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Can Facebook Live Video Beat Competition From Twitter, Snapchat?

With Twitter ( TWTR ) striving to boost its Periscope live-video streaming service, Facebook ( FB ) must prepare for plenty of competition in the live video streaming segment, wrote Monness Crespi Hardt analyst James Cakmak in an industry note on Monday. One trailblazer has already tossed in the towel, the investment bank said. While live video first grabbed mainstream attention with the meteoric rise of privately held trailblazer Meerkat during the South By Southwest music festival in Texas last year, “Meerkat is now officially pivoting away from live and into social — or, said another way, giving up on live due to competition,” wrote Cakmak. While not a brand new phenomenon, video streamed live remains a “niche” service, said Cakmak. “We expect to see significantly more attention from companies and investors placed on this category as the utility becomes more apparent to mid- and late-stage adopters,” he said. Another indicator of growing attention to the profit potential of live video includes Facebook’s recent rollout of its Facebook Live video streaming service to devices running on  Alphabet ( GOOGL )-owned Google Android and throughout more international markets, Cakmak said. Twitter is also working to better integrate content from its Periscope service into the Twitter news feed, he said. “Given the company’s new identity around (live video), we expect marketing dollars to be put toward this in contrast with Facebook’s largely organic effort,” according to Cakmak. Meanwhile, Meerkat’s strategy change makes it “increasingly clear that between Facebook-owned Snapchat’s utilization and more resources being allocated to Facebook Live and Periscope, we expect attention in this category to only escalate from here,” he said. The recent $175 million funding round of privately held Snapchat, which has 8 billion daily views, will also open up “floodgates” in driving live content and consumption, Cakmak said. Total spending on digital video ads in the U.S. alone is projected to jump by two-thirds to $12.8 billion in 2018 from $7.7 billion this year, according to research group eMarketer. Twitter stock was up a fraction in afternoon trading in the stock market today , near 19. It brushed an all-time low of 13.91 last month. Facebook stock and Alphabet stock were each down more than 1% in afternoon trading. Image provided by Shutterstock .

Verizon Most Likely Yahoo ‘Savior’ But Many Interested?

Expressions of interest are pouring in from dozens of groups that are eyeing buying struggling Web portal Yahoo ( YHOO ), with Verizon ( VZ ) rumored to be the most likely acquirer, said Monness Crespi Hardt analyst James Cakmak in an industry research report on Monday. “Verizon is still the most likely savior despite potential risks, in our opinion,” wrote Cakmak, who added that more than 40 expressions of interest have been made for Yahoo and that technology-focused investment banker Frank Quattrone may be positioning embattled Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer along with the company’s core business as a package deal. But the prospects for a private industry pair-up are low, according to Cakmak. “While we have entertained the idea of private equity previously, we no longer think it’s a realistic option given Ms. Mayer’s desire to maintain a central role,” wrote Cakmak. Monness Crespi estimates the value of Yahoo’s core assets at $3 billion to $4 billion. Yahoo has received nearly 40 expressions of interest from prospective bidders including Verizon, AT&T and Time, said a report last week in the NY Post . Mayer is under intensified pressure from major investor Starboard Value, which has urged the exit of Mayer and some directors, as well as the spinoff of Yahoo’s core search business. Yahoo directors are close to offering at least two board seats to the activist hedge fund in order to avert a proxy fight, according to the New York Post’s report. Aside from forming a committee of independent directors to explore possible transactions, Yahoo announced last week that it will bring in Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and PJT Partners as financial advisors, along with law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore. Another company rumored to be interested in Yahoo is  Comcast ( CMCSA ). Verizon has talked up its interest in buying some Yahoo assets “at the right price,” but also said it does not want to “catch a falling knife,” referring to the state of Yahoo’s business. Rumors re-emerged last week that e-commerce giant Alibaba Group ( BABA ) might buy back a valuable stake that Yahoo now holds in the Chinese company. Yahoo’s Asian assets — comprised of its Alibaba holdings and a 35.5% stake in Yahoo Japan — represent the vast majority of Yahoo’s $32.2 billion market value. Yahoo owns a 15% stake in Alibaba, or about 384 million shares. But some observers say such a transaction is unlikely because of high tax implications for Alibaba. Analysts say Yahoo is poised to lose more ad dollars to Facebook ( FB ), Alphabet ( GOOGL )-owned Google and high-profile startups such as Snapchat and Pinterest. Yahoo stock was up 1% in midday trading in the stock market today , near 34, its highest point since late December. But concerns on the health of its core business has driven down Yahoo stock 22% since this time last year. Alibaba stock was up 2%, near 74. A Wall Street Journal report noted that the China e-commerce king’s Ant Financial Services is looking to raise up to $3 billion, pricing the subsidiary’s valuation at over $50 billion and potentially vaulting it into the Top 10 of China’s largest financial companies.  

