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☆ 'Top Gun' and 'Avatar' nab Golden Globe nominations, pointing the way for the Oscars
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The cliché about award shows is that it’s an honor just to be nominated. Having endeavored to address those issues on both fronts, the Globes are here again, although not everyone has embraced the event or the HFPA with open arms. "Avatar: The Way of Water" debuts Dec. 16. The steep decline in award-show viewing, exacerbated by the pandemic, hasn’t made studios or talent any less enthusiastic about earning such recognition. In that sense, however tarnished the Golden Globes might be, its example could be another factor that helps point the way for the Oscars when those nominations are unveiled in January.

But many are delaying IPOs amid a stock market rout that has raised concerns over frothy tech valuations. In a statement to Reuters, Snapdeal said it has decided to withdraw the IPO prospectus "considering the prevailing market conditions", without elaborating. It adding that Snapdeal may reconsider an IPO in future depending on its need for capital and market conditions. The change of Snapdeal's plans comes as tech stocks in India that listed in recent years face investors' wrath. In August, TPG and Prosus-funded Indian online pharmcy PharmEasy withdrew papers for its $760 million IPO, while Warburg Pincus-backed seller of wireless earphones, boAT Lifestyle, also withdrew its papers in October.

☆ Live Results: Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker face off in the Georgia Senate runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker are fighting to the finish in Georgia's Senate runoff. Warnock is seeking a full 6-year term, while Walker hopes to knock off the incumbent Democrat. Both parties see the Senate runoff as a proving ground in advance of the 2024 presidential election. Before Warnock and Ossoff won their races last year, a Democrat hadn't won a US Senate seat in Georgia since Zell Miller in 2000. Walker has raised $58.3 million, spent $48.5 million, and has $9.8 million left to spend, as of November 16.

☆ HBO is No. 1 as 14 TV insiders rank the streamers where they want to sell shows: Apple's a big spender and 'there's a sheen when you're a Hulu show,' but there's 'fear in the air' at Netflix
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Elaine Low | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

"It's definitely been not the most exciting and robust year," said one TV agent at a major agency. Around 70 people at HBO and HBO Max have been let go this year, and their comedy development teams have merged. While WBD doesn't break out streamer-specific figures, it said on Thursday's earnings call that HBO Max, HBO, and Discovery+ have a combined 94.9 million subscribers, ensuring that any show on HBO Max has the chance to get a lot of eyeballs. They'll also take smaller swings in the genre department, do things at a lower budget," said the second TV agent. Echoed the first TV agent: "You pitch and sell to them if no one else wants it."

☆ Progressives returned for third term in Australia's Victoria state poll
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 27 (Reuters) - The progressive government of Australia's Victoria state won re-election on Saturday, clearing the way for spending on infrastructure, education and healthcare. After eight years in power, centre-left Labor was tipped to defeat its Liberal-National coalition opposition, and the government, led by Daniel Andrews, was comfortably returned at Saturday's poll. "I'm humbled and so grateful, so so grateful, that Victorians have re-elected a majority Labor government," Andrews told ABC television on Sunday morning. Four years ago, Labor returned to power in a landslide, winning just under two-thirds of seats, but polling in the final days of this campaign had suggested a tighter race. Victoria, with its capital of Melbourne, is Australia's second most populous state after New South Wales.

☆ ASML Plays the Very Long Chip Game
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Dan Gallagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ASML has one of the best spots in a temperamental industry. A lousy year or even two is no reason for the Dutch maker of chip-manufacturing equipment to shelve some ambitious expansion plans. Business isn’t great for semiconductor manufacturing gear right now—or at least it isn’t going to be. Chip makers are pulling back on their capital-spending plans quickly as their own businesses get hit by slumping demand in key markets such as PCs and smartphones. For 2023, the association projects a 2% decline.

The European Central Bank (ECB), which supervises euro zone banks, believes some lenders have overly optimistic assumptions about the economy, based on models that cannot fully capture the damage from the current bout of inflation, the sources say. Source: S&P Global-EBAMorgan Stanley estimates euro zone banks will pay out 40 billion euros ($40 billion) in 2022 dividends plus an additional 60 billion euros in share buybacks between this year and next - an outsized return by recent standards. "It's not a good idea to pay out capital during a recession," Intesa's Chief Executive Carlo Messina told analysts last week. "With the economy entering recession, the time of massive bank payouts is over," Marco Troiano, a managing director at Scope Ratings, said. "Running down capital cushions would weaken banks."

☆ 14 TV insiders rank the streamers where they want to sell shows now as Apple TV+ closes in on HBO Max amid turmoil at Warner Bros. Discovery
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Elaine Low | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

☆ British PM Sunak expected to shelve plans to privatise Channel 4 -FT
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Nov 4 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to put off the proposed privatisation of publicly-owned broadcaster Channel 4, Financial Times reported on Friday. The Prime Minister's office has signalled the decision to drop the sale to the TV industry and parliament as he reviews campaign pledges and decides whether it is the right time to take them forward to streamline a packed legislative schedule, the report said. Reporting by Gokul Pisharody in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Accel-backed insurance startup Luko doubles down on core business in push to profitability as it struggles to fundraise in gruelling market
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Accel-backed insurance startup Luko has struggled to raise during the market downturn. The Paris-based company, which was founded in 2018, predominantly operates as a home insurance business by selling policies to homeowners and renters using its proprietary AI. The round valued the business at around 260 million euros ($253 million), according to one London-based source. Funding to insurance tech startups also plummeted 50% year-on-year to $2.41 billion in Q2, according to data from brokerage Gallager Re. The home insurance startup has also been forced to lose employees across the business in recent months in a bid to conserve cash.

☆ Buffet-backed BYD taps India as latest market amid global push
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Aditi Shah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BYD's Atto 3 electric SUV car is displayed during its launch in New Delhi, India, October 11, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan AbidiNEW DELHI, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Warren Buffet-backed Chinese electric carmaker BYD (002594.SZ) launched its first passenger car in India on Tuesday, an electric sport-utility vehicle (SUV), marking its entry into the mainstream market amid a broader global expansion. BYD launched the Atto 3 electric SUV, fitted with its renowned Blade battery technology, with a plan to corner 40% of the country's electric car market by 2030. "India will be one of the key markets in BYD's global portfolio," Sanjay Gopalakrishnan, senior vice president of electric passenger vehicles at BYD India, told Reuters. BYD's India push comes amid tight scrutiny of investments from bordering nations, including China.

☆ BYD enters India's passenger car market amid global push
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Aditi Shah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW DELHI, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Warren Buffet-backed Chinese electric carmaker BYD (002594.SZ) launched its first passenger car in India on Tuesday, an electric sport-utility vehicle (SUV), marking its entry into the mainstream market amid a broader global expansion. BYD, which already sells electric buses and electric vehicles (EVs) for corporate fleets in India, launched the Atto 3 electric SUV, fitted with BYD's renowned Blade battery technology, in the world's fourth-largest car market where Tata Motors (TAMO.NS) dominates electric car sales. It launched the Atto 3 electric SUV in Thailand on Monday. BYD's push into India also comes at a time when the South Asian country continues to maintain tight scrutiny of investments coming from bordering nations, including China. BYD has two manufacturing plants in India, spread over 140,000 square metres with more than 3,000 employees, Zhang said.

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