Interactive TV Headlines Round-Up 8/19/14 (IV): Sky, Jaunt, HbbTV 2.0, MHP, HBO, Hearst Digital Studios, Hulu, Jinni, Justin.tv, Twitch, LG, Liberty Global, Maker Studios, Zealot Networks, NBCU, Xbox

August 18, 2014

As most of you are probably aware, [itvt]'s news reporting was on hiatus for several weeks, because our editorial team was working on TVOT 2014 and then taking a post-event break. In order to catch up with the news we missed during that period, we are covering stories in headlines/round-up format (note: we have marked older stories with the date they originally broke). We expect it will take us a few weeks to catch up with all recent developments, so if you have sent us a press release or briefed us about a piece of news, and don't yet see it covered here, please bear with us.

Groopie Launches Social Video-Authoring App for iPhone
Sky Makes Additional Investment in "Cinematic VR" Company, Jaunt
Jaunt Teams with Variety to Offer VR Coverage of "Guardians of the Galaxy" Premiere
Italian Broadcasters Set to Abandon MHP in Favor of New HTML5-Based HbbTV 2.0 Middleware Standard
Australia's HbbTV-Powered FreeviewPlus Service Set to Launch Next Month
Report: HBO Exploring OTT Delivery in International Markets
Hearst Digital Studios Names Corey Moss SVP of Production and Development
Update to Hulu Android App Allows Users to Sample Free Content
Hulu in Distribution Deal with Spanish-Language Broadcaster, MundoFox
"Semantic Discovery" Company, Jinni, Opens Office in NYC
Jinni's Semantic Discovery Solution Launches on AT&T U-verse (May 7th)
Justin.tv, the Live-Streaming Video Company that Spawned Game-Broadcasting Service Twitch, Closes
Twitch Teams with ACR Specialist, Audible Magic, to Identify and Mute Unauthorized Audio
Twitch CEO's Reddit AMA Reveals User Anger over Recent Service Changes
Legendary Entertainment Buys Felicia Day's YouTube Channel, Geek & Sundry; Previously Acquired Chris Hardwick's Nerdist Industries
LG Electronics Launches First OLED TV to Feature its New LG Smart TV+ webOS Connected-TV Platform
LG's 2014 Ultra HD 4K LED TV's Feature Company's Smart TV+ webOS Platform, Billed as Making Live TV, Streaming Services and Previously Viewed Content All Accessible via One-Click "Launcher Bar" Menu (June 24th)
Liberty Global Releases Subscriber Totals for its TiVo-Powered and Horizon TV Advanced-TV Services
Disney-Owned YouTube MCN, Maker Studios, Launches iPhone App for YouTube Star, PewDiePie
Maker Studios Names Ex-AOL Studios Chief, Gabriel Lewis, EVP of Development and Strategy, and Ex-Yahoo Exec, Bonnie Pan, EVP of Programming
Maker Studios Co-Founder and Ex-CEO, Danny Zappin, Launches Multiplatform Digital Media Company, Zealot Networks; Company Has $25 Million in Funding from Zappin and Other Ex-Maker Execs and Talent
Maker Studios Co-Founders, Lisa and Ben Donovan, Leave the Company
USA Now and Syfy Now Become First NBCUniversal "TV Everywhere" Apps to Launch on Microsoft Xbox One
NBC to Premiere New Comedy Series, "A to Z," on Clear Channel's iHeartRadio and Other Digital Platforms