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“The Last of Us” made its debut last night on HBO and HBO Max. The series premiere garnered 4.7 million U.S. viewers, making it HBO’s second-largest debut since “Boardwalk Empire” premiered over a decade ago with 4.81 million viewers, the company announced today. “House of the Dragon” remains the biggest premiere in HBO history with nearly 10 million viewers.

The video game adaptation was a recipe for success given the established fan base, a star-studded cast, and an accurate representation of the franchise that many gamers loved to see come to life. While it’s too early to predict if “The Last of Us” will become the most popular game-based TV series, the viewership data is a sure sign that HBO is doing something right. Notably, “The Last of Us” is the company’s first time adapting a video game into a show.

“We are thrilled to see fans of the series and game alike experience this iconic story in a new way, and we extend our gratitude to them for helping to make it a success,” said Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO & HBO Max Content, in a statement.

We’ll also add that the premiere caused a 69% increase in first-time U.S. downloads of the HBO Max app across iOS and Android devices, per third-party app intelligence estimates from data.ai (previously App Annie). Plus, the HBO Max app reached #4 on the overall free iPhone app ranking on the U.S. App Store on the night of the premiere. The last time it was this high in the ranking was when it hit #3 on the list when “House of the Dragon” debuted in August 2022.

However, “The Last of Us” has big shoes to fill if it wants to compete with other game-based shows like Netflix’s “Arcane,” which is based on “League of Legends.” Based on Netflix’s own metrics, “Arcane” had 38.4 million viewing hours during the week of November 15, 2021. Paramount+’s “Halo” set a record for being the streamer’s most-watched series premiere worldwide. Amazon Prime Video also has video game adaptations in the works, including a “God of War” series.

The HBO original series will have nine episodes in total and will stream on Sundays.

HBO Max subscribers were only introduced to a few characters in the first episode, so it’s likely the following episodes will feature more, such as Frank (Murray Bartlett), Bill (Nick Offerman), Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey), Florence (Elaine Miles), Riley (Storm Reid), Perry (Jeffrey Pierce) and Henry (Lamar Johnson). Viewers will also finally get to see clickers in action.

HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ gets a warm welcome with 4.7M U.S. viewers by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch

In pursuit of profits, Clearco co-founder Michele Romanow has stepped down as chief executive of the company around a year after assuming the official role. The shift comes alongside yet another round of layoffs, this time impacting 30% of staff across all teams, Romanow confirms.

Now, Clearco only has 140 staff, down from 500 just last year. “We don’t ever lie, we are under the same pressures as every other company to become a profitable business. And so we’ve just continued to make the hard decisions..and continue to be ahead of the curve,” Romanow said in an interview with TechCrunch, explaining the shift.

There’s in-house precedent for both of these changes. Clearco has undergone numerous rounds of layoffs over the pandemic, including a cut that impacted 25% of staff. Additionally, in 2022, Toronto-based fintech saw its other co-founder, Andrew D’Souza, step down from his CEO role, to be replaced by Romanow. Now, both the co-founders will assume executive chairman positions.

With its co-founding team gone, and yet another round of layoffs, Clearco has a, well, clear challenge ahead of it: how does it turn things around, and ultimately defend its $2 billion valuation?

For now, Romanow tells TechCrunch, the answer is discipline. And Andrew Curtis, who will take over the chief executive role at Clearco after spending two decades of his career in the financial services world.

Curtis, who is CEO effective today, said in an interview with TechCrunch that “the whole reason I’m here is to push the company toward profitability and cash flow break-even.”

While Romanow denied any potential of her perhaps starting a new company given today’s change, she did confirm one detail: the entrepreneur will continue to be on Dragon’s Den, a spin off of Shark Tank, despite the current kerfuffle.

“This is not about me having an ego and needing a certain role,” Romanow said. “I’m a growth CEO, and now we need a CEO that is very financially-driven, and is going to get us to the next period of break-even business.”

Clearco co-founder Michele Romanow steps down, cuts 30% of staff by Natasha Mascarenhas originally published on TechCrunch

I once aspired to own San Francisco real estate. Now, I’m only interested in acquiring intellectual property.

Case in point: “Scooby-Doo” aired on TV before I was born, but the spin-off “Velma” just premiered on HBO Max.

It’s getting ripped to shreds on social media, which means people watched, so we can expect more to come.

Full TechCrunch+ articles are only available to members
Use discount code TCPLUSROUNDUP to save 20% off a one- or two-year subscription

Hollywood studios are adept at wringing every ounce of value from their IP. Similarly, cost-effective IP management strategies can fortify startup valuations over the long-term, according to Kyle Graves, counsel at Snell & Wilmer, but only if founders are vigilant.

