Friday, July 14, 2017

Fantasy sports merger fantasy meets reality. It's The Daily Crunch.

THE DAILY CRUNCH
FRIDAY, JULY 14 2017 By Darrell Etherington

Mega fantasy sports betting merger called off, Disney gets Stars in its eyes, and Roku looks forward to IPO. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for July 14, 2017.

1. DraftKings and FanDuel merger called off

This is a merger that probably never should have existed in the first place – online fantasy sports gambling sites DraftKings and FanDuel are stepping back from their merger attempt after the FTC announced it would sue to block their union.

These companies are both lobbying to get their paid fantasy league model (gambling, though they hate when you use that term) legalized in all 50 states, and wanted to unify their efforts. Few things are as morally murky as gambling businesses, and these would've been more so as an industry juggernaut.

2. Take a look at the future Star Wars Disney theme parks

Oh dang – Disney's Star Wars Land, planned for Disneyland and Disney World in 2019, looks amazing. 10-year-old me would've immediately petitioned his parents to move to this pace and never ever leave. Current me will just do it myself.

3. Roku plans IPO for later in 2017

Streaming hardware and platform maker Roku is planning an IPO for later this year, according to sources. That might be one of the few actually successful tech IPOs this year, given its recent traction.

4. Be still my 3D printed heart

Researchers have 3D printed a soft, beating artificial heart that works very similarly to a real one. It's still just a proof of concept, and has a relatively short shelf life, but it's a step towards real working lab-made transplant organs.

5. Net Neutrality Day of Action generated plenty of feedback

The Day of Action to oppose the FCC's proposed changes to net neutrality regulations generated record-breaking feedback via comments, emails, phone calls and high-profile protests. Hopefully it's enough to sway the commission's decision-making.

6. HBO and Netflix rule the Emmys

The Emmys might as well be called the Netflix awards: It racked up 91 nominations this year. HBO still leads with 110, however, but it's become almost more of a streaming service than a traditional cable network anyway.

7. Amazon might be working on a better Echo

Bad news for Apple and HomePod? Amazon is said to be developing an improved version of the Echo, and it could easily make a premium product with a focus on better sound. That's Apple's whole pitch for its smart speaker at the moment, so this could be a big pre-emptive strike.

Get more stories at techcrunch.com 

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