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Spotlight Sports Group Acquires Alarm Sports Network, Leading US Fantasy Sports Operator

Spotlight Sports Group

Spotlight Sports Group announced today the acquisition of FA Media LLC (Alarm Sports Network), a leading fantasy sports technology and media company, in an all-cash transaction. Spotlight Sports Group is a world-leading technology, content and media company specializing in sports betting and fantasy sports. Alarm Sports Network provides white-label proprietary technology solutions and free-to-play contests for blue-chip media and sports content providers. It also develops engaging content for its popular consumer sports platforms: Fantasy Alarm, DFS Alarm and Wager Alarm. The addition of these services to Spotlight Sports Group creates an all-encompassing sports betting and fantasy sports offering. Spotlight Sports Group is recognized for its sports betting expertise on direct-to-consumer platforms like Pickswise, one of the fastest-growing sports betting content providers in North America, and Racing Post in the UK and Ireland. Spotlight Sports Group also supplies sports betting technology, tooling and actionable content to drive user engagement for the world’s leading sportsbooks and media owners. “This acquisition immediately accelerates our growth across North America with the addition of proprietary technology and authoritative, scalable content. We are delighted to be joining forces with a vastly experienced management team steeped in fantasy sports and sports betting expertise. ASN will also broaden our business-to-business footprint through partnerships with Yahoo, FTN Network, SiriusXM and others,” said Alan Byrne, CEO of Spotlight Sports Group. “This is a transformative deal for Spotlight Sports Group. It allows us to combine the skills and expertise which have fueled our digital growth in the UK and Ireland with the talent and flair of the team at ASN in order to have a significant impact on the all-important US market.” Key highlights from the deal include: Spotlight Sports Group will retain the expertise of the Alarm Sports Network team: co-founders Dan and Al Williams, former NBC executive and Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association Hall-Of-Famer Rick Wolf and former FOX Sports & EA Sports executive Ed Bunnell. Alarm Sports Network, who developed the technology to help drive user engagement and revenue at sports media companies like FTN Network, Yahoo, Bally Sports and The Nation Network, will fold into Spotlight Sports Group’s brand. ASN brands Fantasy Alarm, Wager Alarm, DFS Alarm and Fantasy Rundown join Pickwise in a new look direct-to-consumer brand roster for sports bettors and fantasy players across North America. Spotlight Sports Group will integrate the ASN team, growing the Group’s staff to more than 500 people. “This deal creates a powerhouse sports betting and fantasy sports business, proven to drive revenue with engagement-led solutions. Using our unique mix of product technology, expert content and authoritative brands, we will continue to deepen our relationships with our partners to help them grow and monetize their audiences,” said Rick Wolf, President Alarm Sports Network. “We are tremendously excited to become part of Spotlight Sports Group, working together to help solve challenges and drive innovation for our partners in the fast-evolving sports media and affiliate landscape,” added Dan Williams, Co-Founder. For more information on Spotlight Sports Group please visit: https://www.spotlightsportsgroup.com/en_us/ ABOUT SPOTLIGHT SPORTS GROUP Spotlight Sports Group (owned by Exponent Private Equity) is a leading technology, content and media business specializing in sports betting. Evolved from the Racing Post Group, Spotlight Sports Group engages millions of people directly through Racing Post, Pickswise, Free Super Tips and myracing. The company also has decades of experience in powering growth and conversion for the world’s biggest sportsbooks and media companies, delivering best-in-class technology and expert scalable content experiences in more than 70 languages. ABOUT THE ALARM SPORTS NETWORK Alarm Sports Network’s (ASN) mission is to create products, services and content that entertain and inform so that sports fans can learn, play and win whether it is fantasy sports or sports betting. This has been achieved through three digital platforms: Fantasy Alarm, Wager Alarm and DFS Alarm. ASN platforms cover all 10 major US sports (including Esports) offering a mix of free and premium content. The business-to-business division supplies media companies with a range of tools from data modelled projections for player performance to full turnkey white-label platforms and free-to-play contests. Contact Details Michael Adorno +1 212-931-6143 madorno@hotpaperlantern.com Company Website https://www.spotlightsportsgroup.com/en_us/

