In this June 5, 2014 file photo, a man walks past a Google sign at the company's Mountain View, Calif. headquarters (AP file photo).
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --
Google is introducing a way for shoppers browsing on their smartphones to buy merchandise by tapping on a button included in the ads appearing in its search results.
The buying button unveiled Wednesday is part of Google's attempt to make it easier for people to shop on mobile devices and divert online traffic from e-commerce leader Amazon.com Inc.
The feature, called "Purchases on Google," completes sales using financial information that already has been stored with Google. Participating merchants can still gather information about customers using Google's buying button.
Facebook also has been testing a similar buying button in ads appearing in its social network.
About a dozen retailers are initially using Google's buying button. Google is hoping to increase the number of merchants before the end of this year.
The Walt Disney Co. logo appears on a screen above the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Aug. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
Disney's Hulu + Live TV and sports streaming service Fubo are combining in a deal that will also see the settlement of a lawsuit against the creation of Venu Sports.
Fubo and Hulu + Live TV both allow customers to stream live broadcast and cable networks on their connected TVs, mobile phones, tablets, and other internet-connected devices.
The combined company, which Disney will have a 70% stake in, will operate under Fubo's publicly traded company name and be led by Fubo's existing management team. Fubo and Hulu + Live TV have a combined 6.2 million North American subscribers.
Fubo and Hulu + Live TV will still be available to consumers as separate offerings once the transaction closes.
"This combination enables us to deliver on our promise to provide consumers with greater choice and flexibility," Fubo CEO David Gandler said in a statement. "Additionally, this agreement allows us to scale effectively, strengthens Fubo's balance sheet and positions us for positive cash flow."
Disney has committed to a $145 million term loan to Fubo in 2026. There's also a $130 million termination fee payable to Fubo under certain circumstances.
Disney said it will also enter into a new deal with Fubo that will allow Fubo to create a new sports and broadcast service that features Disney's sports and broadcast networks including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS and ESPN+.
The companies said that Fubo has settled all litigation with Disney and ESPN related to Venu Sports, the sports streaming platform that was planned by ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery. Fubo has also settled all litigation with Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery.
In August a federal judge granted Fubo's motion for a preliminary injunction against... Read More
