

  • The game is set in World War II (obvious).
  • It's scheduled to launch on November 3.
  • It follows "the 1st Infantry Division as they fight to preserve freedom in the face of tyranny."
  • It's set in the European theater of World War II.
  • There's a "Zombies" multiplayer mode that's co-operative and has a narrative thread of its own.

We also know that it's got some impressive graphics, like this scene, from the game's re-creation of D-Day:

Call of Duty: WWII

And this bombing raid, which looks terrifying:

Call of Duty: WWII

The game is planned for a November 3 launch, and it's coming to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. We'll assuredly learn more about its multiplayer modes and single-player campaign as the year goes on. For now, we've got the reveal trailer right here:

SEE ALSO: The newest 'Call of Duty' game is returning to where the series started: World War II

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Verizon's go90 boss is out as Verizon fights to save the video service it's spent over $200 million on (VZ)

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chip canter

Chip Canter, the GM in charge of Verizon's millennial-focused go90 video service, is out, the company confirmed to Business Insider.

Canter, a former NBCU exec, joined go90 last April, a few months after the service's launch. Go90 was conceived as an ad-supported cross between YouTube and Netflix that would broadly appeal to young people, but it has struggled to attract an audience since its debut in October 2015.

In preparation for go90’s debut, Verizon made big content deals with little oversight, often for slates of shows over multiple years, according to multiple go90 insiders interviewed by Business Insider. Verizon spent $200 million last year on programming, according to a former member of the go90 team briefed on the budget.

Canter began to bring some discipline to the process at go90, and to more closely target audience segments, former employees said. But they also said he walked into a tough situation, with bad deals already signed, and a struggling tech platform. Now he's gone, as VideoInk first reported.

It's Vessel's turn

Last month, Verizon made a sweeping attempt to fix go90's tech by releasing a total overhaul of the tech platform. This new version was built by a team from Verizon-acquired Vessel, after Verizon fired over 150 people from go90 in January, mostly those working on the tech.

That team will now be in the driver's seat. "Since integration, Richard Tom and the Vessel team have been on-boarded and are fully up and running and have delivered a strong product," a Verizon spokesperson said. "Effective immediately, Richard and his team will assume full responsibility for all mobile digital video products."

Tom is a former Hulu exec who cofounded Vessel along with former Hulu CEO Jason Kilar. Vessel, which launched in early 2015, was widely praised for its recommendation and discovery engine. The problem was that it simply failed to find a big enough audience for its $2.99-a-month subscription model built around YouTube stars.

In October, Verizon bought Vessel — which had raised more than $130 million from venture capitalists — for an undisclosed amount. Verizon then shut Vessel down and the team got to work rebuilding the go90 platform.

Verizon seems to be happy with the work they did. Now it's their chance to see if they can pull go90 out of the doldrums.

SEE ALSO: Verizon is planning to launch a low-price cable TV competitor this summer

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