September 01, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Channel Factory Continues EMEA Expansion with New Hires and Team Growth in Poland

Channel Factory

Channel Factory, the global brand suitability and ad performance platform for YouTube has expanded their team in Poland and appointed a new Sales Director as part of their commitment to growth in the European market. Szymon Szmigiel joins as Sales Director to develop, manage, and grow the company’s agency and brand relationships within the region, and to support Channel Factory’s continued expansion across the EMEA market. Szymon will continue to build the business alongside Sean Carey, Business Development Director, based out of the Warsaw offices which will enable the company to support clients on the ground and bring better brand suitability to the market. “This is an extremely exciting time to be joining Channel Factory,” said Syzmon Szmigiel. “Not only is the company growing exponentially across multiple markets, but the recent launch of The Conscious Project shows how determined the company is to drive our advertising industry forward towards a more conscientious future. I could not be more excited to join the team and look forward to helping the company continue on its growth trajectory.” Prior to joining Channel Factory, Syzmon has been co-creating an advertising office at CDA SA, one of the largest VOD platforms in Poland. In his three years at CDA SA, Syzmon was responsible for the business development and revenue growth, overseeing the sales team and building relationships with media houses and agency clients. Before his time at CDA, Szymon was the Director of Agency Sales at NetSprint, a martech leader in region, while also spending seven years at one of Poland’s biggest portal based businesses, Wirtualna Polska. As the Head of Sales here, he was responsible for the entire sales department, managing a team of 15 to drive profitable growth for the company. Szymon has spent several years in both startup and large sized companies and is an expert in strategic planning, operations, sales and marketing. He has managed and led large-scale projects covering marketing communication, sales and technology. “Szymon’s addition to our EMEA team is critical to our growth as a business in the European markets. We are very excited to have him on board, to lead and manage our business on the ground in Poland,” said Mattias Spetz, MD EMEA and APAC, Channel Factory. “Szymon brings in-depth market knowledge and relationships to Channel Factory, and with his industry expertise across video, programmatic, ad sales, and e-commerce, he will be a real asset to the wider EMEA team. His proven ability to develop agency and client relationships and to drive growth in region will help us to continue to expand our footprint in Europe and push the industry as a whole towards a more conscious advertising ecosystem.” Szymon will report into Mattias Spetz, helping to drive sales growth within the EMEA regions and demonstrating to clients the real commitment Channel Factory has across all regions. Szymon has previously served as a member of the management board for the IAB Polska. The appointment of Szymon follows a streak of new hires across the US, UK and Europe for Channel Factory. The company has recently announced the appointment of Fiona Alenda, its new MD for France, as well as three key new hires in the UK to continue to expand its footprint and support clients in these key markets. Channel Factory is dedicated to helping create a better advertising ecosystem, and works closely with its agency and brand clients to drive more conscientious, thought-through advertising campaigns aimed at eliminating inherent bias in advertising across video. About Channel Factory Channel Factory is a global technology and data platform that maximizes both performance efficiency and contextual suitability, turning YouTube’s 5 billion videos and 500 hours per minute of new content into brand-suitable, efficient advertising opportunities. Channel Factory’s mission is to create a suitable video ecosystem that connects creators, brands, and consumers - by enabling advertisers access to the most relevant videos, channels, and creators. Through their proprietary platform that harnesses the power of the deepest YouTube dataset in the industry, Channel Factory has enabled advanced brand suitability, customized content targeting, and maximum performance for the world’s biggest brands. Channel Factory’s algorithm ensures not only that advertisers run against content that aligns with their brand but also delivers outcomes by optimizing campaigns using active and historical campaign performance data. Channel Factory has offices across the USA and is present in over 30 countries worldwide including the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Ukraine, Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Contact Details Kite Hill PR for Channel Factory channelfactory@kitehillpr.com

