Homa

Netflix to Reveal UK Viewing Figures for the First Time; ASA Rules Tory Party Broke Advertising Rules - ExchangeWire.com

ExchangeWire reports three main items: Netflix will disclose UK viewing figures for the first time by joining Barb and releasing independently audited metrics, enabling comparison with traditional TV. The ASA ruled that the UK government's levelling up advertising campaign breached advertising rules by not clearly identifying itself as marketing communications. France's Homa Games raised USD$100 million in a Series B round, co-led by Headline and Quadrille Capital, bringing total funding to USD$165 million after a prior USD$65 million Series A, and supports growth as it expands into Web3 and NFTs. Homa Games' catalogue includes Zombie Defence and Get Lucky: Run to the Pool, with over one billion downloads. The digest also notes the ongoing industry context around funding, regulation, and measurement in digital entertainment and advertising.

Facebook Willing to Open Algorithms to Regulators; Sky Mavis Announce USD$152m Funding Round - ExchangeWire.com

The Digest reports Facebook's willingness to open its algorithms to regulators amid calls from whistleblower Frances Haugen, with discussions of regulatory oversight, potential liability changes, and new controls like 'take a break' prompts. It covers Sky Mavis raising USD 152 million in a Series B led by Andreessen Horowitz and Mark Cuban, valuing the company near USD 3 billion and supporting Axie Infinity, which has seen about USD 2.05 billion in NFT-based sales. Homa Games raised USD 50 million in a Series A led by Northzone, bringing total funding to USD 65 million since 2014. Magic Leap secured USD 500 million for Magic Leap 2, valuing the company around USD 2 billion. The digest also notes Linked developments such as Sophie Zhang's willingness to testify and Facebook acquiring AI Reverie, with broader activity across the gaming and AR spaces.

Hypercasual Gaming Will Inherit The Earth

Hypercasual gaming is described as a mass-market, snackable format where games can be learned in seconds with simple, one-finger controls. In this interview, Jon Hook, the VP of Publishing at BoomBit, explains that hypercasual’s audience spans teens to grandparents and is primarily monetized through advertising rather than in-app purchases. The market is estimated at about $3 billion with roughly 33% year-over-year growth per ironSource. Hook notes BoomBit’s scale—about 150 employees and more than 25 million hypercasual downloads—and mentions the company’s post-IPO cash position, positioning it to attract live-ops improvements and collaboration with external studios. He describes hypercasual as a global content marketing platform that can reach a broad and diverse audience, and discusses strategy around creative formats, cross-platform channels (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube), and the tension with traditional casual studios whose MAUs are declining. The piece also touches Hook’s investment work through Mallory Ventures and his experience during the coronavirus era.