Oracle’s data management platform and Facebook-owned ad platform LiveRail will power the new venture.

Goldman Sachs upgraded Google  from Neutral and added the stock to its Conviction Buy List. Its price target was raised $800, suggesting potential return of 31%. Analyst Heather Bellini says her upgrade is based on the belief there is new momentum from YouTube and its mobile search potential. 

Going up against game-streaming platform Twitch, YouTube has launched its own gaming destination and accompanying app. YouTube Gaming is now the "go-to destination for anything and everything gaming," in the words of the Google unit. Notes ars technica: “It not only shows who is live streaming, but serves as a collection point for all gaming content on YouTube.”

For Netflix, the addition of “Smosh: The Movie” is part of its bid to stock up on teen/tween-focused fare. The company also has acquired streaming rights to  “Bad Night,” with YouTube stars Jenn McAllister and Lauren Luthringshausen, to debut Sept. 4 worldwide. In addition, Netflix ordered a new season of high-school drama series “Degrassi” after TeenNick declined to renew the show.

The Walt Disney Co. which now owns Maker Studios, has let go of Chief Content Officer Erin McPherson and Senior Vice President of Marketing Jeremy Welt have officially left the company.

It's been up again, down again, over and over, for Netflix in these days of wild Wall Street stock fluctuations. On Monday, the stock went from being the worst performer in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index to one of the best mid-day and back down again — at times plunging as much as 18% and rising as much as 5.5%. The shares ended the day down 6.8% to $96.88. But that was yesterday. 

Ownage Pranks is a comedy channel on YouTube with nearly 3.3 million subscribers and nearly 450 million video views to date. Spyglass Digital recently gave them tips on how to keep the ball rolling as newer competitors emerge

"On the whole, cutting the cord with cable should benefit consumers," says The New York Times, in an editorial that scorches cable for its impossible-to-escape bundled packages, and suggests viewers could cut cable without missing much. 

Maker Studio talent and DJ Amy Pham, with 396,000 subscribers and 35 million views, will be featured in the upcoming theatrical release of the film Like.Share.Follow. The deal was brokered by Abrams Artists Agency, which has been ramping up its work with digital stars. Pham’s own move into films builds on the popularity of her weekly vlog, The Fashion Statement.

"Gawker.com sometimes, among some people, got a reputation for occasionally being edgy or even bitchy for less purpose... So that's a tweak we need to make in the editorial strategy to bring Gawker.com more in line with the other extremely desirable properties that are in the portfolio," CEO Nick Denton explains to AdAge.com