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TL;DR

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

  • YouTube now makes up 10.4% of all TV viewing in the US, the first streaming platform to reach the double-digit mark. (Nielsen)

  • Hours after it was released, Lionsgate pulled a trailer for "Megalopolis" due to a fake, AI-generated selection of negative quotes about director Francis Ford Coppola’s previous works. (The Verge)

  • Apple will soon let iPhone and iPad users in the EU choose default apps for phone calls, messaging, keyboards, password managers and more. (The Verge)

Audiences

  • US adults’ discretionary spending is down 9% YoY, contributing to a recent softening in overall consumer demand. (Morning Consult)

  • 53% of Americans feel that a theatrical-like sound experience is important when watching movies, and 43% are willing to spend more than $250 on audio equipment with IMAX Enhanced certification. (Ecoustics)

  • Music streaming services now reach half of all people in the UK aged 15+ weekly, but growth over the past couple of years only comes from those aged 55+. (Ofcom)

Platforms

  • TikTok remains determined to fight the US government’s attempt to force it into a sell-off, with the company filing its latest legal opposition to the bill late last week. (Social Media Today)

  • In a MySpace throwback, Instagram will let users add their favorite song to their profile. (Social Media Today)

  • PVOD revenues in Southeast Asia grew by 11% in the first half of this year, with paid SVOD take-up growing by a million subscribers to reach 49M. (Variety)

  • Apple has launched a web app for Podcasts that works on Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari. (The Verge)

Content

  • TikTok announced an official partnership with the International Paralympic Committee, which will see TikTok promote exclusive Paralympics content over the course of the Games. (Social Media Today)

  • With India’s anime market expected to surpass $5B by 2032, Crunchyroll is focusing on the country, dubbing more than 80 shows in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil. (RestofWorld)

  • Cristiano Ronaldo launched a YouTube channel and gained 30M subscribers in two days. (Variety)

  • Chick-Fil-A is moving aggressively into the entertainment space with plans to launch a slate of originals for its own streaming platform. (Deadline)

Tech & AI

  • Snapchat and Meta are planning to demo their AR glasses next month, though they won’t be made available to the public just yet. (Social Media Today)

  • Instagram’s testing out new profile cards that provide a QR code for immediate connection on one side and a profile overview and summary on the other. (Social Media Today)

  • Microsoft will allow Windows users to try out its Recall AI feature, which essentially screenshots everything on your PC, in October. (The Verge)

  • OpenAI and Condé Nast have announced a partnership to allow ChatGPT and its search engine, SearchGPT, to display content from Vogue, The New Yorker, GQ and other well-known publications. (BBC)

Location-based entertainment

  • Australia’s festival sector continues to struggle, with Byron Bay Bluesfest announcing that 2025 will be its final outing. (TravelWeekly)

  • U2 announced Sphere will be playing “V-U2 An Immersive Concert Film at Sphere Las Vegas,” directed by the Edge and Morgleigh Steinberg. (Variety)

  • Cedar Point attendance topped 4M in 2023, more than any other park outside of Florida and California. (Cleveland)

  • Sony/Wayfarer Studios’ "It Ends with Us" continued to drive ticket sales last week, crossing the $200M global box office mark. (Deadline)

Travel & hospitality

  • OpenTable and Kayak released a solo travel guide to reveal trending solo travel destinations, must-visit restaurants and expert tips. (OpenTable)

  • Hyatt has acquired boutique hotel specialist Standard International, and as part of the acquisition, Hyatt will establish a lifestyle group. (TravelWeekly)

  • Travel spending in the US is cooling off, with spending on travel dropping QoQ, but the demand remains strong, especially for luxury hotels, which continue to see higher occupancy rates. (CNN)

Gaming

  • Gamescom's Opening Night unveiled "Borderlands 4," Amazon's gaming-themed anthology series, along with a slew of new games. (GamesIndustry)

  • Lamborghini has partnered with Animoca Brands to create a new gaming experience in the metaverse. (Cryptonomist)

  • "Black Myth: Wukong" passed "Elden Ring" and "Cyberpunk 2077" to become the game with the all-time player record on Steam with 1.2M and counting. (PCGamer)

  • Mercedes-Benz announced a new in-car gaming collaboration with Tencent and Electronic Arts, with one game, "Need for Speed," being available in China by the end of the year. (AutoFutures)

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