_AGM_ magic

We coordinated exclusive “Dive-In” screenings in markets all over the US in promotion of "Meg 2: The Trench," where guests faced their fears and watched the film from the water!

TL;DR

In a hurry? Here's our pick of the top news items of the week.

In the past year, 20% of US SVOD users resubscribed to a service they’d previously canceled, coming back most often thanks to promotional pricing. (NextTV)
In the US, ad spend on search, social and digital video grew 8.7% from Q1 to Q2, while traditional media channels saw spend decline 4.1%. (Marketing Dive)
Hollywood writers and studios finalized the language of a contract that ended the nearly 150-day labor strike. According to the deal, AI cannot write or rewrite literary material and AI-generated material will not be considered source material. (CNBC)
Amazon will invest up to $4B in Anthropic and take a minority ownership position in the company. (CNBC)
OpenAI released a version of ChatGPT that can interact with people using spoken words. (NYT)
A partnership between Spotify and OpenAI will let podcasters clone their voices to automatically create foreign-language versions of their shows. (The Verge)

Audiences

About half of US NFL fans have used an illegal streaming site to watch an NFL game at least once, and 35% of fans regularly turn to pirate platforms to stream pro football. (NextTV)
YouTube is the most popular free video service across all generations in the US as of Q1 2023. (Insider)
US teenagers are only spending 3% of their screen time on Snapchat, once a Gen Z go-to app. (Fast Company)
Music has become Australians’ top podcast genre, but there are clear gender splits regarding preferred genres. (Mumbrella)

Platforms

Nearly three years after its launch, Paramount+ is set to roll out in Japan on December 1st. (NextTV)
Roblox has acquired Speechly, a company specializing in tools for speech recognition and natural language understanding, to enhance its voice features. (Pymnts)
Instagram’s Threads is forecast to have 23.7M monthly active users in the US by the end of this year compared to X’s projected 56.1M. (The Verge)
Google Podcasts will shut down in 2024 with listeners migrated to YouTube Music. (Tech Crunch)
Tubi is launching a feature called Rabbit AI to give users better movie recommendations based on queries. (The Verge)
Spotify introduced a new social listening feature called Jam that lets multiple people DJ for group party playlists. (The Verge)
Starting November 1st, Disney+ will begin restricting password sharing in Canada. (The Verge)
Reddit is removing the ability for some users to opt out of ad personalization based on their activity on the platform. (The Verge)
Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney and others have formed a new trade group to promote their interests to politicians and government entities. (The Verge)
Spotify is launching video ads for its CTV apps, beginning with Roku as the first partner, in what will soon be known as the Spotify CTV Partner Network. (AdAge)
The new, ad-supported tier of AMC+ launched at a $4.99/mo and will include AMC’s programming, as well as access to Shudder, Sundance Now and IFC Films Unlimited. (THR)

Content

Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” has continued to climb at the box office with more than $900M in global ticket sales to date. (Variety)
MSG+ has expanded its purchase options to include single NHL and NBA games, making it the first regional sports service to do so. (TV Technology)
Apple Podcasts has added original programming from Apple Music, Apple News+ and other apps. (Tech Crunch)
SAG-AFTRA members voted 98% in favor of a strike authorization against the video game industry, saying "it's time for the video game companies to stop playing games." (THR)
Warner Bros. Discovery launched its new CNN Max content hub on Max, giving subscribers access to live news, breaking updates and more. (Streamable)

_Tech_ _&_ AI

Getty Images is partnering with Nvidia to launch Generative AI by Getty Images, a new tool that lets people create images using Getty’s library of licensed photos. (The Verge)
Snapchat has partnered with Microsoft to put ads in its My AI chatbot feature. (Tech Crunch)
Amazon restricted authors from self-publishing more than three books a day after an influx of suspected AI-generated material was listed for sale. (Guardian)
Meta announced partnerships with “cultural icons and influencers” to play and embody AI-powered chatbots that will have profiles on Instagram and Facebook. (Variety)
Meta introduced new smart glasses that can take calls, play music and livestream while on your face. (The Verge)

Location-based _entertainment_

A new US law requires ticketing platforms like Ticketmaster and StubHub to give the IRS information on users who sold more than $600 worth of tickets this year. (WSJ)
AMC Theatres announced the “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” concert film will open in more than 100 countries worldwide on Oct. 13th, the same day as in North America. (Variety)
News that Taylor Swift was attending the Kansas City Chiefs / Jets game sent ticket prices soaring more than 40% - from $83 to $119. (CNN)
"Some Like It Hot" has set a closing date for its Broadway run, having its last show on December 30th. (Playbill)
All of Universal’s Orlando theme parks will get a facial recognition upgrade at entry gates for frictionless entry. (Biometric Update)
Five class action lawsuits have been filed against MGM Resorts and Caesars for data breaches at their Las Vegas properties in September. (Travel Pulse)

_Travel_ & hospitality

Delta's CEO said the airline went too far with its sweeping frequent-flier program changes and will be announcing “modifications” within the next few weeks. (WSJ)
Hyatt Hotels will launch a short-term home rental platform called Homes & Hideaways by World of Hyatt. (Travel Weekly)
Sports Illustrated plans to brand resorts in college towns, each featuring a full-service hotel, a vacation club and residential condos. (Travel Weekly)
The US will let Israeli citizens visit the country without a visa for up to 90 days. (AP)
The share of US adults who said they had traveled domestically in the past month dropped 3 percentage points since July to 36%. (Morning Consult)
Marriott is rolling out a new midscale brand, Four Points Express by Sheraton, in EMEA that will offer value-conscious consumers "a seamless hotel experience in a convenient location." (Travel Weekly)
In the US, the restaurant sector is expected to continue its growth streak into the holiday season, with consumer spend increasing 5.4% YoY. (Mastercard)
Las Vegas hospitality workers voted to authorize a strike that could impact more than three dozen casinos and hotels. (CNBC)