creative

0

Europe’s biggest software group SAP could eventually see its software delivered via the cloud deliver higher profit margins than its traditional packaged software, its finance chief told a newspaper. In the long term, they can definitely become more profitable than our classic licence sales,” Luka Mucic told the Euro am Sonntag business weekly in an interview published on Saturday. Unlike the packaged software SAP has been selling for decades, for which clients pay a immediate licence fee, cloud-based software is generally paid for by subscription over time, but most of the costs for the software provider are upfront.

0

By Mary Milliken LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – When Amazon Inc announced on Monday its move into the movie business, the Internet retailer sent a ripple through Hollywood's pool of independent film. With plans to produce 12 films per year with budgets ranging from $5 million to $25 million, for theatrical release and streaming on Amazon Prime video 4-8 weeks later, a digital company is creating a new art-house studio and getting films into consumers' hands and living rooms faster. “It's a great business,” said Mark Gordon, the veteran Hollywood television and film producer behind movies like “Saving Private Ryan” and the new Steve Jobs biopic. “By financing a movie they feel good about and knowing where their second window is going to be, there is a huge opportunity for them and the rest of the creative community.” Amazon's announcement came as a surprise, but the Seattle-based company had already built up its credibility among Hollywood's creative types, most notably with its television series “Transparent,” which won two Golden Globes last week, its first major awards since starting Amazon Studios in 2010.

0

By Ritsuko Ando LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – Sony Corp Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai on Tuesday said he does not expect the November cyber attack on the company's film studio to have a significant financial impact, two weeks after the studio rolled out the movie at the heart of the attack. The studio, Sony Pictures Entertainment, said separately that the film, “The Interview,” has generated revenue of $36 million. Hirai told reporters at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that he had signed off on all major decisions by the company in response to the attack, which the U.S. …

0

By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) – A federal judge rejected Uber Technologies Inc's bid that it not be required to disclose emails from Chief Executive Travis Kalanick in a California lawsuit accusing the popular ride-booking service of deceiving customers about how it shares tips with drivers. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen's order in San Francisco was the latest setback for Uber, which has drawn criticism around the globe over whether its service complies with local licensing and safety laws and whether its drivers have been adequately vetted. Chen said a Nov. 26 ruling by U.S.

0

By Jack Kim and Lesley Wroughton SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – North Korea, at the center of a confrontation with the United States over the hacking of Sony Pictures, experienced a complete Internet outage for hours before links were restored on Tuesday, a U.S. company that monitors Internet infrastructure said. New Hampshire-based Dyn said the reason for the outage was not known but could range from technological glitches to a hacking attack. Several U.S. officials close to the investigations of the attack on Sony Pictures said the U.S. …

0

By David Ingram (Reuters) – Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc has been sued in a class action by two people who described themselves as former employees and accused the company of failing to protect employee data. The lawsuit against Sony Corp's Hollywood movie studio, filed on Monday in federal court in Los Angeles, alleged that Sony failed to both secure its computer network and to stop hackers. The plaintiffs are asking for compensation for any damages as well as credit monitoring services, identity theft insurance and other assistance for themselves and any former or current U.S. …

0

By Nadia Damouni and Jennifer Saba NEW YORK (Reuters) – At least two top-10 Yahoo Inc shareholders are so unhappy with Chief Executive Marissa Mayer's turnaround efforts that they are making a direct plea to AOL Inc CEO Tim Armstrong to explore a merger and run the combined company. Their move follows an activist campaign by hedge fund Starboard Value LP, which is pushing Yahoo to consider a deal with AOL and unlock Yahoo's valuable stakes in Asian Web companies. …

0

By Paul Carsten BEIJING (Reuters) – Alibaba Group Holding Ltd reported quarterly results which showed net income rising 15.5 percent to $1.11 billion for the July-September period, meeting forecasts. It was the Chinese e-commerce giant's first report to investors since its record-setting $25 billion listing in September. The non-GAAP net income – which excludes the share-based compensation expenses and amortisation of intangible assets – compared with a consensus estimate of $1.17 billion based on a Thomson Reuters SmartEstimate poll of 21 analysts. Revenue rose 53.7 percent to $2. …