Techflier

2018 was a year of massive mergers and acquisitions with AT&T/Time Warner, Disney/Fox, and Comcast/Sky. The #MeToo movement made headlines, and the dominant emotion in boardroom discussions around Hollywood and beyond was fear … lots of fear in the ranks of our tech-infused world of media and entertainment (as well as in the world itself). So what does the crystal ball predict for 2019? Here are some of the narratives that will shape the world of entertainment next year and set the stage for the roaring 20s of the media industry. PREDICTION #1 – Blood continues to spill in the relentless battle amongst premium OTT video giants, as Apple and Disney join the subscription video fray and add to the epic collective assault on Netflix .  In the midst of it all, smaller “niche” players either find their singular voices that attract “fandom” and broader monetization, or risk being marginalized and swallowed up by their strategic investors (for a fraction of what they would have com...

After a twenty year hiatus, tomorrow will finally see the 95 year long copyrights of works released in 1923 expire. These 1923 films, books and songs will effectively be the first to enter the public domain in the US since 1998, and Duke University notes that it will include such classics as Charlie Chaplin’s The Pilgrim , Jacob’s Room by Viginia Woolf, and the song Charleston (based on the popular dance of the same name). Welcoming classic works to the public domain was an annual New Year’s Day tradition. Charlie Chaplin’s 1921 directorial debut, The Kid, became public on January 1st, 1997, and was joined by the 1922 German horror classic Nosferatu a year later. But in 1998, Congress extended the length of copyright from 75 years to... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts http://bit.ly/2SszFKV via IFTTT

Dave Davis Contributor Dave Davis joined Copyright Clearance Center in 1994 and currently serves as a research analyst. He previously held directorships in both public libraries and corporate libraries and earned joint master’s degrees in Library and Information Sciences and Medieval European History from Catholic University of America. More posts by this contributor How AI and copyright would work On January 1, 2019, the New Year will ring in untold numbers of additions to the public domain in the U.S., including hundreds and maybe thousands of works with at least a small public reputation. This, of course, is due to the expiration of the terms of their copyrights, some of which have been extended multiple times since the 1960s.   This is a good thing from many perspectives, including that of authors, publishers, museum curators, teachers, old-book readers and music and film buffs. It possibly may be a slightly bad thing for a few people — primarily ce...

As anyone from the Gizmondo to the Virtual Boy can tell you, it’s tough to launch a console. Of course, it’s helps when your device apparently comes pre-loaded with thousands of games from big name companies like Nintendo, Sony, Square and Bandai. It was clear the moment they were launched that Soulja Boy’s SouljaGame console and handhelds were too good to be true, in spite of his insistence that he’d struck deals with game publishers. Now, around three weeks after launch, both have been pulled from his online store (which also stocks a… familiar looking wearable and headphones). I had to boss up, I didn’t have a choice. — Soulja Boy (Drako) (@souljaboy) December 29, 2018 What caused the systems to be pulled from his site isn’t clear, though the rapper appears to have acknowledged as much in a tweet, stating, “I had to boss up, I didn’t have a choice.” Of course, given Nintendo’s history, it seems unlikely that a deal was struck to license titles to what appears to amount to ...

Go Nakamura/AP Images What's open on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day? Many restaurant chains will remain open on New Year's Day — and some will even offer New Year's parties to celebrate 2019. Other big-name retailers, like Costco and Sam's Club , will close on New Year's Day. It's time to ring in 2019. But before you schlep out into the cold, it's best to check what exactly is open on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Offers.com compiled a list of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day store hours for some of the top retailers and restaurant chains in the country. Keep in mind that hours vary based on location for most chain stores and restaurants. So if you're pressed to pick up last-minute champagne or party supplies, or you're banking on treating your family or friends to a holiday dinner, make sure to call ahead. Here are stores that are open on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day: Bahama Breeze Yelp B...

Warner Bros. The Chinese box office has become an essential part of the success of some of Hollywood's biggest movies. Movies that underwhelmed in the US, like "Rampage," rebounded in China. Others, like "Aquaman," dominated the global box office thanks to huge box office in China. China is projected to dethrone the US as the world's biggest theatrical market by 2022. The US box office broke records in 2018 thanks to blockbusters like "Black Panther" and surprises like "A Quiet Place." But the international box office, primarily China, is still essential for Hollywood, and 2018 proved that. China has approved an unexpected number of Hollywood movies this month in an effort to reach its 2018 box office goal of $8.7 billion by year's end, Bloomberg recently reported. China still relies on many imported movies, but it's fast catching up to the US in terms of its box office. The country is projected to surpass the US as the wo...

Petty Officer 3rd Class Frank Iannazzo-Simmons/US Coast Guard WASHINGTON — In a surprise reversal Friday night, Coast Guard officials announced that service members will receive their regularly scheduled paychecks next week, despite the ongoing government shutdown . In a message to all Coast Guard members, Vice Commandant Adm. Charles Ray said that service and Department of Homeland Security officials “identified a way to pay our military workforce on 31 December.” See the rest of the story at Business Insider NOW WATCH: Inside the Coast Guard's 8-week boot camp where recruits go through extreme physical tests and brutal 'smoke sessions' See Also: The new chairman of the House Armed Services committee wants to move toward 'a sensible approach' and away from 'simple paranoia' Robot wars and new, bigger ships: Here's what the US Navy has planned for its surface force in 2019 4 big questions for the US Air Force in 2019 SEE ALSO:  We got aboard...