Tech lookahead: Popcorn and programmatic ads

AOL Inc. reports first quarter earnings Friday, in which the owner of such sites as The Huffington Post and Engadget is expected to show more growth in its programmatic ad business. One by AOL is an ad exchange that helps buyers buy ads on all sorts of websites, not just sites run by AOL.

Also reporting is Cineplex Inc., the Canadian theatre owner and movie distributor. The analyst call is at 10 a.m. (The Globe's Susan Krashinsky will be covering the story) and investors are hoping to see more growth in the company's digital businesses as it seeks to diversify from the movie ticket and expensive popcorn business.

In Asia, Google's first campus for startups and entrepreneurs opened on Friday in a glitzy neighbourhood of South Korea's capital Seoul.

Google Inc. cited South Korea's flourishing startup scene and pervasive smartphone use as the reasons for picking Seoul after opening similar sites in London and Tel Aviv.

Finally, it's the second-last day of Toronto's Digifest. If you are nearby, today's presenters include wearable tech pioneer Steve Mann, plus some discussions about drones, bitcoin and holograms.

What is this?

Every day a million pieces of news fly at you. This daily Signal Boost is our attempt to give readers a morning head's up on the news that will matter to Canadians interested in media, technology and telecom.

Tips or suggestions for our calendar? Message sdingman [at] globeandmail.com or tweet @shanedingman