September 01, 2021 04:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

DistroTV Debuts Free South Asian Channel Bundle, DistroTV Desi, in the US, UK, and Canada

DistroTV

DistroTV, the largest, independent free ad-supported streaming television platform, continues to expand its content offerings to cater to a growing and diverse global audience. The platform today announces DistroTV Desi, initially offering 15+ premier Southeast Asian channel content for free -- no subscription or registration necessary. This bundle is expected to grow exponentially over the coming weeks and will be available across the US, UK, Europe, and Canada and offer viewers a variety of diverse content focusing on news, entertainment & lifestyle geared towards the Desi (Southeast Asian - Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan) population abroad. The DistroTV Desi Bundle channel offerings include: News & Opinion Republic TV: India's most watched English news channel. Times Now News: One of India’s largest media conglomerates focusing on global news & issues. WION (World Is One News): Examining global issues with in-depth analysis. Mirror Now: Part of the Times Group offering local and community based coverage. R. Bharat: Hindi language news channel from Republic World. Times Now Navbharat: Part of the Times Group featuring independent news in Hindi language. News24: targets the global Indian with news that is credible, true and fast. Entertainment & Lifestyle Zoom: India's leading Hindi entertainment television channel featuring Bollywood music, gossip & celebrity updates. Mastiii TV: India’s number one music and youth channel. Arré: Edgy, new-age infotainment channel from India featuring young & diverse Hindi & English content. BritAsia TV: From the UK, a diverse channel with a focus on Bhangra, Punjabi Pop and Bollywood. MATV: From the UK, featuring Indian programming in Hindi, English, Gujarati and Punjabi. Akaal Channel: Punjabi language focused and Sikhi based lifestyle channel. Channel S: The number one British Bangladeshi lifestyle TV channel in the UK. NTV: The leading Bangladeshi TV channel from the UK catering to every culture, age group, religion and gender. E24: one of the premier entertainment websites of young India which has carved a niche for itself for an elaborate and reliable coverage of Bollywood and the vast television industry. With the DistroTV Desi Bundle, DistroTV aims to serve a massive underserved audience, who are lacking authentic entertainment from their home countries. DistroTV fills that void by offering these culturally rich channels in a free bundle so that diverse audiences can stream and enjoy content that might have otherwise been locked behind a subscription or paywall. “We're thrilled to provide our diverse and growing global audience with the content they crave, without any subscription fees,” said Navdeep Saini, co-founder and CEO of DistroScale, parent company of DistroTV. “No longer will Desi communities in these major markets feel that they cannot access their favorite shows or channels, or feel restricted by associated costs. Our mission at DistroTV is to provide content for every viewer, on every device. And that’s exactly what we’re accomplishing with this latest bundled offering.” DistroTV is always growing and diversifying its 150+ channel content library. The platform’s strong programming lineup includes a mix of popular film and television shows, such Bloomberg, EuroNews, People TV, Magellan TV and TD Ameritrade network, as well as independent channels like Black Enterprise, as well as Kweli TV, which spotlights the rich history and global diversity of the Black community; Canela TV, featuring Spanish programming; Latido Music, the leading channel for Latin music; and more. “This is just the beginning, we have many more channels in the pipeline. Smaller southeast Asian audiences with regional language roots like Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, and Malayalam who have been largely ignored by mainstream media platforms can now watch their favorite channels in their regional language on DistroTV Desi, without having to depend on dodgy boxes and pirated apps,” said Rajesh Nair, Vice President of Business Development & Content Acquisition at DistroScale, parent company of DistroTV. Audiences can enjoy these channels for free anywhere across a wide array of CTV and mobile devices, as well as on the web by visiting Distro.tv -- no registration or signup required. To become a viewer and / or understand which channels are available for live and / or Video-on-Demand (VoD) access in the various countries, visit https://www.distro.tv or install DistroTV for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV, Samsung TV, Sony TV, iOS, or Android. For more information on the DistroTV Desi Bundle, visit https://distro.tv/desi. About DistroTV DistroTV is the largest, independent, free, ad-supported streaming television service on the market. Launched in 2019 by parent company DistroScale, the platform caters to a multicultural, rapidly expanding, globally-minded audience of passionate viewers in the US, Canada, and UK. Satisfying the growing demand for premium video content in multiple languages, DistroTV delivers premium video content from producers globally across North America, the UK, Bollywood, Latin America, China, Southeast Asia, and growing. With more than 150 channels plus thousands of Video on Demand (VOD) shows, DistroTV cultivates content that covers a broad spectrum of topics to connect with peopleâs passion points around Entertainment, Lifestyle, Sports, News, Documentaries and International Content in live, linear and video-on-demand formats. DistroTV is available on the web, as well as through Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and iOS and Android devices. About DistroScale DistroTV is the first direct-to-consumer offering from DistroScale, a technology company founded in 2013 and known for providing a global clientele of thousands of media properties with the industryâs most comprehensive video platform for web, apps, and streaming. DistroScale is an all-in-one solution providing infrastructure, content delivery, curation, analytics and a full suite of monetization options. Video enabled by DistroScale reaches more than 250 million visitors per month. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. To become a DistroTV viewer, visit www.distro.tv. More information on DistroScale & DistroTV is available at www.distroscale.com. Contact Details Mackenzie Gavel +1 631-739-5716 mackenzie@kitehillpr.com Company Website https://www.distro.tv

