Stephen L. Hodge -

Do not miss my latest article in OTTVerse on the the global growth of sports viewing on FAST/AVOD and how the consumption of sports content has undergone significant transformation!

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DULCEDO Management bought Node App for $13M. This marks Dulcedo’s 5th acquisition since 2016. Let's break it down... ---SELLER: Node--- • AI-powered influencer marketing platform • Mission = bridge gap between small businesses and micro-influencers • Founded 2019 by Armin Faraji, Mackenzie Dérival ✌🏾 • Initially focused on restaurants, expanded to ecom brands • Focuses on Instagram, TikTok campaigns • 2021 raised $1M seed round from Techstars, Alchemist, strategic angels ---TECH OVERVIEW: Node App--- • In 2022 selected for Google for Startups Accelerator program • Pioneered a machine-learning technology to revolutionize agency workflows by improving influencer discovery and data reporting • “Creators can participate in brand campaigns in 3 clicks via Node, as opposed to pitching/negotiating with brands” • “Brands can create a campaign and begin interacting with influencers within 5-10 min of landing on Node's website” ---PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS: Node App--- • Over 2,000 clients across North America • Generated “tens of millions of social media impressions” • Clients incl Kraft, Samsonite, Jarritos, St-Regis, Marriott • Has activated 5,000+ content creators in campaigns • Creators include A-list models, elite athletes, actors, social influencers • During pandemic scaled from 30 to 800 brands five months ---BUYER: Dulcedo Group--- • Global talent mgmt and digital marketing agency • 4 divisions – Models, Sports, Gaming, Influencer • Offices in Montreal and Toronto • Founded 2008 by CEO Karim Leduc • 3 co-owners incl founder • 70+ team members ---M&A HISTORY: Dulcedo Group--- • 2022 acquired C4G, a startup esports marketing agency • 2016 acquired 4249, an influencer relations agency • 2023 acquired Influence + All Management • 2023 acquired Sundae Creative Agency • 2024 acquired Node ---DEAL DETAILS--- • $13M purchase price • No other details were disclosed ---DEAL VALUE PROP--- • Give Node added funding, resources for growth • Access to Dulcedo's 300M network following  • Access to Dulcedo’s diverse creator roster to support IM campaigns across various industries • Accelerate development of AI-enabled tools to enhance the IM campaign lifecycle ---POST DEAL OPS--- • Dulcedo CEO will serve as interim Node CEO • Node co-founder Armin Faraji moves to COO • Node co-founder Mackenzie Dérival remains as CPO ---WHAT ELSE I FIND INTERESTING--- I'll write more about the deal in my Friday newsletter. I'll estimate Node's revenue and EBITDA, and discuss valuation multiples and likely deal structure. Signup link in comments below 👇 -- I'm the founder of RockWater Industries. We do M&A and strategy advisory for media, agencies, and creator economy. My DMs are open.

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Latest News from OTTVerse ~ RunnTV Announces Strategic Investment from eMedia, South Africa ~ Streambox Media Unveils ‘Dor’: India’s First Subscription-Based TV Service ~ Warner Bros Discovery Faces Investor Lawsuit Over NBA Deal Fallout ~ Lionsgate Officially Moves Toward Studio-Starz Split Through SEC Filing ~ Akamai Buys Edgio Security and Delivery Contracts for $125M in Bankruptcy Sale ~ Bending Spoons Acquires Brightcove in $233M Deal ~ DirecTV Cancels Dish Agreement Over Debt Exchange Issues #ott #streaming ✅ Follow OTTVerse for the latest updates.

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Warner Brothers. Google and Discovery collaborate to provide AI-generated captions for the Max streaming service. Warner Bros. Discovery has announced a partnership with Google to enhance its Max video streaming platform by integrating Google’s AI technology for automatic caption generation. This initiative aims to improve the accuracy of captions through a new tool internally dubbed “caption AI.” Developed on Google’s Vertex AI platform for generative artificial intelligence, this technology will initially focus on unscripted programming, as scripted content already has available dialogue. The AI tool is expected to reduce caption generation costs by up to 50% and decrease the time required to create new file captions by as much as 80%. Avi Saxena, chief technology officer of Warner Bros. Discovery’s direct-to-consumer business, emphasized the importance of high-quality captions, noting that the collaboration with Google Cloud has accelerated their captioning process and improved efficiency while cutting costs. Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, remarked that this partnership exemplifies AI’s potential to transform various processes within the media and entertainment industry, leading to significant business impacts. The Max platform features a vast library of films and TV shows, including popular titles like Game of Thrones and The Last of Us. The growing interest in AI within the media sector is driven by the desire to streamline cost-intensive processes; however, there are concerns regarding job displacement due to automation. Rob Minkoff, director of the 1994 animated classic The Lion King, acknowledged the legitimate concerns surrounding AI in Hollywood but also noted its potential to democratize content creation. He suggested that by making powerful tools accessible to more people, there could be an explosion of diverse content and voices. While AI technology will automate much of the work done by manual caption transcribers, both Warner Bros. Discovery and Google emphasize that human oversight will remain essential to ensuring the accuracy of AI-generated transcripts. Stay updated. Visit our page. Photo CTTO

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