by admin | May 25, 2021 | Investing, Markets, Media, Online Marketing, Social Media, Technology
San Francisco : Facebook is ready to shell out a whopping $1 billion to become a major hub for videos, a media report said on Saturday.
The social media giant is willing to spend as much as $1 billion to cultivate original shows for its platform, according to people familiar with the matter. The figure, which could fluctuate based on the success of Facebook’s’ programming, covers potential spending through 2018, The Wall Street Journal report said.
The figure is less than what the company’s digital rivals such as Netflix invested. Netflix spent $6 billion in 2017 and Amazon shelled out $4.5 billion.
The company has improved its strategy for video content, including cutting deals for digital TV shows.
Earlier this month, Facebook rolled out “Watch” service — a redesigned video platform for creators and publishers — for every US citizen who uses the social media platform.
Facebook is offering a range of different options for discovering video content, including programmes and sections like “Today’s Spotlight”, “New This Week”, “Popular Now”, “What Friends Are Watching”, “Most Talked About”, “Suggested For You”, and a special “10 Minutes Or More” spot for long-form videos.
For now, Facebook is primarily highlighting reality shows, which partners are producing en masse since they are cheap, don’t require set scripts and can be watched piecemeal, the report said.
The social media giant debuted with Business Insider’s lifestyle shows — “The Great Cheese Hunt” and “It’s Cool, But Does It Really Work?”.
News and issues publisher Attn premiered “We Need to Talk” and “Health Hacks” starring Jessica Alba last week.
Meanwhile, food video giant Tastemade debuted with four shows, including “Safe Deposit”, “Struggle Meals”, “Food to Die For” and “Kitchen Little”.
In an apparent bid to take on Google-owned YouTube, Facebook rolled out “Watch” last month.
The social media giant last year launched “Video” tab in the US which offered a predictable place to find videos on Facebook.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Investing, Muslim World
Benjamin Netanyahu
Jerusalem : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his government will soon publish a multi-year plan to boost infrastructure with a budget of 116 billion shekels ($32.4 billion).
“We are forwarding a plan for developing national infrastructure,” Netanyahu said at the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, adding that the private sector would also be involved in the plan, Xinhua news agency reported.
The multi-year plan is expected to incorporate all of the infrastructure projects in Israel until 2021, he said.
Bank of Israel Governor Karnit Flug told the meeting that public transportation should be a major area of investment.
“The infrastructure in Israel is insufficient, particularly in the area of public transportation, and mainly in the major cities, but also in the electricity delivery system and in communications infrastructure,” she said.
She warned that the volume of annual investment is low by international comparison.
Flug said that the government should set a special inter-ministerial team to monitor and manage public-private partnership (PPP) contracts.
“The use of PPP enables the costs of the project to be spread out over time,” said Flug, adding that “it is important to monitor the budgetary ramifications of all projects over time” to complete the projects as scheduled without major stopping and budgetary deficits.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business, Investing, Large Enterprise, World
Lima : Peru’s Foreign Affairs Ministry presented the “Pacific Alliance Business and Investment Guide 2017/2018” which seeks to promote regional integration, as well as attract more and better investments into Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.
Crafted by EY Peru, the guide —available in Spanish and English— contains attractive and relevant information on Pacific Alliance’s initiatives regarding trade and integration, as well as services and capital.
Likewise, the publication highlights the Latin American Integrated Market (MILA), which reached a total negotiated volume of US$152.208 billion at the end of 2016.
It also features a summary of Pacific Alliance member countries, as well as their production and export figures.
Additionally, it includes essential information on the rules governing investment, plus legal, tax and regulatory requirements to enter any of the four markets.
In this sense, the report guides investors —from around the world— in making decisions for business and investment development in each country, part of the regional mechanism.
Pacific Alliance Created in 2011, the Pacific Alliance has consolidated as the world’s eighth-largest economy, with a contribution of US$1.770 billion to accumulated gross domestic product, which represents over 38% of Latin America and the Caribbean’s GDP.
For 2017, an average growth rate of 2.3% is projected among its member countries, higher than the estimated growth for Latin America (1.1%).
The bloc attracts 41% of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) allocated to the region, which amounted to US$42 billion in 2016.
—NNN-ANDINA
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business, Corporate, Corporate Governance, Investing, Large Enterprise
New Delhi : Odisha Tourism Minister Ashok Chandra Panda on Tuesday appealed to the private investors to invest in the tourism sector and tap its full potential.
He also invited the doyens of the tourism industry to participate in the first Odisha Travel Bazaar (OTB) scheduled to be held on October 15-17 in Bhubaneswar.
It would be organised by the Department of Tourism in partnership with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
Addressing a roadshow organised by FICCI in the national capital for the upcoming OTB, Panda said Odisha is emerging as a priority destination for creative travellers for authentic experiences with its unique natural and cultural heritage.
The Odisha Travel Bazaar would give investors an opportunity to explore various sectors of tourism business, he added.
Giving an elaborate presentation on the business and investment opportunities available in Odisha’s tourism sector, Tourism Director Nitin Bhanudas Jawale said that with better air connectivity, Odisha is now easily accessible by travellers from across the globe.
Besides, the unique and business-friendly tourism policy provides lucrative incentives and subsidies to investors, said Jawale.
He said the government had initiated single window clearance system, which has made the process of acquiring various clearances easier.
Jawale said that development of infrastructure in tourism sector was one of the critical components and the State Government was looking for private sector participation.
Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson of FICCI Tourism Committee, said the Odisha Travel Bazar would have exclusive focus on business of inbound and domestic tourism, prefixed, structured, organised buyer-seller meets spread over three days, transacting and capitalizing on business opportunities between international, domestic buyers and sellers of Odisha tourism products at the booths of the sellers.
The aim would be to ensure participation of around 40 foreign tour operators, 10 top-of-the-line inbound operators, 20 leading domestic tour operators from across India, five leading airlines — all will be hosted as buyers in the first edition of OTB.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Investing
Nairobi, (IANS) Indian on Monday offered to increase its investments in Kenya and for this purpose issued a guide book for Indian investors on doing business in Kenya. Presenting this guide book here on his first visit to Kenya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted that India is the largest trading partner of Kenya. “India is also the second largest investor here. We will be happy to further remove the imbalance in trade between us. We will also be happy to enhance the level of investment in Kenya,” he said addressing the AIndia-Kenya Business Forum.
“As a demonstration of our commitment for ‘Make it Kenya’, we have printed a guide book on Doing Business in Kenya. This is for guiding the Indian investors to invest here,” he said. Noting many Indian companies have made Kenya their base to operate in the whole of East Africa, Modi added: “Whether it is mines, minerals or machines; all are rewarding areas. We should jointly explore the opportunities.”
An 80-member delegation of business leaders under the aegis of industry chamber Ficci that is accompanying Modi on his official visit to four African nations organised the India-Tanzania Business Forum and India-Kenya Business Forum on July 10 and 11 at Dar-e-Salaam and Nairobi respectively.
Among the agreements signed on Monday between both countries, two pertained to lines of credit from India to Kenya — one on development of various small and medium enterprises and the other on upgrading a textile factory. Bilateral trade in 2014-15 was worth a little over $4.2 billion, of which India’s exports to Kenya were valued around $4.1 billion.