August 31, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

COMCAST WASHINGTON BROADBAND EXPANSION LED BY MAJOR PROJECTS IN KING, PIERCE, SNOHOMISH AND SPOKANE COUNTIES

Comcast Washington

Comcast today announced it expanded broadband service to more than 11,000 additional homes and businesses statewide during the first half of 2021, including major projects in King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Spokane counties. The expansions are the latest example of the company’s work to connect local communities to broadband Internet resources. Comcast has invested nearly $1 billion in technology and infrastructure in Washington during the last three years, including upgrades to our broadband network. Some of the company’s network development projects and achievements in the first half of the year include: Marysville: To support business expansion and growth, Comcast finished completing services that give approximately 100 businesses in Marysville new broadband Internet services. Bonney Lake: In Bonney Lake, Comcast connected two large buildings that will support more than 400 residents in the city’s new senior living community. Auburn: Comcast finalized building services to more than 400 new locations in Auburn during the first quarter of 2021, including a new 200 plus-unit apartment complex. Spokane: In Spokane County, Comcast built service out to more than 400 residents and over 20 businesses, including approximately 150 apartments near the Spokane Airport and a more than 100-unit complex in downtown Spokane. In the first six months of the year, Comcast completed more than 600 total projects to grow connectivity and bring more high-speed Internet access and services to businesses and households statewide. This work resulted in approximately 650 businesses and more than 10,000 new homes getting access to high-speed broadband Internet and related services. Comcast also is investing more than $13.6 million to expand broadband service to nearly 3,000 additional homes in rural areas of Snohomish, Spokane, and Whatcom Counties. Over the next two years, the citizens and businesses in rural communities of Chattaroy, Sumas, Sisco Heights, Burns Road, and Frontier Air Park will have access to the full suite of broadband, video, voice, home management, and business products and services. “As the state looks to focus in on making certain all citizens have access to and can afford future proof and scalable technologies, we are pleased to see the strong work Comcast is doing to deliver on those goals throughout Washington state,” said Russ Elliott, Director, Washington State Broadband Office. “Access to reliable internet is the cornerstone of a thriving community, whether that be access to information, healthcare services or simply connecting with family and friends,” said Mayor Nancy Backus, City of Auburn. “The ongoing expansion of broadband availability in Auburn is key to the health and success of our residents and I applaud Comcast for their continued commitment to providing this service.” “High-performance networks and Internet are just as critical to a community’s success today as other traditional services,” said Juan Key, Senior Director of Business Development for Comcast in Washington state. “This type of innovation has a lasting effect and indirectly impacts jobs, wages, the local economy, and educational opportunities for underserved regions of our state. We are happy to bring these important resources to King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Spokane counties.” These residents now have access to the entire Xfinity product suite, including Xfinity Internet, Xfinity Mobile, Xfinity X1, Xfinity Home, and Internet Essentials, the largest and most comprehensive low-cost Internet adoption program for low-income Americans. Comcast has connected 560,000 low-income individuals in Washington to broadband Internet over the last decade. The business communities in these areas now have access to the full suite of Comcast Business Internet, voice, and video services, including WiFi, Voice, TV, and managed enterprise solutions for businesses of all sizes. For businesses in these communities, network expansion brings access to fast, reliable Internet and affordable digital products and solutions that help them embrace innovation that improves operations, eliminates waste and creates a better experience for their employees and customers. Comcast Business delivers up to 10 gigabits-per-second (Gbps) of network capacity to local businesses. The newly expanded network offers a comprehensive portfolio of multigigabit Ethernet Internet options that help meet the day-to-day demands of all organizations, including those requiring large amounts of bandwidth, looking to link multiple sites or branch locations, or planning to connect their offices to a third-party data center. In addition to high-speed Internet and network capacity, Comcast Business also offers video, voice services, cloud technology, security services, business continuity, and more to businesses statewide. The company’s services also support businesses across a variety of industries, including healthcare, biotechnology, manufacturing, retail, dining, and hospitality. For more information on how to bring services to a project in your community, please email the Comcast Washington Business Development team at WSTWAC-BusinessDevelopmentGroup@comcast.com. About Comcast Corporation Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. We are principally focused on broadband, aggregation, and streaming with over 57 million customer relationships across the United States and Europe. We deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, multiple cable networks, Peacock, NBCUniversal News Group, NBC Sports, Sky News, and Sky Sports; and provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and Resorts in the United States and Asia. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information. Contact Details Andy Colley +1 425-248-5438 andy_colley@comcast.com Company Website https://washington.comcast.com/

