Caffeine Wants to Build the Next Generation of Social Live-Streaming
*By Carlo Versano*
Social live-streaming platforms are to 2018 what social media was to the mid-aughts.
At least, that's what 21st Century Fox is betting. The media conglomerate recently poured $100 million into streaming start-up Caffeine in a bid to conquer a new market currently dominated by Twitch (owned by Amazon) and Google's YouTube.
Caffeine will differentiate itself with a simpler, more inclusive interface and a creator-first ethos, co-founder and CEO Ben Keighran said Thursday in an interview on Cheddar.
He plans to spend some of the new capital on a new studio, expanded content offerings, and a business model that pays IP holders, "so when the broadcasters make money, so do the gaming companies."
Keighran said Caffeine is focused on the surging interest in gaming and eSports in a mostly post-TV world. And the company isn't stopping there: it just announced a deal with Live Nation to stream concerts.
The company aims to "make eSports more understandable," said Keighran. He compared the space, currently dominated by a couple of players, to the chaotic early days of social networks, when Friendster and MySpace reigned supreme. (In fact, Fox's former parent company, News Corp., famously bought MySpace just as a then-little-known company called Facebook was getting off the ground.)
The earliest platforms are not always the ones that become successful, Keighran said.
Social live-streaming is also benefiting from a younger generation less interested in watching TV ー at least in the strictest sense. There are teenagers out there who have never watched "SportsCenter" but know what "Fortnite" is, Keighran said. Gaming and eSports are "quickly becoming part of sports," he added.
"I think there's a whole new experience we're really excited about building for the world," Keighran said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/21st-century-fox-bets-on-streaming-start-up-caffeine).
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
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