Do you have IP counsel? Does your app have a UX protection strategy? Have you ever conducted an audit?

“There are a thousand little oopsies that can become big oopsies when word gets out that a big payday may be coming.”

Thanks for reading,

Walter Thompson
Editorial Manager, TechCrunch+
@yourprotagonist

7 space tech predictions for 2023

As of January 17, Wikipedia notes that there have been eight successful spaceflight launches so far this year.

New spaceports are entering operation, cell phone users will soon have connectivity from space, and the Artemis program backed by NASA is one of several ventures that will bring robots (and eventually human crews) to the Moon.

“Despite the economic uncertainty, we believe new records will be established in spacetech as giant commercial projects get funded,” says Mark Boggett, CEO and co-founder of Seraphim Space Manager LLP.

4 tips to find the funding that fits your business

Raising money without a detailed business plan is a proven way for losing value.

Before seeking capital, founders need a firm plan for ramping up hiring, going to market and expanding into new areas. Otherwise, they may be “mistaking funding for validation,” writes Carlos Antequera, CEO and co-founder of Novel Capital.

“Not all capital providers are equal, so seeking financing isn’t just about securing capital. It’s a matter of finding the right source of funding that matches both your business and your roadmap.”

TechCrunch+ roundup: Space tech predictions, startup IP strategy, finding feasible funding by Walter Thompson originally published on TechCrunch

The early stages of building a startup is no cakewalk even during a strong economy — much less during the uncertain one we’re currently living in. If you’re an aspiring or newly minted founder, you’ll find invaluable information, guidance and support — at an early-bird price you can afford — during TechCrunch Early Stage, a one-day founder summit on April 20 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Early Bird Pricing On Sale Now

Buy an early-bird founder ticket for $249 and tap into a day packed with:

Workshops led by leading founders and VCs.
Small roundtable discussions with Q&A led by top subject-matter experts.
Actionable advice and strategies you can implement now.
Opportunities to expand your network and connect with a supportive community.

What You Can Learn at TechCrunch Early Stage

We’re building out a strong agenda, and we’ll share it with you in the coming weeks. In the meantime, these categories and topics — from previous years — will give you a sense of what you can expect at TC Early Stage 2023.

Funding: How to Get Your First Yes
Marketing/PR: How to Get Earned Media
Operations: Finding Your Product Market Fit

Don’t let an uncertain economy sideline your startup dreams. Learn directly from founders who have paved the way. They, and a host of other startup ecosystem experts, will help you understand best practices, avoid pitfalls, determine your next steps and immerse yourself in a supportive community of fellow travelers.

TechCrunch Early Stage takes place on April 20, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts. Jump in and save with early-bird pricing. Buy your early-bird ticket for $249 and save $200. We can’t wait to see what you’re building!

Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at TC Early Stage 2023? Contact our sponsorship sales team byfilling out this form.

Fledgling startup founders — buy an early-bird ticket to build your future by Lauren Simonds originally published on TechCrunch

It’s not just quality content that makes a streaming service stand out amongst its competitors. Improving the user experience is still an integral part of the fight to reduce churn. On Monday, Netflix rolled out updates to its iPhone app that introduced a revamped interface featuring a new billboard layout, new card transitions, new animation for both the launch and profile screens, updated haptics and more.

Former Netflix product designer Janum Trivedi tweeted about the update alongside a video that shows the new version of the app. Trivedi wanted the app to “feel more fluid, delightful, and polished,” he wrote.

When iPhone users open the Netflix app, they’ll see a large card of a movie or TV series taking up most of the screen. This billboard layout is done to promote a suggested title that’s available on the streaming service. What’s interesting about the update is that the card now uses the parallax effect, which is when the wallpaper moves or shifts slightly when a iPhone user tilts the device back and forth. Also, the title cards are now surrounded by a colored border, which is the main color in the movie/TV artwork.

It also appears that the “Info” tab at the bottom of the card has been removed. Instead, users can simply click on the card, which will bring them to a separate page with information about the show or film.

Previously, the card transition was less fluid on the app. When a title was selected, the info section would simply slide up. The new card transition shows the card grow bigger and then the information opens into a full-screen version.

Another interesting update is the profile screen animation. Rather than the classic side-sliding action that occurred when a user switched profiles in the old app, users will see the profile icon grow large as it jumps to the center, then shrink to its normal size and bounce to the top right corner of the page.

Netflix subscribers will likely enjoy the iPhone app refresh as navigation feels more fun and interactive.

