AOL vs Audacy

Bending Spoons Raises $1.68 Billion in Nasdaq IPO

Bending Spoons S.p.A., the Milan-based technology company known for acquiring and transforming established software brands, has priced its initial public offering on the Nasdaq Global Select Market at $29.00 per share, above the initial range of $26 to $28. The company is offering about 58 million shares, including around 34.4 million new shares, to raise approximately $1.68 billion. The IPO values Bending Spoons at about $18.4 billion and will list under the ticker 'BSP'. CEO Luca Ferrari describes the model as a hybrid of a private equity firm and Google, targeting companies with loyal user bases and significant revenue. Since November of last year, Bending Spoons has invested about $4 billion in acquisitions, including AOL, Vimeo, Evernote, Eventbrite, WeTransfer, Brightcove, and Tractive.

• Bending Spoons priced its IPO at $29.00 per share, above the $26–$28 range.
• The company plans to raise about $1.68 billion by offering approximately 58 million shares, including 34.4 million new shares.
• The IPO values Bending Spoons at about $18.4 billion; shares will trade on Nasdaq under the ticker 'BSP'.

Walmart's Vibe Deal: Meta or Another AOL?

Walmart completed its acquisition of Vibe.co, a self-serve CTV platform, and the deal has prompted discussion about whether Walmart can build a successful advertising walled garden or repeat past failures. The opinion piece argues the combination of Walmart’s retail data, Vibe’s CTV capability and Walmart’s prior TV play via Vizio could create a connected retail-media + CTV ecosystem that drives measurable outcomes for advertisers. The author warns that convenience and self-serve buying alone do not guarantee long-term advantage — scale, audience ownership, cross-platform measurement and deliberate strategy are required to make a walled garden valuable rather than limiting. The article frames the acquisition as a test of whether Walmart’s approach will emulate Meta’s success or become another AOL-like cautionary tale for closed ecosystems.

• Walmart completed the acquisition of Vibe.co; the deal "closed last week."
• Vibe.co operates a self-serve CTV platform aimed at making streaming TV easier for smaller and midsize advertisers.
• Walmart previously moved into the TV screen via Vizio.

Community Project Revives ICQ as 'ICQ Reborn'

ICQ was permanently discontinued on June 26, 2024. A community project, ICQ Reborn, revives the classic ICQ experience—UINs, the iconic "Uh‑oh" sound and a 2002-style interface—and is distributed as a free Windows client (v1.3); there is no official mobile app yet. The project is an independent, fan-run effort not affiliated with the official ICQ owners (Mail.ru Group) and is presented as a nostalgic tech hobby rather than a modern messaging competitor. ICQ Reborn runs on a private XMPP server and currently lacks end-to-end encryption, which, along with potential stability limitations, raises security concerns; users are advised not to share sensitive information on the service.

• ICQ, previously owned by AOL and sold to Mail.ru Group in 2010, was permanently discontinued on 2024-06-26.
• A community project named ICQ Reborn recreates ICQ's classic UI, UINs and the iconic "Uh‑oh" notification sound.
• ICQ Reborn is available as a free Windows application (version v1.3); no official mobile version is currently available.

SiriusXM Launches $5 Sports-Only Subscription

SiriusXM announced Sports Pass, a sports-only subscription plan launching September 1, 2026, priced at $5 per month or $49 per year for new U.S. subscribers. The plan provides access to SiriusXM’s full sports programming, including live games and events across major professional leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL), motorsports (NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1), PGA Tour golf, WWE Premium Live Events, international and domestic soccer, tennis, and extensive college sports coverage. Sports Pass will also include exclusive SiriusXM sports channels, national analysis, podcasts, and 24 local sports talk stations (including 23 added Audacy stations plus ESPN LA 710). Access will be available via compatible vehicles and the SiriusXM app, with some local and team-specific play-by-play channels limited to the app and vehicles equipped with SiriusXM 360L radios. The launch consolidates SiriusXM’s sports audio inventory into a low-priced, single package ahead of the NFL and college football seasons.

• SiriusXM will launch Sports Pass on September 1, 2026.
• Sports Pass is priced at $5 per month or $49 annually for new U.S. subscribers.
• The plan includes live coverage across NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1, PGA Tour, WWE events, soccer, tennis, and extensive college sports.

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