Our Brand Experience team worked with Disney Plus on a For Your Consideration activation to promote its special "Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium." We staged a grand piano in the heart of The Grove in Los Angeles. Shoppers were surprised with a personal performance from Elton's longtime bandmate Adam Chester, and were given the opportunity to step in and play like a star themselves. The special went on to garner three Emmy (R) Award nominations, including Outstanding Variety Special (Live).

Shopify discovered that nearly half (48%) of US Gen Z consumers intended to purchase at least some gifts through social media, a proportion greater than the third of all U.S. consumers who planned to do the same. (Retail Dive)

Surveys conducted on young US consumers revealed that Nike maintained its position as the top footwear and clothing brand among teenagers, 37% named Sephora as their preferred beauty retailer and over 50% identified Amazon as their go-to e-commerce shopping site. (Retail Dive)

Hershey has continued to expand their portfolio to include no sugar added and zero-sugar items, plant-based products, protein bars, and brand collaborations, aimed at offering more choices to consumers who are seeking to incorporate wellness into their snacking habits. (Retail Dive)

Videogame enthusiasts have emerged as the fastest-growing and among the most frequent users of DoorDash. The company attracted them with a simple message: "Stay in Your Game." (Wall Street Journal)

StubHub reported a near 60% rise in ticket sales compared to the previous year, with the Los Angeles Lakers reclaiming the top spot as the most in-demand team. (CNBC)

Comcast and Disney enlisted the expertise of investment banks to determine Hulu's net worth, marking the beginning of the next phase in a nearly five-year process aimed at consolidating the streaming service under a single owner. (CNBC)

The latest feature of Pokémon Go fostered player collaboration and competition as players united to defeat formidable raid bosses. (The Verge)

Epic Games introduced a new program, "Now On Epic", aimed at encouraging developers to introduce their older games to the Epic Games Store by offering developers 100% of the net revenue from user spending for six months on products offered through this program. (The Verge)

Xumo began a US nationwide rollout of its first streaming devices in Charter and Comcast households. (Charter Communications)

Spotify introduced a new hub for artist merchandise that recommends goods like T-shirts and vinyl records. (The Verge)

Twitch announced the launch of a new stories feature on its mobile app, which enables partners and affiliates to create Instagram-style stories. (The Verge)

Warner Bros. Discovery announced it will launch Max across 22 European countries in the first half of 2024. (The Hollywood Reporter)

X will initiate a $1/year charge for new users in New Zealand and the Philippines, under the "Not A Bot" program to diminish spam, manipulation and bot activity. (The Verge)

YouTube creators are now able to disclose various elements of their identity to advertisers, helping brands to more accurately determine the YouTubers with the audiences they are looking to target. (Ad Age)

Apple’s latest iOS update could have a big impact on podcast downloads now that episodes older than seven days and back catalogs will not be automatically downloaded. (The Verge)

Discord's new warning system focuses on educating users on how they’ve broken rules and are restricting them from parts of the service rather than permanently banning them. (The Verge)

Best Buy has outlined plans to discontinue the sales of DVDs and Blu-ray discs both in physical stores and online, starting in early 2024. (Variety)

BBC Studios announced plans to exclusively premiere five new themed channels for viewers across the United States through Amazon Freevee. (Informitv)

In celebration of its 100th anniversary, Disney revived Robin Williams' iconic character, Genie from 1992's "Aladdin," in a brand-new animated short film titled "Once Upon a Studio Sunday." (People)

Live commerce startup TalkShopLive launches new app for sellers to broadcast on mobile. (Tech Crunch)

Netflix is reportedly in discussions with publisher Take-Two Interactive to adapt Grand Theft Auto for its platform, alongside potential games stemming from its "Sherlock Holmes" series, the "Extraction" franchise and "Black Mirror." (Mashable)

Netflix unveiled plans for a "Netflix Cup" golf tournament to be held in Las Vegas just before next month’s F1 Grand Prix. It will drivers from "Drive to Survive" against golfers from "Full Swing." (Variety)

TikTok launched its e-commerce product, TikTok Shop, in the U.S. with more than 150M users. (Tech Crunch)

"Saturday Night Live" returned to the screen for its 49th season with Pete Davidson as host, offering a "Barbie" parody sketch and special appearances from both Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. (Slash Film)

Concert film "BTS: Yet to Come" is set to stream on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories starting November 9. (Deadline)

NBA and TNT Sports announced multiyear agreement to deliver live games and programming to fans in the UK and Ireland. (NBA Communications)

Pop star Britney Spears' anticipated tell-all book, "The Woman In Me," soared to the top of Amazon's Best Seller's list ahead of its official release. (NPR)

New York City’s Mayor revealed a strategy for adopting and regulating AI including the use of chatbots for addressing business inquiries, deploying tools to match students with public schools, tracking foodborne illnesses and analyzing crime. (Bloomberg)

AI adoption is experiencing a surge among Mac app users, as revealed in a recent report stating that 42% of primarily US-based Mac users claimed to use AI-based apps on a daily basis. (Tech Crunch)

Walmart is leveraging artificial intelligence to revolutionize the shopping experience through its customer service tools, and is assisting employees with various tasks. (Fox News)

Research backed by Microsoft found users can trick GPT-4 into releasing biased results and leaking private information. (The Verge)

Google Maps introduced screen reader support for the "Search with Live View" feature, enabling visually impaired users to identify nearby locations such as ATMs and public transport stations by simply holding out their phones. (The Verge)

Universal Music Group filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against AI startup Anthropic and Amazon for unauthorized use of tracks. (Music Business Worldwide)

Netflix Inc. announced its intentions to establish Netflix House, a new destination where fans are invited to immerse themselves in the worlds of their favorite TV shows, shop for themed clothing, and enjoy themed food. (Bloomberg)

Madonna kicked off her extensive "Celebration Tour" at London’s O2 Arena, marking her first public performance since her multi-day hospitalization in June. (AP News)

Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum stopped giving out a limited edition Pokémon card for safety and security reasons. (BBC News)

Universal Studios Hollywood has divulged additional details about its upcoming "Fast and Furious" themed roller coaster, featuring a 360-degree rotation capability, enabling the programming of vehicles to turn away from nearby residential areas during key scream-inducing moments. (KTLA 5)

Universal Destinations and Experiences announced their year-round horror experience coming to Las Vegas will be called "Universal Horror Unleashed." (FOX 5)

Pink postponed concert tour dates in Tacoma due to “family medical issues.” (Deadline)

Imax expands its presence in China through a deal with Hengdian Films for 20 new Imax with Laser system theaters across the country. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Southwest Airlines is reducing the qualification criteria for the highest tiers of its frequent-flyer program, hoping to attract air travelers who are dissatisfied with other airlines implementing stricter requirements to achieve elite status. (AP News)

American Airlines has unveiled a new corporate loyalty program, AAdvantage Business, enabling both eligible businesses and their travelers to earn reward miles and loyalty points for business travel bookings made via a direct American Airlines channel, such as its website or mobile app. (BTN)

Staples has positioned itself as "the first stop of nonstop travel" by providing on-site TSA PreCheck registration, available in 250 US stores over the past five years. (USA Today)

Wyndham rejects US $8B unsolicited buyout offer after Choice Hotels goes public with its bid. (AP News)