{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/3276215a-23a8-4b04-bbfd-c0f7c71c7b64/3a5a0c81-9454-4b20-92e3-2223dd316a01?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Nine's Streaming Guy Takes The Reins","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/6176c6f7b67d9b03b3f7eee3/6176c72791b757001963b565.png?height=200","description":"<p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/nine-set-to-name-stan-s-mike-sneesby-as-new-ceo-20210303-p577ac.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Nine picked a streaming guy to be its new CEO </a></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Mike Sneesby is the new boss of Nine Entertainment. He is a former telco executive and the head of streaming service Stan.&nbsp;</li><li>He will be in charge of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, but Nine also owns Stan as well as television, radio and other publishing assets.&nbsp;</li><li>The company has been searching for a new CEO since Hugh Marks abruptly resigned in November because of <a href=\"https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/was-someone-out-to-get-me-i-don-t-know-nine-boss-says-relationship-forced-resignation-20201115-p56eqm.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">his relationship with a former member of his executive team</a>.&nbsp;</li><li>Sneesby has extensive experience in leading a subscription service, but does not have a background in free-to-air television, radio or publishing. There’s some commentary around that this signals the TV side of Nine is more powerful than the old Fairfax side… But I think it’s a sign that the future is digital and driven by subscription revenues. That’s good news for newspapers.&nbsp;</li><li>Investors value Stan at more than $1 billion. Stan has 2.3 million subscribers. The achievement was met through securing large content deals with US companies such as ViacomCBS, Disney and NBC Universal. There’s also Stan Sport…&nbsp;</li><li>So now Stan is looking for a new boss…&nbsp;</li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Teams upgrades + speaker&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/2/22308962/microsoft-intelligent-speaker-teams-translation-transcription-features?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Microsoft’s new Intelligent Speakers deliver its promised meeting room of the future</a></p><p><a href=\"https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-to-add-new-shared-channels-encryption-for-calls-webinar-features-to-teams/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Microsoft to add new shared channels, encryption for calls, webinar features to Teams</a></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Microsoft Ignite is on, and the conference has a few great Teams updates so far&nbsp;</li><li>Teams Connect will allow users from two different organisations a way to create a shared channel to collaborate</li><li><br></li><li>Microsoft is getting into the smart speaker business, but in a very Microsoft way&nbsp;</li><li>Rather than coming after Google, Apple and Amazon in the personal speaker device, Microsoft’s new&nbsp; Intelligent Speaker is an enterprise product&nbsp;</li><li>The new smart microphone can detect up to ten separate voices and dictate the notes of a meeting, so you can see exactly who did the talking&nbsp;</li><li>The mic can also translate, in case a host or guest is speaking in another language</li><li>No pricing as yet</li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>\tMeanwhile, Zoom killing it</p><p>\t<a href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/01/zoom-zm-earnings-q4-2021.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Zoom (ZM) earnings Q4 2021</a></p><p><br></p><ul><li>Revenue grew 369% year over year in the quarter that ended on Jan. 31, according to a statement.&nbsp;</li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.itnews.com.au/news/woolworths-pulls-pin-on-cashless-stores-trial-561677\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">It’s too soon to kill off cash&nbsp;</a></p><ul><li>An analogue story from Woolies, which has walked away a cashless store trial at a small number of its Metro stores</li><li>The trial started mid-way through last year, when no one was touching cash and in smaller stores that didn’t have a high amount of cash payments.&nbsp;</li><li>But Woolies will be accepted cash again at those locations&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Woolworths Metro general manager Justin Nolan told iTnews, “While almost all Metro customers choose to pay with cards, cash remains...","author_name":"Peter Wells"}