August 30, 2021 08:55 AM Pacific Daylight Time

BEE Elevates Its Freemium with the Addition of Landing Page Design Capabilities

BEE

BEE, a business unit of Growens and leading digital content design platform, announced today that users will now have access to designing landing pages with its freemium product BEE Free. Since its inception in 2014, people have been able to click on ‘Start Designing’ in beefree.io to immediately start creating emails from scratch or select ready-to-use professional templates. With over 30,000 unique users per month for BEE’s freemium design tool, it’s clear BEE is making progress to achieve its vision of democratizing content design for everyone. BEE”s free editor for email was intended to be easy-to-use as it does not require any HTML coding skills. Now, this same frictionless, no-code experience will be replicated for people that need to create landing pages. The move to unlock landing page design capabilities for BEE Free includes over 100 ready-to-use landing page templates as well as a start from scratch option. The use of these tools on beefree.io is completely free. Users who want to experience more advanced design features can sign up for a 15-day trial of BEE Pro, the company's full feature, no-code design suite for email and landing pages. This comes as another meaningful achievement for the team at BEE as they recently announced 10K paid subscribers for its BEE Pro design suite. The addition of landing page design on beefree.io means that now everyone can produce mobile-ready, high-converting, end-to-end campaigns — a sweet move to further support the company's vision to democratize content design. “Introducing landing pages to BEE Free changes the way users create their multi-content campaigns. Having combined communications composed of related emails and landing pages can be extremely effective and powerful for our customers’ strategy,” said Elena Loatelli, Product Marketing Specialist at BEE. “We are especially proud of this release because it aligns with our goal to democratize content design, and now all users can rely on the solid, fast and easy design tools with this new content in BEE Free.” About BEE BEE provides no-code design tools that empower everyone to quickly create content that resonates. BEE’s visual builders are used to design emails, landing pages, one-page sites, and more. They deliver fantastic design flexibility and a great user experience, combining granular control on design elements with handy features like editing content directly in mobile view. BEE is building on its vision to help democratize content design, with millions of monthly users in over 20 languages and from over 150 countries. BEE’s design tools are available online at beefree.io and embedded in 600+ SaaS applications. Contact Details Jules Costa communications@beefree.io Company Website https://beefree.io/

