Bit by bit we’re beginning to build an idea of what Comcast’s “it-will-launch-someday” streaming service will look like when that day comes. And no surprise here, the over-the-top option — rumored to be called Xfinity Instant TV — will come with programs from Comcast-owned NBCUniversal. [More]
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AT&T Working To Put DirecTV In Your Car
By 5.26.16
Parents who count on TV shows, movies, and cartoon to keep the peace between their children in the backseat during road trips could soon be getting a helping hand from AT&T. With the company’s recent acquisition of DirecTV, it plans to include the television service to connected vehicles using its cellular network. [More]
Amazon Launches Its Own YouTube-Like Service: Amazon Video Direct
By 5.10.16
Amazon already squares off against Netflix and iTunes in the streaming video subscription and rental marketplaces, so it’s probably not a shock that Amazon now has YouTube in its sights with a new platform for amateur moviemakers called Amazon Direct Video. [More]
Redbox Reportedly Looking Into Starting Streaming Service – Again
By 3.25.16
Two years after Redbox Instant was officially declared dead, the DVD rental business is poised to dip its toes into the video streaming service waters yet again. [More]
Ford Partners With Startup To Launch On-Demand Bus Service In Kansas City
By 2.11.16
Residents of Kansas City will have another option when it comes to tooling around town next month: Ford has partnered with Boston-based pop-up bus company, Bridj, to launch an on-demand bus service in the city.
[More]
Uber Expands On-Demand Food Delivery Service To 10 More Cities
By 1.21.16
People who are looking for a bite to eat, but don’t feel like interacting with the world at large can now simply order their meals from their Uber app. The ride-hailing company expanded its UberEATS meal-delivery service to 10 more cities, including Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, and Dallas. The service delivers customers their choice of meals from a specially curated and rotating menu that features “local flavors that you crave the most” from the “most popular, iconic restaurants.” [The Wall Street Journal] [More]
GM Launches Ride-Share Service Maven In U.S., Germany
By 1.21.16
General Motors currently operates a number of pilot car-sharing and peer-to-peer vehicles services in the U.S. and Germany. Today, the company announced it would roll all of those program into one, Maven. [More]
Uber To Pay $7.6M To California In Order To Keep Drivers On The Road
By 1.14.16
Uber must pay a $7.6 million fine in order to keep its drivers on the road in California after the state’s Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted on Thursday to approve a judge’s months-old recommendation that found the ride-sharing company failed to meet data reporting requirements. [More]
Icahn Reportedly Wins Pep Boys Bidding Battle For $1B; Bridgestone Leaves Race
By 12.30.15
And just like that, it appears the auto parts retailer love triangle has ended: Bridgestone, the one-time preferred suitor of Pep Boy, reportedly bowed out of the months-long bidding war with Icahn Enterprises. [More]
Auto Parts Retailer Love Triangle Reaches $1B With Icahn Once Again Topping Bridgestone In Bid For Pep Boys
By 12.29.15
The auto parts retailer love triangle continues to take new twists and turns as the year comes to an end, with Icahn Enterprises once again upping the ante – to the tune of $1 billion – in its bid to steal Pep Boys away from suitor Bridgestone. [More]
Pep Boys Concedes That Icahn’s Offer May Be “Superior” To Bridgestone, Will Explore The Deal Further
By 12.8.15
When Dollar General entered an unsolicited billion dollar bid for Family Dollar last year, the smaller company said thanks but no thanks. The latest merger-love triangle appears to be taking a different path: auto parts retailer Pep Boys seems to be mulling the idea of ditching its already agreed upon deal with Bridgestone in favor of more money from Auto Plus owner Icahn Enterprises. [More]
Auto Parts Love Triangle: Icahn Offers $837M For Pep Boys, One-Upping Bridgestone’s $835M Bid
By 12.7.15
Love triangles are generally a plot device used in movies and television shows to keep viewers’ eyes glued to the screen, screaming for their preferred suitor to win out. Recently, though, the messy affairs have infiltrated the mergers and acquisitions realm with the months-long dollar store war – Dollar General and Dollar Tree fighting over Family Dollar. Today, that trend continued with the company behind Auto Plus offering to buy the already betrothed Pep Boys retail operations out from under Bridgestone. [More]
Bridgestone Buys Pep Boys Auto Service Retail Operations For $835M
By 10.26.15
Have we seen the last of Moe, Manny, and Jack – you know, the faces of the Pep Boys auto parts brand? It’s possible as the retail chain has agreed to be acquired by tire giant Bridgestone for $835 million. [More]
AT&T, Verizon Must Pay To Investigate Landline Service Quality Problems In California
By 9.10.15
The California Public Utilities Commission plans to get to the bottom of why Verizon and AT&T phone service isn’t consistent in the state by making it clear that the state hasn’t forgotten a years-old order requiring that both providers conduct and finance investigations into their infrastructures. [More]
Amazon’s Prime Day Gets Mixed Reviews, But Company Says Sales Were Up
By 7.16.15
While Amazon’s Prime Day didn’t get off to such a great start with customers reporting they weren’t able to get the “lightning deals” in their carts, it looks like the hype surrounding the Prime member-exclusive deal-day paid off: people were talking and spending money. [More]
FCC Fines CenturyLink $16M, Intrado Communications $1.4M For Actions During Massive 911 Outage
By 4.6.15
Last month the Federal Communications Commission ordered Verizon to pay $3.4 million for failing to alert authorities of a preventable programming error that left nearly 11 million people in seven states without access to emergency services for six hours in 2014. While Verizon’s fine was decidedly hefty, it pales in comparison to the $16 million penalty the agency just levied against CenturyLink for the same 911 outage. [More]
BMW Settles FTC Charges That It Required Consumers To Use Specific Parts, Service Centers Or Lose Warranties
By 3.20.15
Under federal law, car manufactures are prohibited from threatening to revoke vehicle warranties based on where a consumer chooses to have their vehicle fixed. Apparently, a division of BMW didn’t follow that rule and now must change its practices to resolve charges from federal regulators. [More]
Verizon To Pay $3.4 Million For Not Notifying Officials Of Massive 911 Service Outage
By 3.18.15
In April 2014 nearly 11 million people in seven states lost access to emergency services when a software programming error resulted a six-hour long 911 outage. The Federal Communications Commission determined in October that the lengthy outage could have easily been prevented, and today the agency began placing the blame by fining Verizon $3.4 million for failing to alert authorities. [More]
