Reggie Ba-Pe III

I started a Substack - first post is below, on Suno’s $125M raise. Have a read / subscribe if interested :) https://lnkd.in/gAB2KJU5

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PAY TV MARKETING: This promo from New Zealand is for winter highlights across Rialto Channel. Rialto Channel is a bolt-on subsription available to SKY TV subscribers in New Zealand for NZD $11.18 a month (Equiv. of GBP £5.40, EURO €6.34, USD $6.90, AUD $10.38) With quality independent films, international films and documentaries, Rialto feels, at least to me, like the missing piece of the puzzel in the UK Pay TV landscape. It has the kind of unique, visually distinctive, stand-out content that you will find on other Pay TV services such as Canal Plus, Movistar and HBO, however much of the content you find on Rialto has never really found a home in the UK. Certainly many of these titles don't appear on traditional Pay TV, and instead arrive on the BBC after a number of years, or Channel 4 (with ad-breaks) often scheduled in the middle of the night. Fortunately, these days, the kinds of critically-acclaimed content featured on Rialto in New Zealand can now be found with the convenience of on-demand, on streaming services such as MUBI, BFI Player and The Criterion Channel. However, placed within a conventional Pay TV offer, Rialto's offer is often the kind of content that has the potential to bring a little bit of serendipity and suprise, keeping the offer fresh, aligning with award-winning, challenging and innovative directors, and helping to maintain the brand status of a disruptor and and an outsider in a market which is becoming increasingly homegenised and commoditised. This is certainly something that becomes evident when you compare Canal Plus in France vs. the UK Sky / Sky Cinema side-by-side. Some of these 'suprises' might just be the thing that re-invigorates the brand and stops longstanding subscribers from cancelling. The V.O. in this Rialto promo also presents something which is fundamentally different to conventional movie propositions: 'This Winter, witness the extraordinary'. - 'Discover critically-acclaimed, award-winning and exceptional storytelling from the masters of their craft'. - 'A spectacle of film to illuminate our past and inspire our future.' - 'This winter, the stars are shining bright.'  Although New Zealand is a realtively small TV market, there's something distinctive and powerful in Rialto's brand and positioning as 'The Storyteller' and I'd like to see just a sprinkling of that content and curation DNA appear in other, more mainstream movie products. Rialto Winter Upgrade Promo, SKY New Zealand, June, 2024. If you have questions about the products, marketing and strategy of Pay TV and Streaming businesses worldwide, or you'd like to see other examples such as those featured here, please reach out. #skynz #rialto #skycinema #brand #cinema #upgrade #paytv #marketing

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In part 3 exploring the world of WPIC Marketing + Technologies let’s look at what we can do with data. Discripto® is WPIC's custom-built distributed script engine that downloads the internet in Asia. This data can empower brands and organisations to make critical business decisions, backed by valuable, verifiable and accurate insights including: 💡 Market intelligence 💡 Competitor intelligence 💡 Search & social intelligence 💡 E-commerce dashboards 💡 1st party & 3rd party data  💡 Ongoing market feeds These insights can help brands and organisations to get a better understanding of market fit before entry, sometimes even advising to pause and re-strategise before making the move; and crucially helps to drive strategic decision making as to how your brand and product could enter and grow as you sell in the fastest moving e-commerce markets in the world - a vital part of the toolkit. #ecommerce #data #insights #china #asia

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Are you headed to NAB with an open mind or playing defence? The article from NAB Amplify explores the current and future impact of AI on the media and entertainment industries. Andy Maltz, a seasoned professional in the media sector, moderates a panel discussing the integration of AI in media production and distribution. Maltz emphasizes the importance of understanding AI's realistic capabilities and its implications without panic, comparing AI’s adoption to historical tech disruptions in media like the standardization of film formats and digital innovations. Panelists highlight concerns about content authenticity and the licensing for AI model training, emphasizing a need for standardized solutions to preserve the integrity of media in the age of AI. How to Think About AI in Entertainment and Not Short Circuit? This title of the panel is interesting and I think we are going to see a lot of resistance and broken circuits as the reality of Machine Learning and Generative AI spreads across Las Vegas next week. Drawing parallels between the disruption caused in the Broadcast industry by live streaming starting in the late 90’s and AI in media today, I cannot help but observe similarities in this initial resistance followed by eventual mainstream adoption. However, the acceleration of technological disruption is markedly faster in the current AI cycles. Where Live streaming gradually shifted the media landscape over several years (Even decades), AI's impact is more rapid and extensive, affecting multiple aspects of media creation, contribution and distribution simultaneously. This comparison underscores a broader trend towards a need for faster integration of emerging technologies in these Machine (processor) driven times. The rapid growth is facilitated by the same network, storage and processing advances except now we already have the digital infrastructures and the global connectivity enabled by the internet, that Live Streaming grew from. What used to be years and decades long cycles of disruption and transformation are now measured in weeks and months. Those that leave NAB 2024 with anything less than urgency to enbrace AI will return next year (or not) in a very different environment than we are in now. What do you think will be the hot topics at NAB? Join the conversation. #digitaltransformation #disruption #nab2024 #ai #machinelearning

