Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have launched a production company called Artists Equity that will offer profit participation to creatives working behind the scenes as well as on camera. The new venture has secured $100 million in financing from RedBird Capital Partners, and Affleck and Damon have also committed undisclosed sums. Affleck has committed to working exclusively for Artists Equity while Damon says he will star in a predetermined number of films. The move is in response to streamers’ reluctance to share earnings, and reported industrywide dissatisfaction with that new status quo. Continue reading Artists Equity Is Launched to Share the Wealth with Creatives

E-commerce company eBay is launching eBay Live, a live shopping platform that lets people browse, chat and purchase items from anywhere in the world using beta technology that combines entertainment with instant purchasing. The first series will offer a curated selection of rare trading cards from top eBay seller Bleecker Trading, and will be hosted by trading card enthusiast DJ Skee. The new platform is designed for social shopping, “allowing our community to come together over shared interests and merchandise,” explained eBay vice president of collectibles, electronics and home Dawn Block. Continue reading Collectibles Come to Social Shopping via eBay Live Platform

In the United Kingdom, gambling operators make big money on what’s called in-play wagers — second-by-second action on when a goal is scored, where it lands in the net and who had the assist. U.S. gambling operators may have to follow suit since the Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on sports betting, opening the gates to states getting in on the action, via TV broadcasting. Now betting operators, from casinos to websites and phone apps, need to be able to beat TV’s 5-to-10 second delays. Continue reading With Legal Sports Betting, Data Rises in Value and Conflict