August 30, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Comcast’s Internet Essentials Program Teams Up with Texas Education Agency to Connect Texas Students and Families with Internet Access at Home

Comcast Houston

Comcast’s Internet Essentials program and Region 4 Education Service Center (Region 4 ESC) have partnered with the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) Connect Texas Program to ensure students within TEA’s Texas footprint have access to reliable, commercially available home-based fixed broadband internet services free of charge. Comcast is one of the service providers stepping up to ensure Texas students can reliably engage in virtual learning with its Internet Essentials service. Internet Essentials is Comcast’s signature digital equity initiative and is available for $9.95 a month (plus applicable taxes and fees). “Quality internet connectivity at home is critical for academic success, and we are proud to partner with Region 4 ESC to help reduce learning gaps and provide increased opportunities for students to have in-home access to the internet,” said Ralph Martinez, Regional Senior Vice President, Comcast Houston. "Providing stable high-quality internet to the students of Texas at home is a critical component of any long-term solution for closing the digital divide for our state,” shared Gaby Rowe, Project Lead, Operation Connectivity. “The TEA Connect Texas program is designed to empower school districts and parents to do just that." With a goal of connecting 40 to 60,000 students, the TEA Connect Texas Program (TEACT) is designed to help close the digital divide for Texas school children in kindergarten through twelfth grade and provide access to at-home connectivity and digital devices. Additionally, TEACT will provide a strong implementation and customer support structure for school systems that want to participate in a broadband roll-out program but may not currently have the available personnel or resources to administer it. Families who participate in TEA’s Connect Texas program can take advantage of Comcast’s Internet Essentials service, the nation’s largest, most comprehensive, and most successful high-speed internet adoption program for low-income households. In 10 years, it has helped connect nearly 1 million low-income Texans to broadband Internet at home, most for the very first time. Region 4 ESC, located in Houston, Texas, is the lead agency for this important program. Through OMNIA Partners’ cooperative purchasing program and partnership with Region 4 ESC, districts across Texas have the opportunity to provide home-based broadband internet access to their students. Through these combined efforts, school systems across Texas will be able to provide the fixed internet solutions their students require for ongoing access to remote educational tools and accelerated learning, which will help school systems to better address the post-COVID learning challenges many Texas students are likely to face. For more information visit: TEA Connect Texas Program Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. We are principally focused on broadband, aggregation, and streaming with over 56 million customer relationships across the United States and Europe. We deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, multiple cable networks, Peacock, NBCUniversal News Group, NBC Sports, Sky News, and Sky Sports; and provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and Resorts in the United States and Asia. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information. Contact Details Misha McClure +1 832-547-6783 Misha_McClure@cable.comcast.com Company Website https://houston.comcast.com/

August 25, 2021 10:00 PM Central Daylight Time

BEE adds a new visual builder to its Plugin product line

BEE

BEE, a business unit of Growens, releases a new visual builder to its Plugin product line. The embeddable popup builder offers no-code, drag & drop design capabilities for marketers to easily create popups for their digital campaigns. Popup Builder is the third digital content type that BEE has introduced. The over 600 SaaS applications that have adopted BEE Plugin can now provide their users with a single design interface for emails, landing pages and popups. Popups are becoming increasingly necessary for businesses to compete and drive customer acquisition, retention and conversion rates. Businesses that implement popups as part of their digital marketing strategy benefit from growing email lists, staying in touch with customers, increasing social media following, and driving online sales. BEE Plugin’s new popup builder can be fully embedded into any SaaS application in under 30 days. The result is a new product offer or feature that users immediately adopt due to an intuitive interface. “We are very excited about the launch of this new builder because we now provide, with a single subscription, the tools that cover the main design needs for creating online campaigns. Our clients can now provide an excellent and consistent content design experience for creating emails, landing pages, and popups. Their users no longer have to learn 3 different tools and can reuse their content across the 3 builders. It also makes life easier for our customers who don’t need to worry about maintaining multiple tools and the associated costs.” Guillermo Padilla, Head of Product “More and more SaaS applications embed BEE Plugin because it helps them deliver a fantastic user experience to their customers, while going to market much faster than if they developed their own content design tools. We are really thrilled to see adoption across many industries, including 40% of the companies in Gartner’s 2021 Quadrant for Multichannel Marketing Platforms.” said Massimo Arrigoni, CEO at BEE. About BEE: BEE provides no-code design tools that empower everyone to quickly create content that resonates. BEE’s visual builders are used to design emails, landing pages, one-page sites, and more. They deliver fantastic design flexibility and a great user experience, combining granular control on design elements with handy features like editing content directly in mobile view. BEE is building on its vision to help democratize content design, with over 4.5 million monthly sessions of its tools in over 150 countries, across 600+ applications. Contact Details Angelina Kaliszak angelina@kitehillpr.com Company Website https://beefree.io/

