MGM launches Epix streaming service; Activision Blizzard readies for layoffs; SpaceX launching lunar lander

MGM Holdings, Epix Launch Streaming Service

Beverly Hills-based film studio MGM Holdings Inc. acquired movie streaming service Epix in 2017 for $1 billion, and is now using its subsidiary to create a streaming service complete with ultra-high-definition 4K video and offline access capabilities. TechCrunch reports MGM’s new Epix Now service aims to offer 50 to 60 hours of original scripted content and a library of theatrical and library film content. It will be available first on Apple TV and the service costs $6 per month.

Activision Employees Face Layoffs

According to VentureBeat, employees at Activision Blizzard Inc. are bracing for what could amount to “hundreds of layoffs” as part of a restructuring and cost-cutting initiative. So far, no one has been let go from the Santa Monica-based game publisher, but it’s expected that non-game development initiatives will be the first to be affected, including publishing, marketing and sales divisions.

SpaceX Selected for Lunar Mission

Hawthorne-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp. has been booked for the first privately funded lunar lander mission, Socaltech reports. Israeli firm SpaceIL will launch the lander from Cape Canaveral on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in mid-February, and financial details of the launch are not yet disclosed.