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By Jamie Crick, Managing Director, Asia Pacific

TL;DR

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

Google now offers "web" search, an optional setting that filters out things like sponsored posts and Quora advice, as well as an AI opt-out button. (The Verge)
StreamSaver, an upcoming bundle that packages Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+, will soon be available to all Comcast broadband, TV and mobile subscribers. (THR)
OpenAI released GPT-4o, a faster, more powerful model that’s free for all ChatGPT users. (The Verge)
Netflix will be home to NFL Christmas Day football games for the next three seasons. (Yahoo)

77% of global travelers care more about the right travel experience than about the cost of the trip. (American Express)
In the US, 56% of new subscribers to streaming platforms chose ad-supported plans over ad-free subscriptions in Q1. (Antenna)
US consumers would choose a bundle offered by Netflix or Amazon over other ‘big tech’ companies like Apple or Google. (Advanced TV)
82% of US music subscribers have a video streaming subscription, 69% have a retail subscription to a store like Amazon, 39% have a gaming subscription and 22% have a news subscription. (Digital Music News)

Netflix announced that its ad-supported plan now has 40M global monthly active users, up from 5M a year ago. (Marketing Dive)
Facebook referral traffic to publisher websites has declined by 50% over the past year. (Social Media Today)
Instagram launched a live test of expanded Notes options with select users, allowing them to add Notes to Reels. (Social Media Today)

Regional content is driving the majority of premium VOD engagement and growth in Asia, with content originating from Korea, Japan, China, Indonesia and Thailand driving 70-75% of engagement, acquisition and hits. (WorldScreen)
Olivia Colman and John Lithgow star in the new LGBTQ+ film "Jimpa," launching at Cannes Market from CAA and Protagonist. (Variety)
Caitlin Clark's pro debut is the most-watched WNBA game in ESPN history, drawing 2.1M viewers. (NBC)
Francis Ford Coppola’s new sci-fi film "Megalopolis" will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival 40 years after its inception. (Variety)

Google's Gemini will let AI help consumers build travel plans using natural language and simple commands. (PhocusWire)
A leaked deck shows that OpenAI has been pitching partnership opportunities to news publishers through an initiative called the Preferred Publishers Program. (Adweek)
Google released a series of updates across the Gemini family of models, including the new 1.5 Flash, a lightweight model for speed and efficiency, and Project Astra, Google's vision for the future of AI assistants. (Google)
X announced that its Grok AI chatbot will now be made available in Europe, after finalizing an agreement with EU regulators. (Social Media Today)

Over 250 popular musicians, including Billie Eilish and Dave Matthews, signed a letter urging the Senate Commerce Committee to support a US bill called the Fans First Act that aims to reform the live-event ticketing system. (NBC)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill that will increase transparency when purchasing tickets to concerts, games and other events. (MPR)
Jamie xx, Alanis Morissette, and Black Pumas headline the Pitchfork Music Festival this July, and there's still time to grab tickets. (Pitchfork)
George Clooney will make his Broadway debut in "Good Night, and Good Luck." (CNN)

Spend from Australian visitors to California is forecast to hit more than 100% ($1.3B) of pre-pandemic levels in 2024 and 123% in 2025. (Karryon)
Ghost kitchens are having a difficult time finding footing and living up to expectations in a non-Covid world. (The Week)
Airlines are pushing back against the “junk fees” rule that aims to eliminate fees for luggage and schedule changes, arguing that it will only confuse consumers. (WaPo)
New York, Las Vegas and Honolulu are the top destinations among Americans, while Tokyo, London and Paris top the wish list outside of the US. (Empower)

Honda combined VR gaming with its latest hands-free self-balancing wheelchair to provide an immersive entertainment experience for users. (Thiis)
Meta is making its Quest 2 and 3 virtual reality headsets more travel-friendly, releasing a new Travel Mode for both devices. (IGN)
Lego Group is expanding its relationship with Epic Games, given its success on platforms like Fortnite. (GamesIndustryBiz)