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It’s such an exciting time in music but with the rise of AI - creativity can feel at risk I was invited to speak Collision Conf - Web Summit with the superstars Gregg Lehrman and Martina Fuchs Here are a few things from the conversation I came away with 🌟: 1. AI is a tool not a replacement 2. Transparency and consent are hugely important in the conversations surrounding the use of AI 3. We’re likely to see the rise of independent artists in the music economy with more access to tools which make building a catalogue more successful 4. Automated intuition isn’t enough to keep creativity alive, the human touch will always be needed, technology is simply a channel for it

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AI loomed large at NAB 2024, with solutions exposing new video revenue opportunities. The blockchain delivers big encoding savings and how to cut TV power use by half. https://lnkd.in/gcxngQnQ

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TikTok ban is jet fuel for $4B Triller / AGBA reverse merger. But this is financial engineering to salvage 2 struggling companies. Retail investors, be wary! Let’s break it down… TARGET: Triller • “AI-powered” music-focused social video platform • Founded 2015 by Bobby Sarnevesht and Ryan Kavanagh • Owns Bare Knuckle league, Amplify.ai, Julius, Thuzio, FITE • Raised $218M+ and TBD debt • Biz model = rev share, ticket sales / PPV / subs / merch, advertising, platform fees • Rapid US and int'l growth via TikTok bans (e.g. India) • 200 est employees PERFORMANCE • 2.2M creators, 450M+ user accounts • 2023 revenue of $45M, down from $54M in 2022 • Q3 YTD showed $104M loss, $378M in debt / liabilities vs $6M current assets • $1M cash & equivalents CONTROVERSIAL HISTORY • 2022 Sony sued for unauthorized music use • 2023 UMG sued for same reason  • Owes music rightsholders $23.6M in unpaid fees • 2022 called off $5B reverse merger with video ad platform SeaChange • 2022 missed M&A payment to Verzuz owners • Filed for NASDAQ IPO in Aug 2023 and Jan 2024 • Reputation for inflating users and usage TARGET: AGBA • Tech-driven wealth mgmt and financial services • 4 biz lines: Platform, Distribution, Healthcare, Fintech  • Founded 1993 by TBD • Focuses on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area • Biz model: interest income, commissions, asset mgmt fees • Publicly listed on NASDAQ, holding co registered in BVI, operates in HK  PERFORMANCE • Stock fell 80% 4Q 2022, has traded < $1 since July • $140M market cap, $19M of cash ($17M is restricted), $18M debt • 400k individual and corp customers • 2023 revenue of $54M, up 74% YoY, but a loss of $43M • 176 est employees DEAL DETAILS • All stock deal, AGBA acquiring Triller in reverse merger • New combined AGBA will be 80% owned by current Triller stockholders and RSU holders • Current AGBA shareholders will own 20% of new combined co • Expected May close VALUATION • Triller at $3.2B and AGBA at $800M, for $4B total • …BUT seeking alpha estimates as of 4.23 AM stock price, Triller’s real valuation is $1.3B •….and based on TikTok share repurchase valuation of 17x revenue, implies $765M Triller valuation • As of 4.23 AM stock trading at $2.40, up 500% from $0.40 the day pre announcement DEAL RATIONALE / SYNERGY • Leverage Triller’s large social audience to drive traffic to AGBA’s financial services and create more engagement via live events, webinars, etc  • Create personalized AGBA financial services via Triller user analytics and insights • But IMO here’s the real angle… • “access public capital markets and secure the liquidity needed for rapid growth” – aka a cash grab from retail investors • Triller is being aggressive when competitor TikTok faces US regulatory challenges (senate vote is today, Tuesday!) More analysis to come in my Friday newsletter! --- I’m the founder of RockWater Industries. We do m&a and strategy advisory for #media #agency #creatoreconomy. DMs are open.