August 25, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Digital Equity Initiatives in Independence/Blue Springs

Comcast Greater Kansas City

One critical lesson from the COVID-19 crisis is the importance of a reliable home Internet connection. With schools closed, and people working remote, the Internet became, and still is, the sole means for connecting. But not everyone has equal access to the Internet. This is a major challenge in cities across the Kansas City metro, including Independence and Blue Springs, and it is something Comcast is working hard to address. Currently, Comcast and its partners are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their Internet Essentials program, which is one of the longest running in-home Internet connectivity programs for low-income families in the nation. Over the last decade, Comcast has been connecting low-income Americans to the Internet through its Internet Essentials program, which has helped connect more than 10 million low-income Americans to the Internet at home including Independence and Blue Springs. While the program provides in-home broadband Internet service and an included WiFi router for $9.95/month, the onsite of the coronavirus epidemic galvanized the need for the company to try to do even more to help connect the unconnected. During the pandemic, Comcast launched two new programs to help: Lift Zones and Internet Essentials Partnership Program. Lift Zones provide free WiFi access in community centers where students and adults can get online. Lift Zones are designed to help those students who, for a variety of reasons, are unable to participate in distance learning at home. There are currently two active Lift Zones in the Greater Kansas City Area—two in Independence at the Boys & Girls Clubs. Also, during the pandemic Comcast introduced its Internet Essentials Partnership Program, designed to help accelerate Internet adoption. The program provides the opportunity for school districts and other organizations to fund and quickly connect large numbers of students and families to broadband access at home. Comcast has also partnered with the federal government’s Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program to help those who need access to Internet at their home, learn virtually and stay informed. The benefit is available to new and existing Internet customers who qualify across all tiers of service. To see if you qualify go to https://www.xfinity.com/learn/internet-service/ebb. For Libet Ojeda, Internet Essentials meant educational stability for her children, continuing school online throughout 2020 and 2021, and additional language support for their Spanish-speaking family. “When the pandemic hit, I was fearful of what virtual support my family would have,” stated Libet Ojeda. “My two children are in 5th and 6th grade in the Fort Osage School District and when we had to be at home altogether we were thrilled that Internet Essentials gave us the option for uninterrupted support that was affordable. I cannot say enough about the importance the IE program has been for our family to have the stability to keep learning on the internet. My daughter suffers from dyslexia and the audio books she is able to use on her tablet has made a big difference in her progress. Without the Internet Essentials program she wouldn’t have the support she needs. My son is on the Individualized Education Plan and the IE support he continually receives for his listening and hearing needs is huge. We are a Spanish speaking family and the ability to also get language access support through the IE service has been a game changer for us and other families we know. We even received additional credits through the Comcast IE partnership with the EBB program.” “Ten years is a remarkable milestone, signifying an extraordinary amount of work and collaboration with our incredible community partners across the country,” said Dave Watson, Chief Executive Officer, Comcast Cable. “Together, we have been able to connect millions of people to the power of the Internet at home, and to the endless opportunity, education, growth, and discovery it provides. Today, we are rededicating ourselves to this mission to ensure that the next generation of students in America has the tools, resources, and abilities they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world.” “I would like to express my gratitude to the team at Comcast,” remarked Dr. Dred Scott, President & CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Kansas City. “Adding the Lift Zones to the Independence and Olathe Clubs to help our students access the Internet is huge. During the pandemic many of our youth were forced to learn from home without having the technology, hardware and infrastructure to support that learning. I want to thank each and every member of the Comcast team that made the Lift Zone initiatives possible within our Clubs. It means so much because of the connection they have with the club. This relationship and this partnership is much more than a transactional experience.” For more information about Internet Essentials and Comcast’s commitment to education and digital equity, please visit https://corporate.comcast.com/education. Families and households can apply for the program at www.internetessentials.com or by phone at 1-855-846-8376 for English or 1-855-765-6995 for Spanish. Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. We are principally focused on broadband, aggregation, and streaming with over 56 million customer relationships across the United States and Europe. We deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, multiple cable networks, Peacock, NBCUniversal News Group, NBC Sports, Sky News, and Sky Sports; and provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and Resorts in the United States and Asia. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information. Contact Details Jayne Siemens +1 816-289-1109 jsiemens@vencomm.com Company Website https://corporate.comcast.com/