Comedians Mostly Sidestep iPhone Issue, Joke About Facebook Buttons

While Apple ( AAPL ) has garnered the support of the tech industry and civil liberties groups for its stance on smartphone security, the issue appears to have been too complex or serious for most comedians to want to touch. Among the late-night comedians, only Seth Meyers of NBC’s “Late Night” took aim at the subject of smartphone encryption and explained why it’s important that consumers know about it. Meyers devoted a nearly seven-minute segment, called “ A Closer Look, ” of his show to examine Apple’s refusal to unlock iPhones for law enforcement officials. Of course, Meyers couldn’t resist making some jokes at Apple’s expense. “Apple is fighting back against critics and says it has no ‘sympathy for terrorists’ despite refusing FBI orders to unlock private iPhone data. In fact, Apple hates terrorists so much, it’s releasing a new U2 album just for them,” Meyers said. Meyers’ late-night rivals devoted much more time to mocking Facebook ’s ( FB ) new reaction buttons. What follows are recent jokes from America’s late-night comics on issues of science and technology. In addition to Facebook, other targets of jokes included Amazon.com ( AMZN ), eBay ( EBAY ), Fitbit ( FIT ), LinkedIn ( LNKD ), and the humanoid robot Atlas developed by Alphabet ( GOOGL )-owned Boston Dynamics. Joining Meyers in on the fun were Jimmy Fallon, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, James Corden and Stephen Colbert. Conan: In addition to the “like” button, Facebook has now added buttons for “love,” “wow,” “haha,” “sad” and “angry.” In other words, Facebook copied the emotional journey of any Adele album. Kimmel: Facebook today rolled out a new thing called “Reactions.” Now instead of “liking” when a friend’s dog passes away, which is weird, you can be much more thoughtful and sensitive, posting a sad emoji with a giant tear squirting out of its face. Corden: Facebook has launched new alternatives that go beyond its trademark “like” button. Basically Facebook is doing what I tried and failed at with so many women — moving beyond just “like.” Fallon: Some crazy tech news. I saw that a company in Boston built a 5-foot-9 robot that can open doors, and can actually get back up if it’s punched. They didn’t MEAN to test whether it can get up after being punched, but well, it’s Boston. (BOSTON) “Not so tough, are ya, Terminator?” Meyers: Engineers at Boston Dynamics have unveiled a humanoid robot that can withstand getting pushed in the chest with a hockey stick without falling over. Which is definitely the most Boston way to test a robot. Conan: In France, a robot has been programmed to develop its own taste in art. The robot’s favorite paintings? Naked robots. Conan: Chase bank ATMs are getting a new feature that will allow customers to withdraw cash without using a card. The feature is called “a crowbar.” Conan: A recent study found that bottlenose dolphins sometimes murder other dolphins. However, police say it’s easy to find the culprit because dolphins love to squeal. Fallon: This is a little controversial. I saw that Oral Roberts University is now telling students that wearing Fitbits is mandatory, and logging less than 10,000 steps a day will affect their grades. So finally, some good news for students doing the walk of shame. “12,000 steps — zero regrets!” Meyers: President Obama posted on LinkedIn today about his first job — scooping ice cream. He’s the first president to post on LinkedIn — other than, of course, Abraham LinkedIn. Meyers: A recent study suggests that it’s harder to concentrate in the winter. Said researchers, “For example, this study was supposed to be about traffic accidents.” Colbert: You guys like the website Amazon.com? It’s like eBay, but the things you buy don’t arrive smelling like cigarettes. Colbert: Amazon’s always been on the cutting edge. From drone delivery, to automated warehouses, to shipping six AA batteries in a box the size of a mini fridge. Colbert: Amazon is planning to open hundreds of actual physical bookstores. That’s exciting because you don’t see those much anymore and I think this could be the start of a whole trend of online retailers going real-world. For example, Tinder could open a singles bar, where everybody walks around stating their height.