TL;DR

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

TikTok is exploring a US-only version of its feed algorithm, which may allow it to remain in operation in the states. (Social Media Today)
Apple's iOS 18 will give Siri much more control over apps thanks to AI integrations, letting users control specific app features with voice commands. (The Verge)
Anthropic is releasing a new feature for Claude that allows people to create various assistants to meet their needs, with or without Google and OpenAI. (The Verge)

Audiences

Social media is now the top channel for brand discovery in the UK, surpassing traditional search engines and TV ads, with platforms like TikTok and Pinterest growing rapidly. (Warc)
72% of Americans are planning to travel this summer, with 36% saying they’ve already planned their trip. (CNN)
Influenced by high-income Americans' budget increases, overall summer travel budgets are up 18% YoY. (Deloitte)

British advertisers are significantly boosting their investments in online entertainment, with notable increases on CTV and podcasts. (Warc)
London’s Evening Standard has announced plans to shut down its daily newspaper and replace it with a weekly outlet. (The Guardian)
TikTok’s now alerting some users that they’ve activated a DM streak in the app, similar to Snapchat. (Social Media Today)
Instagram rolled out new Notes features, including Likes and Prompts. (Social Media Today)

The EU has devoted €141M in financing for the film, TV and creative sectors in Europe through loan guarantee agreements with French, German and Finnish intermediaries. (ScreenDaily)
BBC Studios and Pluto TV will launch four new FAST channels in EMEA over the coming months. (Advanced Television)
A trailer for "Moana 2" was viewed by 178M people in its first 24 hours, more than any other trailer for a film in the history of Disney. (THR)
Range Sports has partnered with MLB to develop original programming around the Mets' team, players and fans. (THR)
Dakota Johnson plays a late-blooming lesbian in a new Max series called "Am I OK?" based on the real-life coming out story of screenwriter Lauren Pomerantz. (NBC)

An AI tool called Showrunner lets you create your own episodes of an animated TV series that look like "South Park." (IndieWire)
OpenAI signed deals with Vox and the Atlantic to put news into ChatGPT. (Washington Post)
Acer's newest laptop comes with the ability to snap pictures and video in stereoscopic 3D. (The Verge)
Free ChatGPT users can now access custom GPTs, analyze charts, ask questions about photos, and other features added with GPT-4o. (The Verge)

America’s tallest waterslide with a 145-foot tower opened at Greek-themed amusement park, Mt.Olympus. (The Sun)
A cyberattack group hacked Ticketmaster's consumer data, affecting 560M customers. (CBS News)
Universal Studios Florida will open its new attraction, DreamWorks Land, on June 14th. (MYNews13)
US Open fans are angry with Ticketmaster over the inability to attain seats via presale. (NJ)

Five of the top 10 busiest travel days in TSA’s history have occurred in 2024 as Americans set travel record after travel record. (CNN)
Tourism brands and destinations have adopted interactive videos to create an action-oriented planning experience for their audiences. (PhocusWire)
Bark Air, a new airline designed completely for pups, recently made its inaugural flight from New York to Los Angeles. (Travel and Leisure)
Boba and non-alcoholic spirits are continuing to grow in popularity with younger consumers. (NRN)

US gaming revenue topped $66.5B for the third consecutive year. (igamingbusiness)
Amazon will be publishing Maverick Games' debut title, a driving game that will be open world and narrative-led. (gamesindustrybiz)
Lego’s first Legend of Zelda set is a 2.5K-piece Great Deku Tree. (The Verge)