August 25, 2021 07:00 AM Central Daylight Time

Tech cross-border M&A on record pace in First Half of 2021 according to data from Velocity Global and PitchBook

Velocity Global

Deal multiples return to 2019 levels Cross-border software deals skyrocket Cross-Border M&A Monitor: Tech Sector released today Cross-border tech merger and acquisition deals accelerated in the first half of 2021, on a record pace in transactional volume. That data from PitchBook was released today in the Cross-Border M&A Monitor: Tech Sector published by Velocity Global, the leading provider of global employment solutions. The late surge of activity in 2020 continued through the first half of this year with approximately 1,000 cross-border tech deals closed, for an aggregate of $139.9 billion. “The deal multiple increased in the first half of this year and returned to 2019 levels, which indicates investor confidence in global economic recovery,” said Rob Wellner, Velocity Global chief revenue officer. “Increased multiples drive an even greater need for pre-deal preparation and successful integration after close.” Software value already tops 2020 The value of cross-border M&A deals for Software companies in the first six months of 2021 already topped full-year values for 2020 at over $100 billion. “The pandemic accelerated digital transformations, funneling budgets to build or buy the necessary tools,” added Wellner. “The acquirers are tech and non-tech alike, with tech adding to their stack, and non-tech adding to their in-house capabilities.” Pandemic Operations Drive Cross-Border M&A Interest As evidenced by the increase in median deal size in cross-border tech M&A, dealmakers paid up with confidence. Cross-border acquisitions require businesses to navigate a distributed workforce, and the global pandemic prompted companies of all sizes to invest in the proper resources. “Integration will always have complexities like country-specific labor laws and regulations, but companies are more willing than ever to invest in cross-border diversification and leverage tools to manage a distributed workforce,” said Wellner. “Work from home is really no different than work from another country as it relates to workflow and employee engagement.” Download the Cross-Border M&A Monitor: Tech Sector here. About Velocity Global Velocity Global accelerates the future of work beyond borders. Its global work platform simplifies the employer and employee experience through proprietary cloud-based workforce management technology, personalized expertise, and unmatched scale. As the largest global Employer of Record (also known as International PEO) in 185 countries and all 50 United States, more than 1,000 brands rely on Velocity Global to build global teams without the cost or complexity of setting up foreign legal entities or state registrations. The company offers additional services including Independent Contractor Compliance to assess a workforce, and Agent of Record (AoR) to streamline payments to contractors. Velocity Global was named a “Leader” in Global Employer of Record services by prominent analyst firm NelsonHall. Founded in 2014, the company has hundreds of employees across five continents. For more information visit velocityglobal.com. Contact Details John Hall +1 720-650-4348 news@velocityglobal.com Company Website https://velocityglobal.com/

August 24, 2021 07:02 AM Mountain Daylight Time

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