Netflix refreshes its iPhone app with a more fluid design by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch

Web3 developer activity still grew in the last quarter of 2022, according to a new report, despite crypto market volatility and stacks of negative headlines.

Ethereum, one of the largest layer-1 (L1) blockchains in the crypto ecosystem, had a 453% increase in mainnet smart contract deployments in the fourth quarter of 2022, signaling high developer momentum amid crypto market volatility, according to Alchemy’s Web3 Development Report.

“As we saw in Q3 as well, web3 devs are long-term committed to building out this ecosystem because they believe in the technology,” Jason Shah, head of growth at Alchemy, said to TechCrunch. “That durable belief, paired with more reliable infrastructure, better tooling and increasing consumer adoption every quarter, is compelling devs to dig their heels in despite unfavorable market conditions.”

The global market capitalization of the crypto market has fallen from over $2 trillion at the beginning of 2022 to about $800 billion by the end of the year, according to CoinMarketCap data. The two biggest cryptocurrencies, bitcoin and ether, fell 14% and 8.77%, respectively, from the beginning to the end of the fourth quarter.

“Specifically in Q4, developers appear to be entering a period where deploying more smart contracts is relevant given product maturity, and post-Merge, there is renewed confidence and more affordable deployment costs,” Shah said.

Web3 developer activity spiked in Q4 2022 despite market volatility by Jacquelyn Melinek originally published on TechCrunch

YouTube is officially running a test that allows select viewers in the U.S. to watch free ad-supported (FAST) channels via a dedicated hub on the video platform. Users that have access to the experiment will find FAST linear channels in the Movies and TV storefront.

In a shared statement to TechCrunch, a company spokesperson said, “YouTube is the only place where viewers can find everything they want, and we’re always looking for new ways to provide viewers a central destination to more easily find, watch, and share the content that matters most to them. We are currently running a small experiment that allows viewers to watch free ad-supported linear channels alongside the wide variety of content we offer on the platform.”

The company is reportedly talking with various entertainment companies about featuring their titles in the new hub, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first broke the news. YouTube is apparently testing with various content suppliers, such as A+E Networks, Cinedigm Corp, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. and FilmRise, WSJ wrote. The hub could launch later this year.

YouTube declined to comment to TechCrunch on the launch date and which media partners it has chosen to test with.

This experiment is part of the company’s goal to give viewers all their favorite content in one destination, like content from creators as well as traditional movies and TV shows, sports and more. The FAST hub will put YouTube in better competition with Roku, Pluto TV and Tubi, among other players in the space.

Whenever YouTube rolls out its FAST channels hub, it will likely do extremely well as it is already a top streaming service worldwide. The company announced in November that it surpassed 80 million global subscribers across YouTube Premium and YouTube Music.

Back in March 2022, YouTube launched free, ad-supported TV shows, giving U.S. viewers access to over 4,000 titles. The new offering was an expansion of its free, ad-supported movies, which includes more than 1,500 movies from partners like Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate, FilmRise, and more. Users get up to 100 new titles each week.

More recently, YouTube rolled out a Primetime Channels feature, which allows viewers to subscribe to 30+ streaming services, including Paramount+, Showtime, Shudder, Starz, AMC+ and more.

YouTube became the winner of the NFL Sunday Ticket package last month, which will be available as an add-on to YouTube TV and through YouTube Primetime Channels.

YouTube confirms a test of a new hub for free, ad-supported streaming channels by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch

YouTube is officially running a test that allows select viewers in the U.S. to watch free ad-supported (FAST) channels via a dedicated hub on the video platform. Users that have access to the experiment will find FAST linear channels in the Movies and TV storefront.

In a shared statement to TechCrunch, a company spokesperson said, “YouTube is the only place where viewers can find everything they want, and we’re always looking for new ways to provide viewers a central destination to more easily find, watch, and share the content that matters most to them. We are currently running a small experiment that allows viewers to watch free ad-supported linear channels alongside the wide variety of content we offer on the platform.”

The company is reportedly talking with various entertainment companies about featuring their titles in the new hub, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first broke the news. YouTube is apparently testing with various content suppliers, such as A+E Networks, Cinedigm Corp, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. and FilmRise, WSJ wrote. The hub could launch later this year.

YouTube declined to comment to TechCrunch on the launch date and which media partners it has chosen to test with.

This experiment is part of the company’s goal to give viewers all their favorite content in one destination, like content from creators as well as traditional movies and TV shows, sports and more. The FAST hub will put YouTube in better competition with Roku, Pluto TV and Tubi, among other players in the space.

Whenever YouTube rolls out its FAST channels hub, it will likely do extremely well as it is already a top streaming service worldwide. The company announced in November that it surpassed 80 million global subscribers across YouTube Premium and YouTube Music.

