MoviePass announced at Sundance that it will officially get into the film rights business. MoviePass Ventures will acquire film rights and build out their offerings, and they have started scouting at the festival.
Ted Farnsworth is the chairman and CEO of Helios and Matheson, the parent company of MoviePass. He joins Cheddar from Sundance to explain the new initiative.
Farnsworth says this has been the plan since day one. When the announcement was made at Sundance, it immediately became a big buzz. Farnsworth says MoviePass is, "totally disrupting the whole market." MoviePass has already started to bid on some products at Sundance.
When asked if MoviePass intends to increase the price above $10, Farnsworth says he is happy with where it is now. Growth has been strong and there is no advertising, so growth has been completed from word of mouth. Farnsworth explains that MoviePass may look into more premium membership plans, but are keeping the price where it is for now.
MoviePass' focus for now: continue to build their subscription base.
President Donald Trump is talking up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership formed by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank. The new entity, Stargate, will start building out data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of the fast-evolving AI in Texas, according to the White House. The initial investment is expected to be $100 billion and could reach five times that sum. While Trump has seized on similar announcements to show that his presidency is boosting the economy, there were already expectations of a massive buildout of data centers and electricity plants needed for the development of AI.
Chris Ruder, Spikeball Founder and CEO, explains how he and his friends put roundnet on the global map, plus, how Spikeball helps people "find their circle."
J.W. Roth, CEO of Venu Holding Corporation, discusses the company's IPO and plans to redefine live music entertainment with their fan founded, fan-owned model.
Variety's Clayton Davis discusses why more than just the 1% are struggling after the LA fires. Plus, how awards shows will pivot to help victims. Watch!
Emily Hosie, CEO of Rebelstork, explains the concept of Returns Recommerce, plus how her company raised $18M to address the industry-wide issue of returns.