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Working with Neo4j over several years, starting with our graph-powered indie doco A Clever Label, through to RAG frameworks today, I've seen this graph database caper go from an interesting outlier to having an ISO standard (GQL). My biggest takeaway from Graph Summit Sydney 2024 was how we collectively tackle innovation and change. Property graphs are already mainstream in some sectors. Successful early adoptors are slowly and steadily expanding their proof-of-concepts and pilots into useful products and services. Others are hanging back. As a studio that's done a lot of "special projects" we're definitely on the side of gaining experience through experiments and PoCs. One thing is for sure, since the GQL standard was published in Apr, the appetite for exploration has accelerated.

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NZGDA just released 2024 NewZealand Gaming Industry Survey Results: New Zealand’s game development sector achieved a 26% increase in revenue, reaching NZD $547.8 million in 2023/2024. Key growth factors include strong demand for locally developed games and adaptability in global markets. While 54% of studios anticipate further growth, challenges persist in skill shortages, particularly in programming and creative roles. Government support via the Game Development Sector Rebate (GDSR) has been critical, with PC games leading revenue (51%), followed by mobile (24%). Future growth will rely on addressing talent gaps and fostering international collaboration.

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Exciting Updates from Nvidia this July! This month, Nvidia has made headlines with significant developments that are sure to excite tech enthusiasts and gamers alike. GeForce Now Discounts: Nvidia is offering an incredible 50% discount across all GeForce Now plans. This promotion makes high-quality gaming more accessible, allowing more users to experience the power of cloud gaming at a fraction of the usual cost. Technological Advancements: Nvidia revealed more details about the technology behind the Las Vegas Sphere, showcasing a mega triple-layer 16K screen powered by 150 RTX A6000 GPUs. This groundbreaking technology promises an unparalleled visual experience. AI and Gaming: Nvidia's ongoing AI research continues to push the boundaries of what's possible in gaming and other industries. Their advancements in AI are enhancing game realism and performance, setting new standards for the future of interactive entertainment. Stay tuned for more exciting updates from Nvidia as they continue to innovate and lead in the tech industry. #Nvidia #GeForceNow #CloudGaming #TechInnovation #AI #Gaming #TechyTuesday #ITMBusinessSchool #ESMEducation ##NN2024

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Elevate your professional and personal life with unique access to curated events—only for #FestivalPass NFT holders. Imagine owning a pass that opens doors to an array of handpicked, exclusive events every quarter. With the FestivalPass NFT, that's exactly what you get. Each event is tailored to offer something unique, whether it's a private concert for a few hundred fans, a gourmet meal cooked by a top chef for just fifty guests, or a chance to watch a major sports game from the best seats in the house. But it doesn't end there—post-event activities like meeting the athletes make these gatherings truly one-of-a-kind. This NFT is more than access; it's a community of like-minded individuals who enjoy the finer aspects of live entertainment. Secure your lifetime access and become part of a select group who experiences the pinnacle of live events. #BusinessNetworking #LiveExperiences

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We are now at a very precarious point in the future of the Film & television industry in Australia. With US politics essentially dictating and delaying policy change that should have happened 5 months ago and now being pushed back to next year. With many of us having been in and out of work for a long time, now. Please read the below post… There are a number of ironies in this situation. History is repeating itself… In the 1930’s we had a ‘Golden Age’ of Cinema in Australia, again it died because it was heavily affected by US monopolies & government refused to set quotas. The recent Quotas should have been reintroduced when the pandemic ended. And finally, if this were a blanket requirement for all National and international broadcasters and streamers - with good quotas across all genres, I can’t see how it would be a Free Trade Deal concern anymore? Instead a National Policy..? Happy to be corrected on this final point, though…? If you’d like to join Grass Roots Industry action groups to have your say please see my next repost….

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The Tech & Innovation Expo kicks off tomorrow at SXSW Sydney and Telum Media will be there! 🚀 Founders know a good pitch to investors needs key ingredients: a product that solves real problems, a clear business model, scalability, and a team that knows how to capture a large market share and boost the startup’s value. But it’s not just about pitching to investors—you need to share your groundbreaking technologies and ideas with the world via the media. And it’s getting tougher: increased expectations, more channels, more markets, and more audiences. That’s where we come in! Swing past our booth for a personalised tour of the platform, and find out how we can streamline your media outreach, save you time and resources, and help you land the story. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gzbZ6SqY #SXSW #SXSWSydney #TelumMedia #Innovation #Tech #Entrepreneurship #PR #communications #creatingconnections

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