AGM KNOWLEDGE INSIDER

TL;DR

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

  • Google released a new feature in Lens that lets you search by capturing a video. (The Verge)

  • Warner Bros. Discovery is interested in exploring a partnership with Paramount Global to combine WBD’s Max and Paramount+. (Variety)

  • The busiest day in TSA history was July 7, 2024 (just over 3M screenings), eclipsing a record set just last month. (Bankrate)

  • Following this week’s added support for comments on Spotify podcast pages, the question now is whether the app will enable them for music artists as well. This could be a compelling addition to the platform, as music fanbases tend to be larger and more active than those around podcasts. (Tech Crunch)

Audiences

  • 38% of US adults plan to take on more debt to travel, dine out and see live entertainment in the months ahead. (Bankrate)

  • US consumers want simplified bundles, with about 75% expressing interest in a service that could manage multiple subscriptions in one place. (Newscast)

  • Gen Alpha kids in the US prefer social video over paid streaming, with YouTube being the top platform of choice. (Variety)

  • Two-thirds of Britons approve of postponing the theatre start time by ten minutes to watch England’s penalties together. (YouGov)

Platforms

  • Overall TikTok ad spend declined in both April and May, most likely due to the 6-month countdown for a potential US sell-off. (Social Media Today)

  • Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, the parent company of Redbox, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. (NYT)

  • Spotify will allow listeners to leave comments on any podcast episode page that supports it. (Tech Crunch)

  • YouTube introduced six new tools that will help creators craft Shorts, including those that will automatically transform longer videos into Shorts. (Tech Crunch)

Content

  • Though "The Penguin" and "Dune: Prophecy" were both initially billed as Max Originals, Warner Bros. Discovery will now market them as HBO Originals. (The Verge)

  • Last weekend's Liberty-Fever WNBA regular season game averaged 1.87M viewers on CBS, marking the fifth-largest WNBA audience in the past 23 years. (Sports Media Watch)

  • Viaplay channel launched on Prime Video UK, featuring Nordic and European content for a cost of £4.99/mo. (Advanced Television)

  • Seven of the top 10 markets with the largest growth in Anime viewership are in Europe, but there’s still room for growth (Ampere Analysis)

Tech & AI

  • Vimeo has joined YouTube and TikTok in launching new AI content labels. (Tech Crunch)

  • Microsoft is preparing to enable Copilot in OneNote to read and analyze handwritten notes. (The Verge)

  • OpenAI has created an internal scale (ranging from level 1–5) to track the progress its models are making toward general artificial intelligence. Today's chatbots are at level 1. (The Verge)

  • Anthropic’s Claude now has a prompt playground designed to help developers quickly improve their AI apps. (Tech Crunch)

Location-based entertainment

  • Disney plans to launch a new cruise ship that will set sail from Tokyo in 2029, adding a ninth vessel to the brand's growing fleet. (Reuters)

  • The cost of admissions to movies, theaters and concerts in the US has grown by almost 17% since May 2021. (CNBC)

  • Wimbledon's week one attendance was down by 3.7% from last year as rain interrupted play on several days. (Rutland Herald)

  • The Mirage in Las Vegas is offloading $1.6M in prizes before closing and being replaced by the Hard Rock Las Vegas. (LV Review Journal)

Travel & hospitality

  • Because self-service tools benefit both guests and the hotel organizations that serve them, experts predict an even wider adoption of self-serve tech in the hotel sector. (Frank Mayer)

  • Return-to-office traffic is fueling a catering boom, with both local and chain restaurants embracing the offering. (Restaurant Dive)

  • Hawaiian, Asian, and Hispanic populations in the US have grown significantly in the past 20 years, accelerating the growth of some restaurant brands. (NRN)

  • Australians are spending 22% less per international leisure trip than in 2019, likely due to cost-of-living pressures, yet they still visit an average of 3.1 countries per trip. (CATO)

Gaming

  • The Indian gaming sector is expected to grow to $8.9B in the next five years, making it the second-largest market in the world behind China. (Entrepreneur)

  • Users can now purchase e.l.f. Cosmetics products through Roblox by visiting the e.l.f. UP! experience’s virtual kiosk. (Venture Beat)

  • Voice-controlled AI game developer Volley closed its Series C fundraising with $55M. (gamesindustry.biz)

  • The developer of Palworld has signed a deal with Sony to capitalize on the breakout success of the video game. (IGN)

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