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TOMORROW’S STREAMERS WILL DEMAND CRYPTO INNOVATIONS, SAYS HULU. Does the future of Hulu’s entertainment streaming service involve cryptos and the metaverse?
If its latest job search is any indication, the answer is yes.
The American streaming platform, a rival to Netflix, is looking for expertise aimed towards “tomorrow’s streamers.”
A “Brand Culture Marketing Manager” would establish a team and concentrate on how the company may expand beyond conventional streaming, via things like the metaverse and NFTs, and perhaps integrating crypto payments.
The job post read:
“The Brand Marketing Manager will be focused on new areas and verticals of opportunity for the Hulu brand that can reach the streamers of the tomorrow and younger audiences that are consuming content in less traditional ways”
The news was reported by cryptosrus.com and other outlets.
Hulu’s plans are in line with parent company Disney, which recently established a web3 strategy.
Disney made its first move into the crypto/metaverse realm last November when it released their first NFT collection. Their “Golden Moments” NFT collection, marketed on VeVe, includes intellectual property from Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars films. Another recent Disney Parks job offering is looking for someone to “lead Disney’s efforts in the NFT area.”
Disney and Hulu are among a limited number of top streaming services with rights to hundreds of historic and current films. Their entry into the metaverse and use of NFTs will be taken as another sign of upside in the future of crypto technology.
CRYPTO IN RIO. Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes announced late last week that he intends to designate 1% of the city’s treasury reserves to cryptocurrencies.
Though not nearly as aggressive as crypto moves by other Latin American countries including El Slavador, which under President Nayib Bukele made Bitcoin legal tender this past September, the Rio move is significant.
Cities and localities around the world, including American powerhouse urban hubs like Miami, and even New York, have all made news for crypto adoption efforts and strategies.
Rio’s mayor said Rio’s investment of treasury reserves was part of a larger aim to convert the city into a cryptocurrency center, according to news outlet Globo.
“We are going to launch Crypto Rio and invest 1% of the treasury in cryptocurrency. The government has a role to play,” Paes said, adding that the state is considering tax breaks for the business.
Paes announced his intentions speaking on a panel of a crypto technology focused event.
Major Brazilian authorities were present on the panel, including municipal finance secretary Pedro Paulo, who said that his government is exploring a 10% reduction on property tax in Brazil for Bitcoin payments.
“Let’s study the legal framework to do this. You take the single quota discount of 7%, it would make 10% if you pay in bitcoin,” Paulo reasoned.
Brazil has recently softened its attitude on Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency business, with federal deputy Luizo Goulart presenting a measure to legalize crypto as a payment mechanism for public and private sector employees in November, according to CoinTelegraph. MercadoPago, a leading crypto payment company in Brazil, permitted Brazilian citizens to purchase, trade, and hold major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ether in December.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, also present, talked about the obstacles of developing towns into technology centers. Saurez revealed intentions to invest a part of Miami’s money in bitcoin this past February.
As reported by Zerohedge, the news follows a report by the American firm Fidelity Investments, which said game theory might offer clues about the future course of Bitcoin and government adoption.
According to the firm:
“There is very high stakes game theory at play here, whereby if bitcoin adoption increases, the countries that secure some bitcoin today will be better off competitively than their peers. Therefore, even if other countries do not believe in the investment thesis or adoption of bitcoin, they will be forced to acquire some as a form of insurance. In other words, a small cost can be paid today as a hedge compared to a potentially much larger cost years in the future.”
The Fidelity report concluded by saying other nations besides El Salvador might acquire bitcoin in 2022, and even a central bank might be tempted to make an acquisition.
The Trends Journal has been covering crypto adoption in stories including:
- “EL SALVADOR RATTLES IMF WITH BITCOIN PASSAGE” (15 Jun 2021)
- “EURO THREATS NOT STOPPING CRYPTO MOVES” (22 Jun 2021)
- “EL SALVADOR CRYPTO WALLETS READY IN SEPTEMBER” (24 Aug 2021)
- “THE GEOPOLITICS OF BITCOIN” (27 Jul 2021)
- “ONLY CRYPTOPLORABLES HAVE USE FOR BITCOIN, SAYS NATIONAL REVIEW” (Oct 19 2021)
- “SINGAPORE ANGLES TO BECOME ASIA’S CRYPTO HUB” (12 Oct 2021)
- “NEW YORK’S NEW MAYOR TAKES PAY IN BITCOIN, CHALLENGES MIAMI” (9 Nov 2021)
A WALMART METAVERSE. NFT collectibles, and a Walmart token? The giant retailer is reportedly making moves to enter the crypto space, which is certainly significant news.
One of the questions surrounding the news is what crypto networks might stand to benefit from a Walmart initiative.
Ethereum and a layer two protocol? Solana? The cryptosphere buzzed early this week with speculation. There was talk of a significant uptick on Hedera’s network, for example, and the possibilities of Walmart partnering with the enterprise leading DLT.
But speculation aside, Walmart is making moves.
Late this month, the big-box retailer filed numerous new trademarks indicating its intention to manufacture and sell virtual items, such as electronics, home décor, toys, sports goods, and personal care products, according to CNBC.
In a second filing, the business said that it will provide customers with both a virtual currency and NFTs.
Walmart submitted the applications on December 30th, according to the US Patent and Trademark Office.
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben noted:
“There’s a lot of language in these, which shows that there’s a lot of planning going on behind the scenes about how they’re going to address cryptocurrency, how they’re going to address the metaverse and the virtual world that appears to be coming or that’s already here.”