Back in March 2022, YouTube launched free, ad-supported TV shows, giving U.S. viewers access to over 4,000 titles. The new offering was an expansion of its free, ad-supported movies, which includes more than 1,500 movies from partners like Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate, FilmRise, and more. Users get up to 100 new titles each week.

More recently, YouTube rolled out a Primetime Channels feature, which allows viewers to subscribe to 30+ streaming services, including Paramount+, Showtime, Shudder, Starz, AMC+ and more.

YouTube became the winner of the NFL Sunday Ticket package last month, which will be available as an add-on to YouTube TV and through YouTube Primetime Channels.

YouTube confirms a test of a new hub for free, ad-supported streaming channels by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch

The Indian government has proposed making the Press Bureau of India and its other agencies the arbiter of truth on what information is misleading for social media firms and other internet companies as they oversee their users’ data in the South Asian market.

The proposal by the Ministry of Electronics and IT came as part of an amendment to the nation’s IT rules. In the current draft, the ministry asks social media firms and online gaming companies to undertake due diligence on the content users “host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store, update or share” and ensure that they are not “patently false and untrue or misleading in nature.”

The change proposes (PDF) that the social media firms and gaming companies use the judgment of the Press Information Bureau, a nodal agency, of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting or other agency authorized by the Central Government for fact checking or “in respect of any business of the Central Government, by its department in which such business is transacted.”

The Press Bureau of India’s fact checks have been scrtunizedand found to be misleading in some instances by the local media.

The ministry proposed earlier this month that the online gaming industry establish a self-regulatory body to oversee concerns over the rise of addictiveness of their titles. On Tuesday evening, it proposed that when the ministry holds the view that the self-regulatory body has not complied with the provisions of this rule, it may direct the body to “undertake measures to rectify the non-compliance.”

The new proposal may add to the growing pain for many tech giants in India, one of their key overseas markets, where they have been subjected to greater accountability, scrutiny and questionable tactics in recent years. New Delhi is entering 2023 with several more such policy changes, including a telecom law that wouldtighten the government’s grip on internet firms.

Asia Internet Coalition, an influential industry group that represents Google, Meta and Amazon, among other tech firms, expressed concerns earlier this month about the digital competition law recommended by an Indian parliamentary panel that seeks to regulate their alleged anticompetitive practices, calling the proposal “absolutist and regressive” in nature.

The Indian panel said last month that its recommendation was systemically important to counter monopoly and warned that tech giants “must not favour its own offers over the offers of its competitors” when acting as mediators to supply and sales markets.

India proposes social media firms rely on fact checking by government agencies by Manish Singh originally published on TechCrunch

The Indian government has proposed making the Press Bureau of India and its other agencies the arbiter of truth on what information is misleading for social media firms and other internet companies as they oversee their users’ data in the South Asian market.

The proposal by the Ministry of Electronics and IT came as part of an amendment to the nation’s IT rules. In the current draft, the ministry asks social media firms and online gaming companies to undertake due diligence on the content users “host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store, update or share” and ensure that they are not “patently false and untrue or misleading in nature.”

The change proposes (PDF) that the social media firms and gaming companies use the judgment of the Press Information Bureau, a nodal agency, of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting or other agency authorized by the Central Government for fact checking or “in respect of any business of the Central Government, by its department in which such business is transacted.”

The Press Bureau of India’s fact checks have been scrtunizedand found to be misleading in some instances by the local media.

The ministry proposed earlier this month that the online gaming industry establish a self-regulatory body to oversee concerns over the rise of addictiveness of their titles. On Tuesday evening, it proposed that when the ministry holds the view that the self-regulatory body has not complied with the provisions of this rule, it may direct the body to “undertake measures to rectify the non-compliance.”

The new proposal may add to the growing pain for many tech giants in India, one of their key overseas markets, where they have been subjected to greater accountability, scrutiny and questionable tactics in recent years. New Delhi is entering 2023 with several more such policy changes, including a telecom law that wouldtighten the government’s grip on internet firms.

Asia Internet Coalition, an influential industry group that represents Google, Meta and Amazon, among other tech firms, expressed concerns earlier this month about the digital competition law recommended by an Indian parliamentary panel that seeks to regulate their alleged anticompetitive practices, calling the proposal “absolutist and regressive” in nature.

The Indian panel said last month that its recommendation was systemically important to counter monopoly and warned that tech giants “must not favour its own offers over the offers of its competitors” when acting as mediators to supply and sales markets.

India proposes social media firms rely on fact checking by government agencies by Manish Singh originally published on TechCrunch